BLOG TOUR STOP: Make You Mine by Ann Lister: Review, Teasers, and Giveaway

Make You Mine

Book 3 in the Rock God Series

by Ann Lister

Cooper Rand is the high-energy drummer for his band Ivory Tower. Everyone is drawn to Cooper; which makes him the go-to party guy for those lucky enough to call him friend. He loves the lifestyle that comes along with being a rock star and feels perfectly suited for the role. He is also a professional when it comes to the hook-up, unwilling to stick around long enough to allow emotions to enter into what he’s doing. He’s lived his entire life ‘in the moment’ and it isn’t until he meets Jayson that he begins to question the direction of his life and if he’s been missing out on something truly special all this time.

Jayson Keller has spent most of his life living on the island of Martha’s Vineyard working as a builder. Living on a small island also has Jayson working overtime to keep his sexual orientation secret. He has mastered the art of hiding in the closet, but he doesn’t want it to be a forever thing. Jayson always said if the right man came along he’d happily leave the safety of his closet and live openly as a gay man. The problem is, living where he does limits his partner options and finding someone worth coming out of that closet for seems an unlikely prospect.

A party at Alex Metcalf’s island estate brings Cooper and Jayson face-to-face. Lightning strikes hot and fast and suddenly their lives take a whole new path. Has Jayson finally met a man worth leaving his self-imposed closet? Have a couple of hours spent alone with Jayson opened Cooper to the idea there is a deeper meaning to life beyond the stage and the value of a committed relationship? But, a bigoted family and the rock star lifestyle could ruin everything and keep both men searching for what was standing right in front of them: a soul mate

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Lulu (epub version)

Fall for Me – Book 1

Take What You Want – Book 2

Review

The third installment of Ann Lister’s The Rock Gods Series focuses on Ivory Towers’ drummer, Cooper Rand. At the end of book two, Take What You Want, readers are given a glimpse of what’s to come between Cooper and Jayson Keller, Chase and Danni’s best friend, but let me tell you, experiencing it fully in Make You Mine is so much better! This is an amazing love story between two men who have never experienced more than simple hook ups, never looking for more than that because the concept of love was one they never felt fit them until they literally bumped into one another and their attraction sizzled.

What I love most about Coop and Jay’s story is that readers are with them from the very start of their relationship. At the beginning, they both try to downplay their feelings for one another and simply see their time together as nothing more than sex, but all it takes is their hands intertwining during a moment of passion to show both of them that what they feel for each other is so much more, and even though both are hesitant to say anything out loud, it’s clear as day to readers that what they’ve started will continue to grow.

As the story progresses, Ann Lister does a great job of showing the complications that can occur in a bicoastal and societal judged relationship as well as the strength that is required to make it work despite all that is going against it. The way Cooper and Jayson learn how to communicate with each other and be honest with their feelings is what allows them to overcome all that they are faced with, and because readers are given both of their point of views throughout their journey, we witness their love blossom and grow into the forever kind. The sex that starts it all is still a huge part of their relationship, and Lister shows just how much they truly connect as a couple with those steamy scenes, but she also proves what they are to each other based on the ways they support and care for one another as well. Another aspect of the text that really works for me is the personal growth both Coop and Jay demonstrate, which in my opinion, truly illustrates what someone is willing to do for the right person.

Make You Mine is a testament to the idea that love is love; it’s not about gender or race or even the number of partners in the relationship. It’s about trust, communication, and commitment, and Ann Lister does a fantastic job of weaving that message throughout all of her stories, but it resonates the most in Coop and Jay’s story due to the bigotry they face. I’ve only read a few books in the M/M genre, but if there are more like Ann Lister’s books, it will quickly become one of my favorites.

A complimentary copy of the text was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 poison apples

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Ann Lister is a native New Englander currently living on the island of Martha’s Vineyard with her husband. She has pulled details from her years living in the New England area and uses many local settings and landmarks in her novels.

After graduating art school and raising two daughters, she established her own video production company. Her nearly two decades working in video production included work within the music industry and won her a coveted Telly Award. It was this ‘behind-the-scenes’ exposure to the music world that inspired many of her novels.

In 2013 she released Book One of her new rock star series: The Rock Gods. Book One is titled, Fall For Me. This novel is her first full-length gay, erotic romance and it is also a Finalist novel for the 2013 Rainbow Award.

Book Two in the Rock Gods series is titled, Take What You Want. This story is a m/m/f menage and released in early November 2013. Book Three, titled: Make You Mine, is expected to release in Spring of 2014.

When not writing, she enjoys reading, creating stained glass, and traveling.