Author: Pat Henshaw
Title: When Adam Fell
Series: Foothills Pride #4
Release Date: February 24, 2016
Pages or Words: 29,500 words/102 pages
Categories: Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6998437.Pat_Henshaw
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: AngstyG
When his lover Jason’s drug addiction spiraled out of control, TV celebrity chef and cookbook author Adam de Leon walked away from him. Adam also abandoned his renowned restaurant in San Francisco to start a small bistro in the Sierra Foothills.
Five years later Adam is battling the conservative leaders of Stone Acres, California, to open a new restaurant in historic Old Town when Jason turns up on his doorstep—a recovered Jason, now going by the name David and claiming he’s overcome his addictions. What’s more, he begs Adam to take him back and says he’s ready for their happily ever after.
Adam has enough on his plate with problems plaguing the opening of his restaurant. And now he’s having a hard time deciding which to follow—his head or his heart.
I don’t have a lot of books that are an automatic read, but this series is in that club. I’ve been following the intersecting lives of the characters since the first story, and I get a little thrill when I see there’s a new one.
Up until now, Jimmy was my favorite character, with Fredi a close second. I have to say, Adam’s now in the running as a top contender. I’m not often a fan of the gruff-with-a-heart-of-gold types, but Adam’s intriguing. Maybe it’s his love of cooking and the fact that he knows he’s good at what he does; maybe it’s the way he’s not afraid to own his mistakes and learn from them. Whatever it is, I enjoyed spending time in his POV. I really liked the brotherly, intimate relationship between Adam and Stone.
I’ll admit to being on the fence at first about Adam and Jason/David’s relationship at first. I could absolutely buy that David had changed, and I was willing to suspend my disbelief at the almost fairy tale elements of his transformation. But I wasn’t at all impressed when he tried to lay any of the blame for his past problems on Adam. That said, I think that might be what I liked about this story—these two obviously have some things to work through, and there’s a hint that as much as David wants to be someone new, and as much as he wants to convince Adam, there’s still some darkness lurking under their happy-ever-after. The back-and-forth Adam has about seeing David as an entirely different person while still getting flashes of his old self as Jason also hints that there’s more to resolve there.
These novels are a bit like comfort food. They all have some similarity (tough man’s man paired with a softer, gentler guy plus the ongoing battle with the town’s homophobic bullies). I think that may be what I like about them, that each one feels a bit like coming home. I’m now so invested in the town and its inhabitants that by the time I finish one, I’m already yearning for the next installment. I hope this series goes on for a long, long time.
For a sweet and savory love match, a meat-and-potatoes satisfying story, and all the comforts of a shared family meal, this one gets 9/10 fountain pens.
Dreamspinner: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7452
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/When-Adam-Foothills-Pride-Stories-ebook/dp/B01BIQQ44A/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1454780519&sr=1-1
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/when-adam-fell
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I watched Jason rise from the stoop.
He looked good. His golden hair sparkled in the day’s first light. A happy smile tinged with nervousness spread across his lips. He was wearing a silver-gray Bogner jacket, some sort of expensive pants, and sturdy boots. Hanging from his shirt collar, his sunglasses looked like those high-priced titanium ones. All in all, the guy standing in front of me could easily have fit into the young, hip app crowd now flooding the valley. Too much money and no idea where to spend it. He looked like a guy who’d eat at the Bistro and then fucking strut up to me after dinner, put a wad of Franklins in my pocket, and whisper, “Quit this job and come cook for me.”
Nothing tempted me, especially not the hundred-dollar bills I’d thought were Monopoly money the first time I’d seen them. Nothing had moved me like this, seeing Jason rise straight up in front of me like a fucking miracle.
Standing there in my scuffed clogs, beat-up jeans, and ratty Stanford Cardinal T-shirt, I felt underdressed for this particular dream. Shouldn’t I at least be wearing my chef’s regalia, toque and all? Shouldn’t I have a Henckel in one hand and a Wüsthof in the other? Or maybe clutching a shield made of my cooking classics, which I’d written with an angry, tormented mind but a clear eye to royalties?
“Cat got your tongue?” the vision asked.
“Fucking A, man. Is it really you, Jason?”
“Sorta. Who else would come knocking at your door looking like me?” He flung his arms out like he wanted me to hug him or some shit.
I backed away and kept my hands to myself, though my dick perked up immediately. Did Jason have a twin or a younger brother, somebody who resembled him? I didn’t think so. All I’d thought for five years was nobody—and I mean nobody—could ever have come back from where my Jason had buried himself. At least I never thought so.
There’ve been moments in my life when I was sure I was losing my mind. When I knew whatever tenuous grasp on reality I thought I had was really smoke up my ass. This moment smacked of those. As the legendary John Fogerty sang and the great Yogi Berra is supposed to have said, it was like déjà vu all over again. Only not.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked. Suspicion tasted bitter on my tongue.
Slowly his arms came down, and he gave me a pained but understanding look.
“Yeah, well, it was too much to hope we’d just kiss and make up.” His husky croak had once made me roll over and do anything he asked, but not now. “Can I come in? It’s a little chilly out here.”
I wasn’t cold, but then I’m tall and stout, a real cliché chef image. Fuck, I guess somebody’s got to be the cliché, right? It’s how clichés are born.
I shrugged at his question, swiped at the sweat rolling from my forehead, and moved aside. “Kitchen’s downstairs.” I gestured to the steps.
He walked past me, letting his hand trail over my groin. Once I would have nearly come at the gesture. Now I ignored my dick because my mind was numb and had been for years. He might think he could reawaken my love and lust, but I was pretty fucking sure that ship had sailed and gotten lost at sea.
Pat Henshaw, author of the Foothills Pride Stories, was born and raised in Nebraska where she promptly left the cold and snow after college, living at various times in Texas, Colorado, Northern Virginia, and Northern California. Pat enjoys travel, having visited Mexico, Canada, Europe, Nicaragua, Thailand, and Egypt, and Europe, including a cruise down the Danube.
Now retired, Pat has spent her life surrounded by words: Teaching English composition at the junior college level; writing book reviews for newspapers, magazines, and websites; helping students find information as a librarian; and promoting PBS television programs.
Her triumphs are raising two incredible daughters who daily amaze her with their power and compassion. Fortunately, her incredibly supportive husband keeps her grounded in reality when she threatens to drift away while writing fiction.
Website: http://patbooked.blogspot.com
Series website: http://foothillspride.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pat.henshaw.10
Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenshaw
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Pat-Henshaw/e/B00BPDEDEA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1436131610&sr=8-1
Email: patoisca@yahoo.com
Today I’m welcoming Pat Henshaw to chat about writing, life, and her current project. Welcome! Let’s talk a little about When Adam Fell.
What inspired you to write this story?
Oddly enough, a reviewer inspired this story. When the first book in the Foothills Pride series, What’s in a Name?, came out, one of the reviewers commented that he wondered what minor character Adam’s story was. That got me thinking more about Adam and finally writing a story about him.
Is there a character you feel especially connected to? Why?
David, the love of Adam’s life, has kicked his drug habit, something few people can say they’ve done. I love his strength and his loyalty to Adam throughout the ordeal.
What was the hardest part of writing this?
The amount of research I had to do including all the regulations to open a restaurant in California as well as the research on successful drug rehabilitation programs was incredible. But I like my books grounded in reality since they are contemporaries.
Choose a favorite line or short passage. What do you like about it?
I like the humor in:
I mean, what the hell was memory foam, anyway? What was it remembering? And how could it come in soft or hard? Was a hard memory better than a soft memory? I could tell the mattresses a thing or two about memories, and my memories had nothing to do with foam and a lot to do with different beds and one lover.
Tell us a little about any upcoming projects.
I’m currently finishing #5 in the Foothills Pride series about the owner of Bandy’s Finest Hotel, a frontier hotel in Stone Acres’ Old Town. After that I have two projects: Finishing #6 in the Foothills Pride series about Adam’s sous chef, and writing a shorter novella for Dreamspinner’s States of Love series.
Who do you write for (your audience or who you hope to reach)?
I write primarily for two groups: First for gay men who may think that they don’t deserve romance. Through my novellas, I want them to know that they like everyone else deserves to be loved and to love. My second audience group would be women who devour romance fiction but have never considered gay men candidates for happily ever afters. I’d like these women to discover that the power of love, rather than merely lust, is available to everyone.
What do you wish people knew about your books or characters?
My books aren’t angst-filled dives into the depths of the human condition, but lighter romps laced with a little humor along the way. They are light contemporary gay romances in which two men, one or both of whom don’t think they will ever fall in love and might even ridicule the notion, find their personal happily ever after.
Are there any common themes you see in your work?
I want readers to understand that love is a wonderful human gift and should be shared indiscriminately and unconditionally, which is one of the overall themes in my books. I don’t write about sex; I write about love.
Word Sprints!
- Coffee or tea? Tea
- What’s your favorite ice cream? Peppermint or Cherries Garcia
- What’s the best vacation spot? Pacific Grove, California
- What’s a charity/cause you support? PFLAG
- What superpower do you wish you had? Ability to cure any/all disease
FEBRUARY 24, 2016 – RELEASE DAY BLAST
Parker Williams, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Divine Magazine, The Hat Party, Happily Ever Chapter. BFD Book Blog, Bayou Book Junkie, KathyMac Reviews, Velvet Panic, Unquietly Me, 3 Chicks After Dark, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Tasty Wordgasms, My Fiction Nook, Making It Happen, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Molly Lolly, MM Good Book Reviews, Kirsty Loves Books
VIRTUAL TOUR: FEBRUARY 25 – MARCH 9
25-Feb: Velvet Panic, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
26-Feb: BFD Book Blog, Book Lovers 4Ever
29-Feb: Jessie G. Books, Kirsty Loves Books, Hearts on Fire
1-Mar: Inked Rainbow Reads, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents
2-Mar: MM Good Book Reviews, Open Skye Book Reviews, KathyMac Reviews
3-Mar: V’s Reads, Divine Magazine, Love Bytes
4-Mar: Making It Happen, Unquietly Me
7-Mar: Havan Fellows, Happily Ever Chapter
8-Mar: The Novel Approach, A.M. Leibowitz
9-Mar: Bayou Book Junkie, Alpha Book Club, Rainbow Gold Reviews
Rafflecopter Prize: One of three $10 Starbucks Gift Cards
Thank you for hosting my book, and thank you for the wonderful review. You “get” my book as I mean readers to understand it. From my heart, thank you!
You’re very welcome! This series was a “love at first sight” for me, and like any good relationship, I’m glad it’s had so much staying power. 🙂