Arts

Author Name: M. LeAnne Phoenix

Book Name: The Covenant

Series: Covenant Series

Book: One

Release Date: January 15, 2016

Pages or Words: 280 pages, 71,000 words

Categories: Gay fiction, M/M Romance, New Adult, Poetry, Romance

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28052976-the-covenant

Publisher: CoolDudes Publishing

Cover Artist: Kellie Dennis

When love is forbidden, who can you trust?

Seventeen year old David has been best friends with Jonathan for as long as he can remember, but the day he sees the pastor’s daughter press a soft kiss to Jonathan’s cheek everything changes. Overcome by jealousy, his explosive reaction reveals a deeper connection that sends their relationship spiraling down into dangerous territory.

When their clandestine love is discovered, they have nowhere to turn for help. The brutal circumstances of their parting test David and Jonathan’s covenant to each other in unimaginable ways. Forced to face their fears, it is in their darkest moments that the two young men discover that the courage, hope, and strength they need to to fight for their love, has been the foundation of their covenant all along.

US: http://amzn.to/1NkQLzv

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B018RBXPJ6/

David opened his locker to get out his Biology, History, and Music History books and shoved them into his backpack, swallowing hard against the lump in his throat. Jonathan’s comforting hand lit on David’s side as he came to lean on the locker to the right of David’s own, holding up in one paint-besmeared hand, a small piece of black cardboard. On it, David saw symbols, ones he thought might be Greek. Remembering the foreign exchange student from Thessaloniki shared Jonathan’s sixth period art class, he smiled and turned to his boyfriend as he took the proffered gift.

“What does it say?” David couldn’t help but smile at the joy lighting Jonathan’s eyes. “This has to be something that Kallias helped you make—”

“You aren’t wrong,” Jonathan interjected. “That is Greek writing and Kallias even taught me how to say it.”

“Enlighten me, please!” David rasped, focusing wholly on Jonathan’s gift. “Say it and then tell me what it means.”

“If I say it right, it’s agape menomou—”

David furrowed his brow, repeating, “A guppy man oh moo?”

Jonathan slid down the locker in a giggle. “Noooo! I must have said it wrong because your face… oh my gosh, your face!”

Blushing and biting his lower lip, David sank down to his haunches in front of Jonathan. “Then say it again, slower, and tell me what it means!”

Jonathan looked around, and seeing no-one in their locker bank, leaned up to whisper the Greek in his ear, the sounds slower… thicker. “Agape menomou means O love of my heart.”

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book so fast. I couldn’t put this down. I may have a bit of the novel’s hero (I’ll get to why I used that instead of “main character”) in me because I have so much going on in my head right now.

The first thing which jumped out at me, and the reason I picked this to read, is that it is a modern retelling of the biblical story of David and Jonathan. I’m partial to stories with spiritual content, and this is a narrative which begs telling over and over in any number of ways.

My second thought as soon as I started reading was that these characters are the same age as me. It was a treat being able to read about people who grew up in my era, and it made me think about the possibility that I knew (without realizing it) boys like them, hiding a serious relationship and in fear of coming out. It was a hostile time for gay youth, and I love that the story is set against this backdrop.

Above, I referred to David as the hero, and this is absolutely true. Like his biblical counterpart, David faces many giants, and each time, he comes out stronger. David is a fascinating character, and I have to wonder if he lived in our current time whether he would consider himself genderfluid or another non-binary identity. He’s shown as a sweet, feminine boy who might be mistaken for being delicate or weak—and this is how those who hate him want to see him. But he isn’t, and he repeatedly proves that he is both strong enough to fight for himself and strong enough to trust the people who love him to be at his side.

Speaking of which, there are so many wonderful side characters. I adore Momma Claire, David’s mother, and the littler boys—Cody and Elijah—are fun. There are so many ups and downs, as with most families, but the overarching theme is how much all these people love each other. David’s close relationships with his friends and family are a nice departure from a lot of romance, where the exclusive focus is between the two lovers. David and Jonathan both, as wrapped up in each other as they are, have a lot besides being in each other’s orbits all the time.

There are a number of moments when I thought my heart would stop and I feared one or both these wonderful boys wouldn’t make it out alive. There is real danger to them both throughout, and the tension had me on the edge of my seat. Some of the events were perhaps a bit over the top (for example, the scenario with David’s brother Joshua). However, because it’s an allegory of sorts and because the actual events are not really the point of the story, I think that can be easily forgiven.

There are only a couple of things I noticed. I had a hard time puzzling through the ages of the characters. I wasn’t sure why David and Jonathan weren’t in the same grade, and the younger boys’ ages confused me as well. It’s not a huge thing, but it was a little distracting. The other issue is that there is a lot of descriptive (not necessarily graphic) sex between boys under age 18. This is definitely not YA, even though the characters are high schoolers. Since many publishers won’t take books with overt sexual situations between characters considered “underage,” some readers may not be expecting this (I know I wasn’t). It didn’t make me like it less, but I think it’s worth noting. It’s best to read this more as historical fiction or as a look back at an era rather than exclusively as young/new adult fiction.

Overall, this is wonderful and a must-read for anyone who came of age during that time, anyone who has struggled with reconciling spirituality with being lgbtqia, and anyone who simply wants a story about the intensity of young love against the odds.

This gets 10/10 fountain pens for deep emotions, a trip down memory lane, and an author who has earned a new fan.

LeAnne Phoenix would tell you that the worst time of her life was the two years that she attempted to take off from writing. If you asked her to explain exactly why she did such a thing, you would most likely get the mad attempt to arch an eyebrow like her dad and then a shake of the head as she told you it was unlucky to speak of such things. Suffice it to say, it will never happen again!

Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas in the mid-1970’s, Ms. Phoenix was young and wild (and even free!) during the crazy wondrous decade known as the 1980’s and the even crazier but now grungy decade of the 1990’s. Music is second only to the muses that live and breathe to fill her mind with beautiful men, and music always helps them to tell their stories. She is never without her iPod or her computer no matter where she goes, although, she does like to hike and take pictures of the sky and the moon, and even the occasional shot of the sun through the branches of a tree.

An avid cat lover, Ms. Phoenix has been owned by many throughout her life, though her current owner is one Lily-Rose, who really would like for her to step away from the keyboard and pay her some attention! After all, hasn’t she earned it?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mleannephoenix

Twitter: @MLPhoenix

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mleannephoenix/

Website: www.mleannephoenix.com

Today I’m welcoming M. LeAnne Phoenix to chat about writing, life, and their current project. Welcome! Let’s talk a little about The Covenant.

What inspired you to write this story?

I felt like there needed be exploration into what my life would’ve been like had I had the courage to come out when I was in high school. I was at the beginning of NaNoWriMo 2014, and I needed a story to write, so I chose the short story I’d turned in twenty years ago as a basis and it exploded into The Covenant.

Is there a character you feel especially connected to? Why?

David is the one that is mostly me, but he’s also developed his own personality as well. He has all of my characteristics—hair and eye color, wears glasses, is always writing poetry and stories.

What was the hardest part of writing this?

Revisiting the pain.

Choose a favorite line or short passage. What do you like about it?

David’s eyes had widened with every remembered word tumbling over Jonathan’s lips. Reaching over to grab his boyfriend’s hand as those amber eyes opened on his own blue eyes, David blinked, whispering, “You only read it once… h-how did you—?”

“I’m fairly eidetic, remember? And… they’re your words. I don’t forget your words simply because they are yours, babe.”

Giving his hand a quick squeeze, he loosed David’s hand to push a lock of errant blonde hair from his eyes and over his ear. “Now let’s see what you have here for me.”

I like it because every writer wants to their words to be sacred to the one they love. Jonathan is supportive of David’s poetry, especially when it’s hard for him to write in iambic pentameter. (The poem he refers to is written in response to Shakespeare.)

How do you choose names for your characters?

I usually choose their name somewhat by characteristics I want them to have, and by culture. Sometimes it’s by hearing a name I like, but mostly the aforementioned. Then, I Google the nationality and whatever gender names I’m looking for. After that, it’s all about the name meaning itself.

Where do you look for inspiration for new stories?

Most of it is just sitting down and seeing where it will go.

What else do you use to immerse yourself in the story (music, visuals, etc.)?

Music, visuals, and I always make a wallpaper for my computer.

Word sprints!

1. Coffee or tea? Both, but I love me some coffee!
2. Cats or dogs? Total cat person.
3. What’s your favorite book? Lord of the Rings
4. What’s your favorite of your published works? The Covenant
5. Do the people in your life know about your writing? Yes

15-Jan: Prism Book Alliance, KathyMac Reviews, Velvet Panic, Mikky’s World of Books, It’s Raining Men, Carly’s Book Reviews

18-Jan: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Kimi-Chan, Nephy Hart

19-Jan: Bayou Book Junkie, Unquietly Me

20-Jan: Louise Lyons, Books A to Z, Michael Mandrake, My Fiction Nook

21-Jan: Iyana Jenna, Hearts on Fire

22-Jan: Havan Fellows, Happily Ever Chapter

25-Jan: MM Good Book Reviews, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews

26-Jan: Inked Rainbow Reads, Dawn’s Reading Nook, A.M. Leibowitz

27-Jan: Jessie G. Books, BFD Book Blog

28-Jan: Love Bytes, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Alpha Book Club

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