Bayou Book Junkie

Bishop: A True Lover’s Story

AE Via

M/M Romance

Audio Release: 03.31.20

Narrator: Tor Thom

Publisher: Tantor

Listening Length: 13 hours and 10 minutes

Blurb

At only 32, Bishop Stockley has lived a hard-knock life. After doing five years in a federal prison, Bishop is back at his dad’s trailer and working for his landscaping company, thrust into a legit world where he’s no longer the alpha – a world where a criminal record is the least of his disadvantages, because Bishop can’t read or write.

Bishop already had the deck stacked against him, but he wasn’t afraid of hard work to change his situation, and he did want to change. Especially after he encountered Edison Scala, a kind-spirited office manager who didn’t hesitate to come to his defense…a man that saw past Bishop’s grass-stained coveralls. A man who wasn’t intimidated by his stern features and his silence.

Bishop knew Edison was off-limits. He’d made personal vows to himself when he was released from prison, ones that he never intended to break. But, when Edison asked him about providing landscaping services at his home, there was no way he could refuse. He hadn’t expected Edison to feed him, praise him, encourage him, and look at him the way he did – as if Bishop was somebody.

Universal Buy Link: http://mybook.to/bishop

Excerpt

“Bishop,” he breathed. “I can’t believe this. Your drawing is beautiful, but to think you thought of this from looking at that,” Edison pointed to his open patio doors. “It’s unbelievable. You are so talented.”

Edison couldn’t tell if Bishop was blushing, because his skin was too tanned and his stubble too dark. But the way his gaze darted over the drawing, then to Edison’s face was telling. Bishop wanted him to like his work, wanted him to love it. Just like he wanted Bishop to love his cooking.

“I have a couple more.” Bishop’s knee bounced underneath the table as he flipped to the next page.

Edison gasped. It was the same concept, except with different patio sets and different flower options. The lines were still as sleek and complicated as the first possibility. Then Bishop flipped another page. Just as elaborate and intricate as the others. He shook his head, smiling over at this amazing man. “How do I possibly choose?”

Bishop licked his lips and Edison felt his smile fade as he stared at Bishop’s full mouth, wondering what it’d be like to kiss him.

4 Stars!

Bishop’s childhood was intriguing, especially being raised by a teenaged father. Mike was only 15 when he had Bishop and even though he obviously loved him he was not a good father or adult role model. This played a part in Bishop dropping out of school, joining a gang and eventually spending 5 years in prison.

Now 5 years later and free from prison and the gang, Bishop is determined to turn his life around and become a better man. His father Mike has turned a new leaf and is ready to be the father Bishop deserves. Bishop and his best friend Trent are working for Mike’s landscaping company where Bishop continually amazes people with his natural talent for Landscape Design. However Bishop harbors a shameful secret, he can’t read.

I felt for Bishop, you could tell he had a good soul and he wanted to be a good man. His circumstances as a child had a huge role in how and why he turned to street life at a young age. Not only did his father fail him but so did the schools and everyone that let him slip through the cracks. The people he trusted broke that trust when he ended up arrested also. I will say though that him going to prison did give Mike the kick in the ass to be a better father which Bishop truly needed.

When Bishop meets Edison, who has his own vulnerabilities and insecurities, he’s drawn to him but knows he isn’t the type of man someone like Edison would want. Edison is smart, successful and has his life together. Bishop doesn’t see the flaws Edison feels he possesses.

Edison sees himself overweight and socially awkward. He doesn’t really have friends, the people he works with don’t like him or really even respect him. So why in the world would a man as handsome and confident as Bishop look twice at him? The fact that they seem to be drawn to each other makes things complicated. What will happen when Edison discovers that Bishop isn’t the man he thinks he is?

Boy oh boy, how I wished that Bishop would just be honest with Edison in the beginning of their relationship. Yes, I understood why he was scared to tell him and it definitely would not be easy to admit to someone you feel is too good for you but I just felt like Edison was the type of man Bishop could be honest with. The waiting for the conversation we knew was inevitable felt like a albatross around my neck. Add to that the antagonist or antagonists of the story, Edison’s coworker Skylar and Bishop’s ex Royce and I just couldn’t help but wonder why they were allowed to get away with as much as they did.

Skylar was, in fact, Edison’s subordinate yet he was extremely unprofessional and immature as well as a complete and utterly despicable human being. It was pretty over the top and borderline unrealistic to me because honestly he would have been fired immediately for his behavior in the workplace. I found it hard to believe that the employees were able to get away with the blatant disrespect they showed Edison.

When I first read this story I have to admit I liked it but I didn’t love it. I felt a connection to Bishop and I, of course, liked Edison but remained a bit wary of how well I would like them together. However listening to it and the smooth voice of Tor Thom definitely gave me a different perspective of their emotional story. Where I once started to feel it lost some of its steam, felt more engaging this time around and I wasn’t rushing to just get it done. As usual, I love A.E. VIA’s stories and the characters she creates. As well as the narrators that seem to breathe even more life into the stories than there even was before.

 

A.E. Via has been a best-selling author in the beautiful gay romance genre for six years now, but she’s no stranger to MM. She’s been an avid reader of gay literature for over twenty years before she picked up her laptop to place her own kiss on this genre. She’s also the founder and owner of Via Star Wings Books, having published a couple great, new up and coming MM authors.

A.E. has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Virginia Wesleyan College that she used to start her own paralegal firm after she graduated in 2008. She spent five years preparing and filing bankruptcy petitions for struggling blue collar workers who couldn’t afford to file with a lawyer. It was a rewarding and satisfying career… but another path called to her.

Writing.

A.E.’s novels embodies everything from hopelessly romantic to adventure, to scandalous. Her stories often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.

She’s recently celebrated her 20th book anniversary, and is well-known for her hardcore, love hard, bad boy, alphas. However, she does like to push herself to step out of her comfort zone, exploring different tropes. She’s head over heels for gay romance and she has tons of more hot stories to tell.

Be sure to visit Adrienne on her social media pages and subscribe to her newsletter to never miss another release date! Go to A.E. Via’s official website http://authoraevia.com for more detailed information on how to contact her, follow her, or a sneak peek at upcoming work, free reads, VSWB submissions, and where she’ll appear next.

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