New Release Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: Stay A Little Longer By Jess Bryant
Country music superstar, Trent Thorne is on the run. What he’s kept hidden from the world is no longer a secret. He trusted the wrong person, a man he’d stupidly thought he was in love with, and instead of a happily ever after all he’d gotten was outed. Unwilling to sit around and watch his private life get plastered all over the news, Trent hits the road and somehow ends up in his best friend Lemon’s small hometown of Fate, Texas.
Lance Nichols knows a thing or two about hiding. He’s so deep in the closet he can’t even see daylight. The former womanizer finally admitted the truth to himself a few years ago but he never thought he’d be able to say the words aloud, not to his family, not to his friends, and certainly not to his secret celebrity crush when the guy stumbles awkwardly into his life.
Fate brought these two together, but will it also tear them apart? One newly outed man refuses to go back in the closet. The other can’t imagine coming out of his.
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Excerpt:
Fuckin’ Heath motherfuckin’ Barber could go fuck himself.
Trent Thorne had been betrayed by a man he’d thought he could trust. The man he’d considered his best friend. The man who he’d convinced himself he was in love with. The man who he’d been delusional enough to believe might be in love with him too.
He white-knuckled the steering wheel and cursed his ex-best friend for the millionth time. He was an idiot. An idiot to have ever thought Heath reciprocated his feelings. An idiot to have ever said those three little words, to have ever said a thing about how he felt or who he was. A major idiot for ever having believed he could have it all.
He’d told Heath his biggest secret. The one thing he kept from everyone but a trusted few in his inner circle. Nobody on the outside knew. Not his record label or his band. Certainly, not the millions of people that bought his albums or the legions of women who threw themselves at him. He’d told Heath he was gay, and it had turned out to be the biggest mistake of his life.
Heath’s reaction to his confession had been swift and brutal. He’d recoiled, and he’d called Trent a liar. He’d said Trent had been lying to him from the moment they met. He’d said Trent had been lying to him every day for two years. Been lying ever since he’d hired the retired professional athlete as his trainer and then his personal assistant. Heath had been the person in his life he was closest to, only he’d said he didn’t know Trent at all.
And the thing was, Trent hadn’t been able to deny it. Of course, Heath didn’t know him. Very few people could say they did. Not the real Trent. Not Trenton James Thorne, Texas native, long-lost brother and exiled son with an unhealthy fear of firearms and dying alone. Because to be Trent Thorne, country music superstar, charmer and all-around lady’s man, he couldn’t be himself.
He couldn’t be gay.
That had been made clear to him from the day he set foot in Nashville, and in the years since, covering up and hiding his truth had been as much a full-time job as performing or recording. The first time that spotlight had hit him and the crowd went wild, he would’ve sold his soul to the devil to make that feeling last.
In a lot of ways, he knew now that he had.
~ * ~ Kathy‘s Review ~ * ~
4.5 Stars
Are you a fan of instalove? I am talking about falling in love faster than the speed of light. If you are, this charming and fairly angst-free story is pretty straightforward and surprisingly endearing. The writing is excellent, and the story was originally released earlier and now has additional content in the form of a short story at the end.
A classic story of a country singer too afraid to leave his closet until he is cruelly forced out. Fleeing the paparazzi and needing to clear his head, Trent heads to a small Texas town to seek solace with his best friend and fellow performer Lemon. She arranges a place for him to stay until he can reorganize his priorities.
A simple mishap leads to a steamy connection with Trent’s new neighbor. Lance is a deputy who is also not out. He acknowledges he hates this way of life but feels there was no motivation to change. That is until he has several very combustible moments with a gorgeous music star. Both men are stunned by the intensity of their feelings. It’s been days, but their overall connection seems like months.
It really hurt the credibility, at least for me, that the men’s intense commitment happened at warp speed, but I went with the flow and just enjoyed the sweet and uncomplicated romance. If you like a fast read that makes you melt into a puddle of goo, grab this book and dive right in. I recommend this story despite my usual dislike of instant love declarations. These two made it work somehow.
The added story is Safe, featuring Trent’s twin brother Trevor, who hides in the closet. Trevor is a baseball player, and even though he has a thing for his best friend, he’s a carbon copy of his twin when it comes to love. A sassy little story to end the book that was pure fun. Happy reading!
* * * Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure. A review wasn’t a requirement * * *
~ * ~ Jo‘s Review ~ * ~
4 Stars
This was my first story by the author, but it won’t be my last. Trent, a country music star, is in the closet and desperate for love, so when he thinks he’s found the one, he admits his feelings and ends up outed as a result. He flees to the town of Fate, where his best friend lives, to lick his wounds, only to end up in the wrong house with the right guy. An instant connection, they are certainly hot together. The only problem is that the guy, Lance, is in the closet and a known womaniser. Things aren’t going to be straightforward.
I enjoyed the connection between these two and how Lance lets go to really be himself when he’s with Trent. It is an insta-love, but the author does a great job of making the connection feel genuine in such a short time. It also isn’t an instant happy ever after. They have to face Lance coming out and the press. The supporting characters are fun (I must admit I wondered if best friend Lemon had a story as the back story sounded great even if it would be a mf) and helped the story zip along.
A sweet, fun, shortish story (I’d have happily enjoyed more), this is a definite recommendation if you’re looking for something light-hearted. Trent and Lance are likable characters, and I particularly took to Lance; we get to see the pain of hiding who you are and how it makes you behave in a way you can come to hate. So glad he got his HEA with Trent.
***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure. A review wasn’t a requirement.***
~ * ~ Amy‘s Review ~ * ~
4 Stars
This was the story about a recently outed country singer and a STILL in the closet man living in a small Texan town. In fact, his closet was big and comfy. Well, until Trent came into the picture.
It was instant attraction and love between these two. But it somehow worked for them. They definitely had chemistry.
This was an entertaining story with just enough pull at your heartstrings to keep you invested, but not so much that you were hurting when it ended. The story flowed in a way that made it easy to read and you could easily finish it in one sitting if you had the time.
This isn’t the first book I’ve read by this author. It was that fact that made me pick this book up. I can’t wait to see what she has up her sleeve for us next!
***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure. A review wasn’t a requirement.***
About the Author:
Jess Bryant is an avid indoorswoman. A city girl trapped in a country girl’s life, her heart resides in Dallas but her soul and roots are in small town Oklahoma. She enjoys manicures, the color pink, and her completely impractical for country life stilettos. She believes that hair color is a legitimate form of therapy, as is reading and writing romance. She started writing as a little girl but her life changed forever when she stole a book from her aunt’s Harlequin collection and she’s been creating love stories with happily ever afters ever since.
Jess holds a degree in Public Relations from the University of Oklahoma and is a lifetime supporter of her school and athletic teams. And why not? They have a ton of National Championships! She may be a girlie girl but she knows her sports stats and isn’t afraid to tell you that your school isn’t as cool as hers… or that your sports romance got it all wrong.
For more information on Jess and upcoming releases, contact her at JessBryantBooks@gmail.com or follow her on her many social media accounts for news and shenanigans.
Catch up with Jess:
www.facebook.com/jessbryantbooks
www.instagram.com/jessbryantbooks
www.tiktok.com/@jessbryantbooks
www.bookbub.com/authors/jess-bryant
www.pinterest.com/jessbryantbooks
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