RELEASE BLITZ ~ Rush by Nyrae Dawn

Brandon Chase has always defined himself by one thing: football. Tough and athletic, he is a great college player who enjoys the hard hits and the sweaty grind of the gridiron. But when Brandon is injured, only one person can help him get back on track-a forbidden love he's desperately tried to put behind him. 

Alec Andrews has never quite forgiven Brandon for walking away when their friendship turned into something more. But he can't deny help to one of his closest friends. As the two spend the long, hot summer working together, their old attraction comes flooding back.

Now as Alec thinks about coming out to his conservative family and Brandon considers revealing he's a gay football player, the two men must be strong to fight for a love that could be the greatest rush of their lives.

“I want you to smile again too. It’s in there, Brand. I saw it tonight. When you had the ball and then when we were talking to my dad.”

I don’t know if it’s the right thing to do but it’s the only thing I can do. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t stop myself. I step toward Alec and slide my free hand around the back of his neck. It only takes a gentle tug to bring him even closer, his hand moving to the same place on me that mine rests on him. 

Alec closes his eyes and drops his forehead to mine. Neither of us talk, and I wonder if he’s just feeling the way I am. It’s that same rush that sweeps through me every time I touch him, my nerve endings like live wires, sparking with electricity. Everything inside me screams that this is right. He’s right. How can anyone not understand this? How can I fight us? 

I’m a huge fan of M/M ~ well, because it’s hot but this book is so so much more.

This is a beautiful story, not all about the sex, but how a couple coming out for the first time effects not just them, it has a ripple effect on family, friends and everybody around them, Nyrae just made you feel their angst, their pain and the misery of the heartache they go through, it jumped of the page and it made you realise that love is love, it’s not defined by gender.

Alec & Brandon were not much more than children when they first met each other and fell in love, they’ve fought against their attraction for over 5 years, spending each summer together but hiding from everybody else. It takes Brandon having a serious accident to make them both wake up & realise what they could’ve lost.

Now at 21 with Brandon on the edge of a huge football career and Alec feeling suffocated by his hometown and his bigoted father they’re ready to embark on a summer like they’ve never had before.

Their journey is sexy, sweet and heart wrenching at times, Brandon is struggling by what defines him, is it football, is it his sexuality, is anything he does good enough for his family? He is consumed by thoughts that he just doesn’t measure up. Alec is a constant source of support despite his own struggles and not knowing where his future is headed and if he’ll ever fit into Brandon's world.

This truly is a story that will stay with me, it actually taught me something and I’ll be carrying that lesson and these two adorable characters with me for a very very long time.

4 Books Knocked Off
*ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review*

Writing has always been Nyrae Dawn's passion. Nyrae gravitates toward character-driven stories. She loves going on emotional journeys with characters whether it be reading or writing. And yes, she's a total romantic at heart and proud.

Nyrae resides in sunny Southern California with her husband (who still makes her swoon) and her two awesome kids.

When she's not with her family, you can be pretty sure you'll find her with a book in her hand or her laptop and an open document in front of her. Nyrae also writes adult romance under the name Kelley Vitollo.

1. A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less. A love story about two men who want nothing more than to love each other, and to figure out, and be okay with who they are. 
2. Tell us about your new book. It’s a love story. It’s probably more of a love story, rather than a romance, than anything I’ve ever written. It’s about two people who are in love with each other when the book starts. All they’ve ever wanted is to love each other. They just have to find a way to do that, and to be okay with who they are. Alec and Brandon spent four summers together, in secret and now that they’re older, they’ve been brought back together. This time, they can’t walk away.
3. What is a common misconception about male/male or any LGBT romance? That it’s somehow different than other romance novels. Love is love, it doesn’t matter the gender, so while certain specifics may change, at the base they’re the same—love stories. 
4. What’s one book you read in the last 6 months that has left a lasting impression and why? The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd. It was real, honest and gritty. Even though things didn’t go exactly how I wanted, I understood why they didn’t. 
5. What would readers be surprised to find out about you? That I don’t eat bread. Not because of diet but because I think it’s gross. I can’t handle the texture. LOL. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway