Thursday, April 16, 2015

[ARC Review]: "There You Stand"

There You Stand by Christina Lee
Publisher: InterMix (April 21, 2015)
Series: Between Breaths, 5
Genre: M/M Romance

From the author of All of You and Before You Break comes a new Between Breaths male/male standalone romance about the silent, inked up skateboarder and the tattoo artist who unravels him piece by piece…

Tattoo artist Cory Easton has worked long enough at Raw Ink to know, just by looking at a dude, what his body art reveals, what makes him tick, what even makes him scared. Until he meets the quiet and remote Jude York—so unreadable, so unreachable, and so unlike anyone else, he can’t help but arouse Cory’s curiosity.

As captivating and complex as his ink, Jude is a mystery—and Cory’s falling fast and hard under his spell. Against his better judgment to steer clear.

The rumors of Jude’s past overshadow him—whispers of prison and an unmentionable secret that’s kept him in the protective shadows of a local motorcycle club. As Cory probes deeper, he wonders how much he really wants to know. Especially since Jude has awakened something inside him that has been buried too long—and has him feeling completely alive for the first time in forever…



Where to Buy*:
More Info:

Reviews of Lee's Previous Novels:

Promise Me This (#4) -- TBQ


My Review:

I have a serious weakness for the quiet, tortured hero. And Jude grabbed me from the first moment he appeared in There You Stand. I, like Cory, wanted to know what he was running from, what his secrets were. I wanted to wipe the frown off his face – and Cory (eventually) did just that.


Oh, and did I mention that Jude has a British accent, tatts, and he's a skateboarder? Yeah, try to resist THAT combination.



These two were perfect together – very cute, a bit hesitant to start a relationship. Their interactions in the beginning were great, as Cory was always talking, while Jude kept his mouth shut. Really, it was adorable, and very hard to show without quoting an entire page or two.




“True or false,” I whispered into his ear. “You want me to touch you.”

He trembled. “More than anything.”

I moved back around to face him. “Then let me.”

He unexpectedly grabbed my hand and gently placed my palm against his chest, the area right above his heart. His pulse was going wild and it was as if he was showing me exactly what I was doing to him.



Besides the cute moments with these two, the steam level was pretty high. Not necessarily the most explicit that I've read, but still very sexy and vivid with emotions and chemistry.




“I was thinking that since my mum was killed, I haven't belonged anywhere. To anyone,” he said. “And there you stand. Like the keeper of all my dreams. And suddenly there's someplace I desperately want to belong.”



There's a slight . . . suspense element, I suppose, in regards to Jude's past catching up, but nothing too dramatic. I was just happy when everything was resolved so that the two could – finally! – be together.




“Where's home?” I asked, hoping this meant we no longer needed to be apart.

He stared into my eyes. "Anyplace you are.”



There You Stand has it all – sweet moments, sexy times, and two swoon-worthy men trying to make it all work. I'll definitely be on the lookout for Christina Lee's next release, and I hope she writes more in the M/M genre.


4 1/2 STARS! 


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I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Note: The quotes used belong to Christina Lee; TBQ's Book Palace does not claim them.

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Have you read Christina Lee? (The previous books in this series, just so you know, are M/F)

Remember, since this is a Royal Pick, come back on April 30th for a chance to WIN an ecopy of your own!



Enjoy!


Until Next Time,


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  *TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

5 comments :

Red Iza said...

I'll leave you the skateboard, but I'll take the British accent and the tats ;) *sigh* There yo go, you managed to increase my to-be-read pile again, tsssk tsssk ;)

The_Book_Queen said...

Hehe -- sorry, not sorry. :D

Sophia Rose said...

I just checked your rating b/c I've got this one for review too. I so adore and love this series. Glad you found this one really good.

Sophia Rose said...

Okay, just finished it and le sigh....that was a beautiful bit of writing. I loved the moments you depicted in your quotes. The true or false game was perfect to get the two of them talking- so broken and struggling.

The_Book_Queen said...

Yay, so glad you enjoyed their story, too. :D And yes, I loved that moment so much.