Today’s stop is for Freddie Milano’s A Honeyed Light. We will have info about the book and author, and a guest post, plus a great giveaway. Make sure to check everything out and enter the giveaway.

Happy Reading :) 

 

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Kunal, relative newcomer to the strange town of Harmony, has his hands full preparing for Diwali. That should be enough to keep anyone's mind preoccupied, but Kunal can't really ignore that he's nearly thirty, single, and still buried in the closet. Out of town at a gay club one night, he bumps into Oscar, proprietor of Harmony's only sex shop, and figures his secret is now officially out. What he doesn't expect is a slow seduction, or to have to decide what it is he really wants in life.

 

 

 

 

Buy Link

 

  

 

Why I Write HEAs.

 

If you're a romance fan I don't need to tell you what an HEA is. But for those who are sick of having to Google acronyms and feeling old, it just stands for Happily Ever After.

An alternative is Happy For Now or HFN, which implies that while the story ends happily at the moment, in the future there may be a change in relationship status. If I write HFN, I rarely imply it, so almost everything I write front-faces as HEA.

Note those qualifiers. I never say never.

So why do I write HEA? There are a few reasons.

First, I'm sappy and love a happy ending. I was raised on Disney, so I'm a sucker for true love stories and everyone finding someone. (Note: that doesn't have to be romantic. Platonic relations can also be HEAs.)

The second reason is the more important reason to me, and it's something I directly address in my upcoming novella, A Honeyed Light. (More to come on that soon!) Queer media is on the rise,but when I was younger, it was really, really difficult to find queer books or movies that ended happily. Someone was killed for being who they were, for whom they loved. Someone contracted HIV, died of complications from AIDS. Someone was kicked out of their family and home, forced to live on the streets and often, that also ended in death or violence.

I clearly remember But I'm a Cheerleader, as one of the first movies I saw where despite the unfortunate decisions of the teens' parents (sending them to a conversion therapy camp due to their sexualities) love prevailed. It ended with a happy couple.

I was shocked and confused that this wasn't more common. Why shouldn't we have happy endings? So I started looking for more positive media, and found it in some anime, few books, and few movies. It wasn't enough. And I always follow the edict of 'Be the change you wish to see in the world." If I wanted more positive queer representation in the world, By gum, I was gonna put it out there myself.

So that's why I do it. And because often queer media tends to not include a lot of people of color, I make sure they have prime roles in more work. It's the representation I needed, so I'm doing my part to put it out there.

 

 

 

 

 

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A Honeyed Light - Freddie Milano Book – A Honeyed Light
Author – Freddie Milano
Star rating - ★★★★★
Cover – Stunning
POV – 3rd person, dual character POV
Would I read it again – Yes
Genre – Holiday, Family, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT


** COPY RECEIVED THROUGH NETGALLEY **



This was a beautiful story. The perfect length, with great attention to detail, especially for the Diwali holiday traditions and celebrations. At the same time, there was subtle but genius characterisation and diversity. I loved the gentle way the author handled the characters diversity in relatable ways, e.g. the Halloween movie conversation.

Olli and Sunmi are great secondary characters, along with Kunal's family, but Kunal and Oscar definitely shine as main characters. There’s something special about those two, together and apart. So sweet, so romantic. It’s nice to see two grown men – 25 and 30 years old – being cautious, romantic and considerate with each other, without attempting to push the others boundaries. I also loved that Oscar was a proud bisexual man and he was willing to guide the naive Kunal through the scary journey of discovering himself. That last conversation between Kunal and his parents had me nearly in tears and holding my breath. So brilliantly done and with a great, supportive message.

The text itself was beautifully presented, more than easily matching the fluid, well written words and storytelling that made it possible for me to smile the whole way through. Great world building allowed me to immerse myself in the story, in the unfamiliar Hindu culture and the Diwali holiday, without feeling lost, confused or left out.

I was especially intrigued by the ending and the possibility that there might be a new story for these characters. I can’t wait to find out if the mysterious Jamison emerges.

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Favourite Quote

"Maybe I didn't make this clear enough, Kunal. I like you. I want to get to know you better, I want to date you, take you out places. I want to kiss you, whisper to you all the poetry I can until you're red from head to toe, until you take me to your room or I take you to mine and we keep each other awake all night long. And then I want to do it all over again." Oscar held Kunal's gaze as he spoke. He had been slowly seducing Kunal with his words, and he wasn't about to stop now.

*3.5 stars*

Lovely short story of coming out.

3,6 stars

Sweet hot and very good written.