Carly's Book Reviews: Small Steps by Chris McHart: #Review #AuthorQ&A #Giveaway @chris

Monday, September 28, 2015

Small Steps by Chris McHart: #Review #AuthorQ&A #Giveaway @chris_mchart

Cover: Meg Bawden/Bawd Designs

Small Steps

by Chris McHart

Length: 76,800 words
Genres: Gay (M/M), Contemporary, Adult, Romance

Ben Amann currently hates everything: The accident that temporarily put him in a wheelchair, the fact that he has to go for rehab and live in an assisted living home as well. Sebastian Hofers, the good looking but equally bad-tempered new assistant to his rehab therapist changes that.

Sebastian has two choices after causing an accident while driving drunk: community service hours or go to jail. The decision is a no-brainer, and so he meets Ben at the rehab center. The two of them hit it off and slowly, Sebastian sees more than just a patient in Ben.

But their growing relationship faces hard trials, not only because of Sebastian’s heavy drinking, but also because of the truth: The two of them already met on an icy street, eight months ago.

Can love and forgiveness overcome the overwhelming guilt and resentment?

Contains: Two ill-tempered men, a lot of hang-ups, a shared hope, and a destroyed dream.

Trigger Warning: Deals with alcohol abuse and alcoholism.

Q & A with Christ McHart

1. Favorite thing about building your own world?

To make rules I like.

2. What inspired you to write your first book?

An open call. :) I never submitted it there, but it prompted me to write.

3. Do you have a specific writing style?

I’m not sure. You might have to ask that my readers.

4. Who are some of the authors that influenced you to write?

Nearly every book I read influences me.

Sebastian stepped out of the sticky bus. It was hot for that time of the year, and Germany was melting under a heat wave. Munich was no exception. The temperature was somewhere around 35°C and the air conditioning in the bus was either non-existent or not working. The fact that everyone and their mother seemed to have agreed to take this bus didn’t help to make it more bearable.

Sebastian took a deep breath, but it did nothing to cool him down. All he got was a lung full of heat, his sweat, and fumes. Fuck this shit. He could be at a bar right now, sipping a cold beer. But he wasn’t, thanks to that fucking judge.

He had to be here, the last place he wanted to be. Okay, a few meters more, then he reached the place. The sign was unmistakable: Rehabilitation Center. Fucking shit. That judge had had way too much fun sentencing him. Wasn’t there a law against such things? The urge to kick something, anything in his way, rose, but Sebastian grit his teeth. He was no sixteen-year-old anymore. Instead of kicking something, Sebastian peered into the windows. An empty desk sat near the entrance door. Nobody was there.

Sebastian took another deep breath, which did nothing to quell his anger, and slowly pushed open the door. He wouldn’t get his Community Service hours done by standing in front of the building. And if the judge had his way, Sebastian was going to be here quite a few hours. Two-hundred, to be precise. Fucking two-hundred hours of work in a rehab center. He should kill that judge.

4 of 5 stars

A challenging story with hurt/comfort/heal character emphasis. The relationship that develops between Sebastian and Ben is intense and when the truth of their pasts comes out it's dramatic and earth shattering for both of them. I thought the elements of the story that depicted alcoholism and abuse were well written and realistically depicted the mind of an alcoholic. The cast is well rounded and includes secondary characters that are essential to the story. The topic is a tough one, but it's well written and I enjoyed Small Steps.

Chris McHart lives in Germany, with her husband, slave, Dom, partner in crime, and muse (all in one person, not even she’s that kinky!). She loves her husband, men in kilts and Scotch Whiskey. Her idea of a perfect evening is to curl up with her laptop and write (the other options are not suitable to post in public).

Visit her blog or friend her on Facebook, where you can join her author group.

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