Haven's Creed by Parker Williams: #MustRead #Interview #BookReview #Giveaway @ParkerWAuthor

Haven's Creed

by Parker Williams

Length: 95,000 words

Genres: Contemporary, Gay (M/M), Adult, Drama, Thriller

(Contains dark and violent imagery & romantic elements)

An act of violence destroys his family and ends the life he knows. To escape his haunted past, he joins the military, where, as a sniper, he is trained to kill with precision and detachment. When a covert organization offers him a new purpose, he becomes Haven, an operative devoted to protecting the innocent when he can and avenging them when he cannot.

After ten years of battling the evil in the world, the life no longer holds the attraction or meaning it once had, and he’s ready to walk away. Then he meets Samuel, a young man forced from the age of twelve to work as a sex slave. If ever a man had a need for Haven, it is this one. 

Yet nothing about this growing relationship is one-sided. Sammy gives Haven a stability he’s never known, and Haven becomes the rock upon which Sammy knows he can depend. 

When Sammy reveals something about the enemy Haven has been hunting for months, Sammy fears it will destroy what they’ve built and he’ll lose his home in Haven’s heart. 

Warning: This book contains violent and dark scenes.

Parker: Today I’m very grateful to be visiting Carly’s Book Reviews.

Me: Damn straight. I'm thrilled to have you here... and I'm awesome. It's a twofer! Why don't you start by telling readers a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

Parker: My name is Parker Williams (or Will Parkinson if you prefer). I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with my husband, our four dogs, and three cats.

Me: Sweet mother of snow. I live in Minnesota (where it is also too cold and snowy) with my husband, two kids and one dog. We are both a bit crazy. It's probably why we get along so well. :D

Parker: Haven’s Creed is a huge departure from anything I’ve ever done in the past. Haven is not a nice man. He’s an assassin whose job it is to protect the innocent when he can, and avenge them when he can’t.

Me: I have to disagree with you a bit here. I happen to think that Haven is an awesome! He warms my vicious little heart! More about that later though. First we have to get through the interview questions YOU wrote, because I was too lazy to do it myself. *eye roll*  So here's "my" first question. ;)

Parker via Carly: Is there a certain type of scene that’s harder for you to write than any others? Love? Action? Romance? Tragedy?

Parker: Sex. I hate writing sex. I read these books where some people (like K.C. Wells) can take a sex scene and make it flow so amazingly that you get wrapped up in it. Me? Wham, bam, thank you man, now who do we need to kill?

Me: *snort* I bet your husband finds that sentiment lovely. Although I have to agree, the sex scenes are hard for me too. I struggle with making hot and sweaty seem intimate at the same time. Maybe I need to borrow a page from your book...

This one could come from me, because I want to know the answer too, although I kind of already do, because I read your books and happen to think they rock: What do you think makes a good story?

Parker: I’ve asked myself that a lot. (Um... you just did.) I don’t know that there is a formula that works, or at least not one I’ve ever found. Bringing together two (or more) men and blending their lives is always a good start, but it’s where they go from there. Is there jealousy? Pain? Angst? What makes THESE men different from anyone else? It’s the details that make a story for me.

Me: For you, it's all in the details. I agree! *fist bump*

P/C:  Do you hear from readers much? (besides me) What do they say? (I expect they're not as bossy or opinionated as  me)

Parker: I love to hear from people that read something I wrote. I got the most amazing letter from Michael Thompson. He told me how much of a chord Pitch struck with him, and he went on to tell me a bit about himself. The letter moved me to tears, because it was the first time anyone told me my story made them think.

Me: Awww man... now you're making me want to tear up too. I'm going to cut the irreverent crap for a second and be wickedly honest.  Your books always strike a chord in me as well you do such an amazingly beautiful job expressing the emotions of your characters... it's beautiful and I'm in awe. Every. Single. Time. You inspire me to be a better write, a better person, and (hopefully) a better friend.

P/C: How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

Parker: Um…I’m honestly not sure. If you’re counting novellas, maybe about 15? Could be a little more.

Right now the one I’m proudest of is ‘Dom of Ages’ that I wrote with K.C. Wells. We took a story idea of Eli, a young Dom who wants a true submissive, not the pretend subs that he’s forced to deal with at the clubs. Then we have Jarod, an older submissive, who lost the most important person in his life, and is now without direction. When people tell us that the opening pages of the book made them ugly cry, we were pleased, because we thought we lay the groundwork for his character so well. 

Me: Dom of Ages is really, really good. You and K.C. have every reason to be proud. Best May/December romance I've read... ever. It's got the raw emotions I was talking about earlier. AmAzInG!

Side note to readers: If you haven't done it yet, you need to pre-order a copy now. It's coming on December 21st. I got a sneak peek. It's everything that makes the Collars and Cuffs series awesome... and then some. Amazon.com.

P/C: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Parker: I’d love to say sleep, but that doesn’t happen often. If I’m not writing and not working on Pride stuff, I enjoy reading. Right now I’m reading C.B. Lee’s ‘Seven Tears at High Tide’, and I find I really, REALLY dislike a character in the book because of how he treats someone who adores him.

Me: *sigh* We're in the same boat. I cut my sleep short reading Acrobat by Mary Calmes a couple of nights ago. I should have gone to bed but I didn't have the willpower to put it down. 

When I was fifteen, I killed my first man. Every time Arnie, the guy my mother was shacking up with at the time, drank, he got it into his head she was cheating on him. He’d start slapping her, and that turned into full-fledged beating within a few months. When he was done, he’d start on my sister.

There were nights she’d crawl into bed with me, sobbing. For the longest of times, she wouldn’t tell me what happened, but when I found blood on her pajamas, I knew. I’d tried to stand up to him, but he beat me badly enough that I couldn’t go to school for two weeks until the bruises faded. But I got off lucky. The things he did to Chrissy gave me nightmares. I’d hear her cry out and knew there was nothing I could do but hide in my bed, my pillow covering my head. He was bigger, meaner, and stronger than me, and he reminded me of that fact constantly.

The old lady never said boo about it. She always forgave him and tried to justify what he did by telling me how much stress he was under. How he was a good man and didn’t mean it. It was just the drinking, she swore. It was more like he was a bastard and she was his meal ticket.

I came home one night and found him whaling on her, my sister’s body crumpled in a heap, her head smashed in. The son of a bitch had a gun in his hand, slick with blood, and he threatened to kill them both, screaming he wouldn’t let her leave. She slapped him. It wasn’t hard, but it shocked him enough that he dropped the gun. I picked it up. He sneered at me and called me a weak-willed fag.

I looked at the gun I held in my hand. The instrument of my revenge. The means to saving my sister.

“Give me the gun, you fuck. It’s not a dick, you wouldn’t know what to do with it.”

The bullet I put in his forehead showed him how wrong he was. He lay on the floor, blood bubbling from the wound, and his eyes locked on mine as he took his last breath. I wanted that fucker to know it was the weak-willed fag who had done this to him.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As an abuse survivor I generally approach books that have warnings about dark themes cautiously. I have to be in the right mood and right frame of mind or my PTSD will kick in. When I got Haven's Creed from Parker/Will I couldn't wait for that perfect moment to arrive so I dug in with the expectation that I'd get so far and then need to put it down and take a break until I was ready to finish it. NOPE. Not this time. I read it cover to cover in one day. Then I emailed Will to gush over what I loved and nail him with what I didn't. (There wasn't much of the latter.)

In his quest to atone for his inability to protect his sister Haven is ruthless. His targets are the worst of the worst. They've been weighed and measured; their sins are abundant and Haven is the long overdue dose of karma they deserve. I like ruthless, check that. I love ruthless. But for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Haven's job is costing him his soul. Piece by piece, his memories are chipping away at the person he once dreamed of being. But it's a job that someone has to do, and not many are suited to carry his burden, so it's a cost he continues to pay.

Then Haven meets Samuel and the game changes. Samuel works his way under Haven's skin like no one before.  What started as another job becomes personal. Haven is out of his element, and as the situation with Samuel becomes more complex, Haven's long suppressed soft side starts to re-emerge. 

Haven's character is complex, deeply emotional, and bent but not broken... at least, not yet. Samuel is Haven's second chance; his dark past draws them together, but has the potential to be the one thing that pushes them apart. Haven's Creed isn't meant to be a traditional romance, but to me, few things are more romantic than a lover who's willing to kick ass on your behalf. Parker's talent is undeniable. Life is not black and white. Haven's Creed is firmly set in the shadows, those grey areas that torment the soul. It's a stark journey of hurt, comfort, strength, weakness, vengeance, death and rebirth that's worth every single tear you will shed and hold a place of honor on my list of the best of the best.

Paperback

Parker Williams believes that true love exists, but it always comes with a price. No happily ever after can ever be had without work, sweat, and tears that come with melding lives together.

Living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Parker held his job for nearly 28 years before he decided to retire and try new things. He enjoys his new life as a stay-at-home author and also working on Pride-Promotions, an LGBT author promotion service.

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Tour Dates & Stops:

14-Dec Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Multitasking Mommas, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat, Cate Ashwood, Wake Up Your Wild Side

15-Dec Love Bytes, MM Good Book Reviews, Book Lovers 4Ever, A.M. Leibowitz, 3 Chicks After Dark

16-Dec Divine Magazine, Cathy Brockman Romances, Unquietly Me, Louise Lyons, KathyMac Reviews, Havan Fellows

17-Dec Bayou Book Junkie, Inked Rainbow Reads, Happily Ever Chapter, Nephy Hart, Iyana Jenna, Lee Brazil

18-Dec The Blogger Girls, Carly’s Book Reviews, Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews, Mikky's World of Books, Tara Lain, Emotion in Motion

19-Dec Sinfully Addicted to All Male Romance, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, BFD Book Blog, Jessie G. Books

21-Dec Joyfully Jay, Molly Lolly, Bonkers About Books, Open Skye Book Reviews