Title: Bite Me
Author: Beth Bolden
Series: Kitchen Gods #1
Genre: M/M Romance
Release Date: February 12, 2018
Cover Design: AngstyG
Summary:Talented pastry chef Miles Costa is bored. Working at the celebrated Napa Valley restaurant Terroir is supposed to be the cherry on top to a promising career, but instead it's a creative desert. So when he gets an offer to turn his online video series into a career, he leaves his three best friends in Napa and swaps Terroir for Los Angeles.
With the resources now at his fingertips, turning his pastry series into a hit should be easy. Then Miles meets his producer, Evan Patterson, and realizes he’s screwed. And not even in the good way.
It's not a meet-cute . . .
Evan lives to work and loves every minute detail Miles loathes. Not only that, he seems hell bent on micromanaging every aspect of Miles' show despite the fact he knows nothing about the culinary arts. Evan doesn’t even like sweets—until Miles seduces him with a rainbow of delectable confections he can't resist.
. . . it's a collision.
With every confrontation, the intensity between them flares even hotter until they're not sure if it's hatred they feel . . .or something else. Is it possible for two people with nothing in common to discover common ground and romance?
“You’re late,”Evan said, head bent towards his screen, fingers not missing a beat as he typed furiously.
“I know, I’m sorry, I thought I’d grab a coffee.”Miles slid into the chair next to Evan, but Evan still didn’t look up.
“Oh thanks for bringing me one too,”Evan said levelly, even though he had to know that Miles only had one cup in his hands.
“I . . .uh. . .didn’t know you wanted one?”Miles said sheepishly. He’d made it back into the building two minutes late, and then had raced to Evan’s cubicle, only to not find him there. He’d made the rounds, until one of the writers stopped him and said Evan was in the conference room, still working after the meeting had ended.
Why hadn’t it occurred to Miles to bring him coffee? He liked the good coffee place as much as anyone else. It was probably because instead of actively trying to charm anyone in particular, Miles just fallen into bed with willing people and had never wanted someone who didn’t want him back—or wanted him but fought it. Miles knew he was going to have learn to be more aware and less selfish if he was ever going to convince Evan to consider dating him. A great almost-blowjob wasn’t going to cut it. Not with Evan.
Sex was probably off the table now, even though Miles knew Evan wanted it. Miles wasn’t familiar with the sort of self-denial Evan practiced; if he wanted someone and the feeling was mutual, sex happened. It was an easy way to live, and an easy way to get off. Everything about Evan was complicated, but Miles wanted him anyway. Inexplicably.
“I’m sorry I didn’t bring you coffee,”Miles said when Evan remained silent, typing away, the staccato of the keys all the response he probably deserved.
“It’s okay.” Evan paused. “I wouldn’t expect you to be looking out for other people. Me, especially.”
And yeah, that was galling. Especially galling when Miles had spent the last half an hour discovering that nobody had probably ever really looked out for Evan before. It probably wouldn’t take an extraordinary amount of effort to make him feel special and considered. And Miles still couldn’t figure out how to meet even the lowest of expectations.
“I’m sorry, I’m . . .I know it isn’t an excuse, but I was with Lucy, and Chloe and Steph and . . .”Miles hesitated, trying to find the best way to say, sorry, we were gossiping about you and they told me you were a foster kid and I wish you had told me yourself.
All Miles knew was that was definitely not the way to break the news.
“I know, I’m sorry, I thought I’d grab a coffee.”Miles slid into the chair next to Evan, but Evan still didn’t look up.
“Oh thanks for bringing me one too,”Evan said levelly, even though he had to know that Miles only had one cup in his hands.
Why hadn’t it occurred to Miles to bring him coffee? He liked the good coffee place as much as anyone else. It was probably because instead of actively trying to charm anyone in particular, Miles just fallen into bed with willing people and had never wanted someone who didn’t want him back—or wanted him but fought it. Miles knew he was going to have learn to be more aware and less selfish if he was ever going to convince Evan to consider dating him. A great almost-blowjob wasn’t going to cut it. Not with Evan.
Sex was probably off the table now, even though Miles knew Evan wanted it. Miles wasn’t familiar with the sort of self-denial Evan practiced; if he wanted someone and the feeling was mutual, sex happened. It was an easy way to live, and an easy way to get off. Everything about Evan was complicated, but Miles wanted him anyway. Inexplicably.
“It’s okay.” Evan paused. “I wouldn’t expect you to be looking out for other people. Me, especially.”
And yeah, that was galling. Especially galling when Miles had spent the last half an hour discovering that nobody had probably ever really looked out for Evan before. It probably wouldn’t take an extraordinary amount of effort to make him feel special and considered. And Miles still couldn’t figure out how to meet even the lowest of expectations.
“I’m sorry, I’m . . .I know it isn’t an excuse, but I was with Lucy, and Chloe and Steph and . . .”Miles hesitated, trying to find the best way to say, sorry, we were gossiping about you and they told me you were a foster kid and I wish you had told me yourself.
All Miles knew was that was definitely not the way to break the news.
What is the biggest influence/interest that brought you to this genre?
So many things brought me to the gay romance genre. First off, I wanted to tell more inclusive stories, and I wanted to write books about relationships that weren’t defined by societal roles. I thought of myself as an impressionable teen, reading as many romances as I could get many hands on, and never being given an option to read a book that wasn’t just about men and women. Bisexuality was never mentioned. Gay or lesbian characters were only mentioned in passing. Asexuality and pansexuality weren’t terms I had even heard of. There’s so much more available to readers today, and I love to be able to add to the widening of everyone’s consciousness about sexuality and gender identity.
When writing a book, what is your favorite part of the creative process (outline, plot, character names, editing, etc)?
I find editing to be so boring, and because of that, my favorite part is the moment I start a new book. I’m not just revising or slightly changing old ideas, but I’m throwing new ideas onto the page. That moment is exhilarating. Sometimes also terrifying, but always exciting.
Probably my second favorite is writing the middle of the book. You’ve planned and you’ve written the introduction to the characters and the plot, you’ve established everyone’s motives and that oh, shit, moment where everything jives/falls into place, always feels so satisfying to me. I’ve laid the groundwork, and here’s the payoff. It’s a great feeling.
When reading a book, what genre do you find most interesting/intriguing?
I love reading mysteries and true crime. I really enjoy a meaty science fiction book. I usually like romance thrown in, and the great thing is that there are so many varieties of m/m romance these days. I love to see authors expanding their comfort zone and writing new genres.
If you could co-author with any author, past or present, who would you choose?
I’m going to give the most unpopular answer to this question, and probably the most honest. I don’t think I’m cut out to co-write. So many do it so well: Christina Lee & Riley Hart, Riley & Devon McCormack, Sloane Kennedy & Lucy Lennox. But I think at heart, I am way too much of a control freak, and I wouldn’t be able to handle sharing. BUT, if I was a different person (and a different author), I have to say I’d love to co-write a book with A.E. Wasp. Amy writes such sports-rich stories, especially her hockey series, and that’s something I love. A great sports romance where the sport is really a strong focus to the story.
Have you always wanted to write or did it come to you "later in life"?
I’ve written as long as I can remember. My mom has a manuscript I wrote when I was five, called “Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings.” I wrote horrible stories in high school. I wrote fanfiction after college and beyond. For a little while, my literature degree in college had me convinced I couldn’t write fiction. But that passed, and I’m so glad it did.
Beth Bolden lives in Portland, Oregon with her supportive husband. She wholly believes in Keeping Portland Weird, but wishes she didn’t have to make the yearly pilgrimage up to Seattle to watch her Boston Red Sox play baseball. She’s a fan of fandoms, and spends too much of her free time on tumblr.
Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasn’t a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She’s published eight novels and two novellas, with Catch Me, the next novel in the Kitchen Gods series, releasing in May 2018.
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Sounds like a book that I will love.
ReplyDeleteOooo. A "sweet" seduction. Nice.
ReplyDeleteI have! One book I tried some recipes from was An Embarrassment of Mangoes by Ann Vanderhoof. The travels she writes about are accompanied by a few recipes sprinkled throughout. Enjoyed learning about this book + author & will have to check it out! :D
ReplyDelete