Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Guest Post & Giveaway - Interborough (A Five Buroughs Story) by Santino Hassell


The Meet Cute  

One of my favorite parts of a romance novel is the scene where the main characters meet.  I want to be able to detect sparks between them from the start. Even if said sparks are sparks of annoyance that end up igniting flames of initial dislike, I want to try to figure out how these two people will end up together. 

In the Five Boroughs novels, most of the characters already knew each other. In SUTPHIN BOULEVARD, Michael and Nunzio were lifelong friends, and in FIRST AND FIRST Oli and Caleb had been introduced years ago by mutual acquaintances. Things are a little different for David and Raymond, the stars of SUNSET PARK and my new novel INTERBOROUGH.  

Rayvid is definitely a fan favorite couple in the series, but even though the start of their friendship is chronicled in SUTPHIN BOULEVARD… readers never got to see it. Readers know David tracked Raymond down on Facebook in order to get updates on Raymond’s troubled older brother Michael, and readers saw the flirtatious banter when the twosome showed up to visit Michael in rehab, but the meet cute is missing. 

If you’ve ever wondered how buttoned up yuppie David convinced grumpy, sarcastic, loves-to-be-difficult Raymond to let him tag along, you’ve clicked on the right blog post. 

 








About Interborough: 

The Raymond Rodriguez from a few years ago wouldn’t recognize the guy he is today. He’s left his slacker ways far behind him and is now juggling two jobs and school. But the balancing act doesn’t allow much time for the man he loves. 

David is doing his best to be supportive, but problems at work and his own insecurity leave him frustrated—in more ways than the obvious—whenever he goes to bed before Raymond gets home. The heat and affection between them is still there, but they barely have the time or energy to enjoy it. And it doesn’t help that Raymond is still hiding David from his colleagues. 

The stress mounts so high that a vacation in paradise is filled with turmoil instead of harmony, and culminates on their return to the five boroughs with broken promises and heartache. They have to figure out how to stop allowing their differences to overshadow their love. It’s the only way they’ll make it to forever. 

Interborough is available from:
Riptide Publishing   Amazon  


About Santino Hassell: 

Santino was raised by a conservative family, but he was anything but traditional. He grew up to be a smart-mouthed grunge kid, then a transient twentysomething, and eventually transformed into a guy who spends his days and nights writing romance with an edge. 

Santino is a dedicated gamer, a former fanfic writer, an ASoIaF mega nerd, a Grindr enthusiast, but most of all he is a writer of LGBT fiction that is heavily influenced by the gritty, urban landscape of New York City, his belief that human relationships are complex and flawed, and his own life experiences. 

Connect with Santino:




Giveaway: 
To celebrate the release of Interborough, one lucky winner will receive $25 in Riptide Publishing credit!
Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest.
Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on October 29, 2016.
Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.
Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!


34 comments:

  1. This seriously makes me THAT MOST HAPPY!!! I've been waiting for this post in the blog tour with so much anticipation and it did not disappoint in the slightest. Hmm, just like Interborough itself! "You'll learn to love me." "Unlikely." Hee!!

    caroaz [at] ymail [dot] com

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    1. *THE most happy. See, I'm so happy my brain is scrambled!

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  2. I loved reading Santino's bio. I can tell he has an edge to himself. Great job.

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  3. David is so THIRSTY. I love this! Meet-cutes are one of my favorite things too, so I'm so glad to be able to see this first conversation between the two of them!

    lckarge92 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  4. Aaah, reading that first Raymond/David interaction was ten kinds of brilliant. Between Raymond dripping sarcasm and David's bubbliness, I was tickled pink.

    Thank you for sharing this with us, Santino!

    Mazingergirlie (at) gmail (dot) com

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  5. I love reading/hearing meet cutes. The interaction certainly brightened my day =)
    humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com

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  6. I have been waiting for this since Santino tweeted about it a million years ago. It did not disappoint. Don't mind me as a bookmark this page to refer to on a rainy day.

    Thanks for sharing. This is my new fav.

    mwmousie18(at)gmail(dot)com

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  7. Love it! Awesome Post! Great Book!

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  8. Congrats on the new release. I love this series! I’ve been waiting on this one and can’t wait to pick it up. Please keep them coming, they are a definite addition to my library. Thanks for an opportunity to win a copy.
    flutterfli01 (at) yahoo (dot) com

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  9. Awesome post ! And a great book !!

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  10. This was so awesome!! So glad I didn't miss reading it. And David called it, Raymond sure does love him. Thanks for sharing!!
    devastatordesigns (at) gmail (dot) com

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  11. Thanks for that text conversation! Good thing David was persistent and Raymond is hot. Those two are great together.

    jen(dot)f(at)mac(dot)com

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  12. I am so excited to get this fun messenger exchange! I love the sarcasm it gives me all the life! Thanks for the content & the amazing giveaway! Cheers!
    -Kelly bookcrushin at gmail dot com

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  13. Awww, cute and perfect
    dannie_76(at)yahoo(dot)com(dot)au

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  14. Oh God, this was so funny! It brings back so many memories, I'm so glad that Raymond and David found each other, seriously. I used to dislike David in Sutphin Boulevard and get mildly annoyed at Raymond for being a lazy ass but Santino always manages to make me love his characters sooner or later and they are no exception <3 Thank you so much for sharing this!
    intonewfantasy(at)gmail(dot)com

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  15. Love this conversation! Now I have the urge to go back and read the whole series.
    ms.melissahunter@yahoo.com

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  16. I Love this! Perfect in every way.

    aahickmanathotmaildotcom

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  17. OMG that was too funny. David was thirsty af. hahaha xD Thanks for the treat, Santino! -senzaidy@gmail.com

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  18. I've been waiting for more on David and Ray since Sunset Park. I love these two!
    susanaperez7140(at)Gmail(dot)com

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  19. OMG that was a fun read. David and Raymond are so cute together. "You'll learn how to love me" 😂 haha!! Thanks for the giveaway BTW!!

    melinaterry@hotmail.com

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  20. OMG that was a fun read. David and Raymond are so cute together. "You'll learn how to love me" 😂 haha!! Thanks for the giveaway BTW!!

    melinaterry@hotmail.com

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  21. What a GREAT post! I like having this look at what happened to kick them off. I love the book, and can't wait to read more in the series! kimcurington@yahoo.com

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  22. Haha that was excellent
    mandi16@iinet.net.au

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  23. "You'll learn to love me."
    "Unlikely."
    Oh, famous last words, Raymond! :D I love this! And I loved "Interborough"!

    Sandy_m_c@msn.com

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  24. Thanks for sharing! Loved this and love the series. Ray's concern about not getting his promised lunch made me cackle. Santino is outstanding at characterization and it's such a treat to get to know more of his 5B cast each new book. Already looking forward to the next one! aneok81(at)gmail (dot)com

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  25. LMAO..I loved the convo between Raymond and David... can't wait to read this one! I love this series..:D

    velastarr926 at aol dot com

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  26. Thanks for the blurb and giveaway chance

    amie_07(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  27. Great post! I loved it! Thank you.
    ree.dee.2014 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  28. Oh my god, I love this! These two will probably be one of my favorite couples forever. I could watch&listen to them for days. Can't wait to read the book! :)

    M.dietrich769 (at) yahoo (dot) com

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  29. That was pretty much the way I imagined it... love these guys

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  30. Santino has become an absolute one-click author for me. I love these books, and I'm really looking forward to Ashton's story next year. And Chris' story. And Steph & Sharky... Gimme all the books!! Also, more Rayvid. ;0)
    rachaelwaring(at)outlook(dot)com

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  31. I absolutely loved this post! I would so be like Raymond if someone like David messaged me like that!
    legacylandlisa(at)gmail(dot)com

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  32. It took me a minute to figure out that was Facebook and not, like, Tinder. But doing the math, Ray would have been, like, 15 in 2007.
    allesonl@gmail.com

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  33. I loved this post so much! Just finished Interborough and it was awesome! Can't wait for more of these books next year. :)
    lkbherring64(at)gmail(dot)com

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