Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a brand new contemporary M/M romance from Lane Hayes. STARTING FROM SOMEWHERE is the fourth book in the Starting From series. I really enjoyed STARTING FROM ZERO, STARTING FROM SCRATCH and STARTING FROM HERE, so I couldn’t wait to read on in this rock romance series.

Drop down to catch an excerpt, my review and enter for a chance to win a $25 GC.
About the book:
The guitarist and the geek…
Bobby J-
What can I say? I’m a man of many tastes. I know what I like, and I’m not afraid to go for it. And I like the adorable geek from the bar. A lot. He’s smart and sassy…and he doesn’t seem to know or care that I’m in a hot up-and-coming band. However, I just found out he’s the new intern at Scratch Records. Uh-oh, this could get tricky.

Cody-
Confession…I’ve flubbed my mission. My quest is to research cool things and interesting people before I start my job as aerospace analyst—not fall for a rock star. My internship won’t last long if I can’t control this infatuation. Bobby J might look like a bear, but he’s fun and sweet and…oh boy, I think I’m in over my head. But maybe that’s not such a bad thing. After all, you’ve got to start somewhere.

Starting From Somewhere is a MM, bisexual romance with some rock and roll and a little nerdiness! Each book in the Starting From series can be read as a stand-alone.

How about a yummy taste?

Cody nodded as he pulled out his cell and typed a few notes. “Got it. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Give me one shot before I go.” I motioned for him to start talking.
“A flirting shot. Okay.” He licked his lips nervously, then shook his head. “I can’t. Everything I’m thinking is…rude.”
I barked a quick laugh. “You have my complete and undivided attention. Bring it on.”
“Um…your jeans look tight. I can’t wait for you to stand up so I can see your ass. But I’d love to see your ass out of them too.”
I bit back a grin. “Okay. That was direct and kinda hot, but do not under any circumstances try that with anyone else on planet Earth.”
“Too much?”
“A tad.” I squeezed his shoulder as I stood. “Keep practicing. It was nice to meet you, Cody.”
“You too. I’ll walk out with you. I’ve done enough research tonight.”
I nodded, then led the way to the exit, holding the door open for him. I stepped outside and gazed up at the fast-moving clouds drifting over the half-moon before turning toward my new acquaintance. Cody pulled his keys from his pocket and smiled.
“Where’d you park?” I asked.
“Over there.” He gestured at the black Mini Cooper at the far end of the lot mostly hidden in shadows.
My chivalrous side kicked in out of the blue. “I’ll walk you to your car. I’m heading that way.”
Cody beamed at me. “Thank you. Are you working early tomorrow?”
“No, why you do ask?”
“I’m making polite conversation. No flirtation whatsoever. Although I was mulling over our earlier discussion and realized you’re guilty of double standards.”
“How so?”
“Earlier you said…and I quote, ‘I’d do you.’ You added something about doing ‘it’ over a bar, a table, et cetera. Ring any bells?” He pointed his key fob at his car and gave a satisfied nod when it beeped on cue.
I squinted warily. “Yeah, but—”
“When I told you I wanted to see your posterior in your Levi’s, I was somehow out of line. The logic confuses me. Why should you be able to say what you’re thinking, and I can’t?” He came to a stop at the driver’s side of his car and crossed his arms, silently issuing a challenge of some kind.
“Now that you mention it, I suppose that does seem unfair.” I scratched my beard thoughtfully, then turned around to show off my denim-clad ass. “Ta-da! I present my posterior.”
Cody snickered. “Very nice.”
“Glad you approve.” I pivoted to face him and fumbled with my belt. “I guess I could show you the whole kit and caboodle…or caboose.”
“No, no. Let’s not ask for trouble.”
I raised my hands in surrender. “If you say so.”
“I do. Kiss me instead.”
“Excuse me?”
He pursed his lips, looking uncomfortable as hell. To his credit, he didn’t back down. “You heard me.”
The husky note in his voice zipped through my veins like a secret elixir. The sudden onslaught of need and desire was a powerful combo. I stepped closer, wedging myself between him and the Prius parked next to his car. I was at least four inches taller than Cody and much bigger. I could squish him like a bug. I wouldn’t. I wasn’t that kind of guy, but he didn’t know that. He should be careful around men like me.
“Why?”
“Because I might never meet anyone like you again. If I do, I might not be confident, brave, or sincere enough to tell him what I want. I feel like this might be a chance I should take. I understand if you say no. I’m not your type. I get it. I’m not sure why you talked to me at all tonight. Or why—”
I curled my fingers around the back of his neck and sealed my lips to his.
So what happened to my gentlemanly resolve to not corrupt a nerdy, adorable dude barking up the wrong tree for some sexy action? I had no fucking clue.

My Review:
Bobby J is the lead guitarist for an up-and-coming L.A.-based band, Jealousy. We have met him before in STARTING FROM HERE, the third book in this series. Bobby J is out and loud about his bisexuality, and he’s not one to mince words about his interest or desires. He’s caught in a little bit of discomfort with Johnny, who plays in ZERO, another band in the indie Scratch Records label, due to an aborted tryst with a fan, and members of both bands are urging Bobby to smooth things over. He would like to, he’s just not good at communicating his needs or his feelings.

While out at a seedy bar near the recording studio, Bobby J meets Cody, a beautiful, tall and slender nerdy man who admits to be there for “research” purposes. Cody is a newly graduated aerospace engineer who really works on data mining, looking for trends and patterns. He has three months off before he’s supposed to begin working in the corporate world, and he wants to cut loose a little, find out what “real life” might be like if he wasn’t so tied to his schoolwork. Cody took a summer intern position managing the social media data for ZERO and JEALOUSY, before he ever met any of the band. He just wants to study their “cool” orbit, in addition to gathering data on all sorts of human interactions, like days at the beach, and baking certain cakes. He’s got some sexytimes and dating experience, but that’s with engineers–and his non-sciencey people-ing skills are soft. Cody find Bobby J crazy sezy, and wants to pursue something, if he can, but he also doesn’t want to bias his research. Bobby J, himself a closet geek, offers to open himself up for all sorts of study, so Cody can knock items off his list.

These two, despite seeming to be complete opposites, are a more aligned than one might surmise at first glance. Bobby J was raised by his father, a workaholic scientist, and he studied to be a doctor before dropping out and following his musical dreams. They have similar taste in geeky shows, and they harmonize more than Cody’s data might have predicted. It;s a sweet and sexy fling as summer passes. Bobby J finds reasons to pop into Cody’s cube and they each enjoy the other’s company so much, even when they aren’t sexing each other up, down and every which way. Cody doesn’t think he can truly fit into Bobby J’s musical sphere, and nearly heads for the hills, but Bobby J’s long since swooned for his sexy nerd and they end up lasting longer than the internship–by far.

Being part of the STARTING FROM series, it was fun to see other band members and how their own relationships have grown. The awkwardness between Bobby J and Johnny gets smoothed over, following some real talk that Cody hands out. From their closeness in previous stories, I had wondered if Bobby J and Johnny would become a unit, but they are too good at being friends, and their attractions lay elsewhere. So, I imagine we’ll see Johnny finding his partner in an upcoming book. In the meantime, I loved this nerdy bear-twink match kindle and scorch it’s way across the pages.

Interested? You can find STARTING FROM SOMEWHERE on Goodreads, and Amazon.

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About the Author:
Lane Hayes is grateful to finally be doing what she loves best. Writing full-time! It’s no secret Lane loves a good romance novel. An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. These days she prefers the leading roles to both be men. Lane discovered the M/M genre a few years ago and was instantly hooked. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions, and won First Prize in the 2016 and 2017 Rainbow Awards. She loves red wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband in a newly empty nest.

You can reach out to Lane on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Amazon.