Readaholics Anonymous: Guest Post & Giveaway: Beach Balls by Tara Lain

The wait is over! BEACH BALLS, book #3 in the Balls To The Wall series by Tara Lain is now available!

Please welcome Author Tara Lain!

Hi! I’m Tara Lain. I’m celebrating the re-release of my contemporary romance, Beach Balls, which got me thinking about enemies-to-lovers stories which this book is. Of course, the first enemies story to come to mind from classical literature is Romeo and Juliet and the famous contemporary play which grew out of it, West Side Story. The best enemies to lovers novels or plays have a deep division between the lovers that in innate. There is something about them that makes them natural adversaries. I played on the theme in The Pack or the Panther, which was literally the battle between cats and dogs! In Romeo and Juliet it is the warring houses of Montague and Capulet who have been at odds for generations. In a book like Last of the Mohicans (not the movie), the barely hinted at attraction between Cora and Uncas would have been so proscribed because of their races and cultures that Cooper was being wildly brave to even suggest it.

Enemies-to-lovers stories are notable because of their unhappy endings. Dare to cross the forbidden lines and everybody dies. That makes for a tough romance! But it’s fun trying to bring the enemies together. That was my challenge in Beach Balls. My two heroes are a developer lawyer very intent on winning a development deal that will allow him financial freedom and the environmentalist who opposes him -- born in the blood enemies. (In fact, this story is based on an actual environmental dispute that happened in my county and inspired me to ask, what if there were guys on each side who fell in love?) As in most enemies-to-lovers stories, when my two heroes meet they have no idea that they’re natural opponents. This allows them a little space to fall in love unencumbered by their opposition. But unlike Romeo and Juliet who are torn apart by the hatred of their parents, my heroes have to find a way around their own innate animosity -- or not.

I won’t tell you how or if my guys succeed. Watching them battle it out is the fun of it. (Of course, this is a romance, so you have a hint.) Do you have a favorite enemies-to-lovers story? Let us know in the comments below!

Thank you Tara for spending time with us today!

Learn more about BEACH BALLS, the series and Tara below.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Beach Balls
(Balls to the Wall Series, #3)By Tara Lain

Blurb:

Adam James is so far in the closet he could find Narnia. As an attorney for the homophobic WMA Development, he can’t come out without risking the million-dollar paycheck waiting for him once they push their big land development deal through the city council—money that will finally allow Adam to live according to his own terms. Then, on an early morning scuba dive, Adam meets a tall, lean rebreather diver named Sky who makes him want to hug a tree.

Sky Sea Mickeljohn stands for the environment, world peace, and being openly gay. He won’t compromise his principles for anyone—even the damned lying developer lawyer he can’t help lusting after. True, the WMA land development deal could put thousands of people at risk, but Sky still wants to risk his heart. In the fight between freedom and integrity, is there a place for love?

Available for purchase at

Readers are
LOVING BEACH BALLS!

“Ms Lain pens a thoughtful and sensual tale and I look forward to reading more in the series.”
~ Night Owl Reviews — 4 1/2 Stars! Reviewer Top Pick!

“The character growth they undergo during the story is phenomenal and adds a lot of zing, along with the ‘off the chart’ hotness of their sexual encounters.” ~ Rainbow Book Reviews

Excerpt

Sky sat on the edge of the bed and stared down at James. James’s dark hair shone in the soft light from the bathroom. Man, he looks pretty. He’d hate that, being called pretty. Handsome was better.

Lover. Odd word to pick. Hell, he should be long gone. Nothing about James appeared to be his type, but there was something about this guy.

Sky leaned down and kissed the side of the softly open mouth. Sweet. They hadn’t kissed much in that mad fucking session. Yeah, mad was the word. He pressed his tongue gently against the full lower lip, saying good-bye.

He spied his clothes in the heap he’d left them in on the floor.

James moaned softly. Oh baby, he’d moaned plenty when he was getting fucked. Sky had been with a lot of bottoms because he liked to top, but no one had ever loved to take his cock like James. Those lips were so sweet too. He kissed James’s soft mouth again with just a little pressure. Loved those little prickles of a day’s growth of beard around his lips.

James clutched Sky’s hair and crushed his lips against Sky’s. His tongue surged deep into Sky’s mouth. Whoa. The devil had been playing possum.

His turn. He slipped his arms around James’s broad shoulders and pulled him upright, still kissing like mad. Sky pulled his mouth away, kissed along the stubbly jaw, and around to James’s ear. “Hi.”

“Hi. Been awake long? What time is it?”

He flicked a tongue into James’s ear and appreciated the little gasp. A quick glance revealed morning wood. Of course, that matched his own. Yeah, they had the makings of a bonfire. He should go, but…. “It’s about five thirty. I went to the bathroom. Need to go?”

“Where the hell would I put that?” He pointed at his hard-on.

“I know how to get rid of it.” Sky flicked the tongue into James’s ear again.

Another little gasp. “You do?”

“Hell, yeah.”

The Balls to the Wall Series

Volley Balls
Bk #1

Available at

Fire Balls

Bk #2

Available to purchase

About the Author

Tara Lain writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in LGBT erotic romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her first novel was published in January of 2011 and she’s now somewhere around book 32. Her best-selling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Paranormal Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, Best Gay Characters, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. She often does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft. She lives with her soul-mate husband and her soul-mate dog near the sea in California where she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!

You can find Tara at Lain