• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Contact Me
  • Review Policy
  • About This Blog
  • Request a Review
  • Author Spotlight Request
  • Privacy Policy

Nautical Star Books

Gay Romance Book Reviews, Book Giveaways, Author Tours and New Releases

  • Reviews
  • Giveaways
  • Book Tours
  • Authors
  • Free Reads
  • Excerpts
  • New Releases
  • Cover Reveals
  • Book Series
  • LGBTQ Publishers

Blog Tour: Testing Lysander by L.M. Somerton

June 19, 2015 by Devan Huff 2 Comments

In Testing Lysander by L.M. Somerton, Lysander and Kyle journey together into a life of adventure, Dominance and submission, and an uncertain future. Set in the Colombian Andes,  they are on a dangerous mission to expose a terrorist group. Treacherous terrain, a hazardous climb and unexplored caves are only a small part of the dangers they face.

Posts feature books that may have been provided at no charge & may be sponsored. Post contains affiliate links & I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on links.

Testing Lysander by L.M. Somerton

Blurb for Testing Lysander:

The newest addition to the What’s his Passion? imprint.

Feel the fear and do it anyway.

Extreme photographer Lysander Brock is accustomed to challenging places and situations but nothing can prepare him for the journey that his dominant lover, Kyle Dawson, takes him on.

A commission to photograph the cloud forests of the Colombian Andes becomes the cover for a dangerous mission to expose a terrorist group. Kyle and Lysander must negotiate treacherous terrain, a hazardous climb and unexplored caves to achieve their goal.

When Lysander is captured and tortured, he has no expectations of rescue. He understands that his life comes second to the mission but Kyle has no intention of leaving his beautiful, submissive lover in the hands of a madman. Kyle can deal with the intense pressure of fighting lethal enemies but the guilt of pushing Lysander into a life he never asked for is much harder to accept.

Lysander and Kyle journey together into a life of adventure, Dominance and submission, and an uncertain future.

Publisher’s Note: This book is a sequel to Picturing Lysander and is best read in order.

 Purchase Links

Like the sound of Testing Lysander?

Buy it here from Totally Bound or buy on Amazon.

Testing Lysander by L.M. Somerton

Notes from the Author on the setting:

With coastlines on the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, Andean mountains, and Amazon basins, Colombia’s landscapes are vast and vastly diverse. While world-renowned for its richness in bird species, Colombia also has an extraordinary diversity of amphibians and mammals, as well as orchids and butterflies. I wanted to emphasise the ‘otherness’ of the situation my characters find themselves in by giving bit parts to some of the non-human residents. Though Brock and Kyle are both seasoned travellers and used to adventure, they have not been thrown in to a situation where so much is at stake before, or one which involves the person they love. The simplicity of nature became a way of diffusing the tension a little.

The cloud forests of the Colombian Andes support a vast array of wildlife, including the pacarana, Andean condor, puma, golden-plumed parakeet, red howler monkey, Andean bear, mountain tapir, and neo-tropical otter. The habitat supports several species that exist nowhere else. Whilst researching the different species I came across an article about a previously undiscovered mammal and just had to build it in. Scientists in the US discovered a new animal living in the cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador. It has been named olinguito and is the first new species of carnivore to be identified in the Western hemisphere in 35 years. It has taken more than a decade to identify the mammal, an incredibly rare discovery in the 21st Century.

The olinguito is cute and looks a bit like a teddy bear. It’s the smallest member of the animal family that includes raccoons, measures just 14in in length, has a tail of 13-17in and weighs 2lb. It is a meat-eater but eats mainly fruit. Solitary and nocturnal animals, they spend their time in trees and female olinguitos only raise a single baby at a time.

I used olinguitos in a scene meant to show the depth of Lysander Brock’s passion for his photography. Even in the midst of life-threatening danger his creative eye frames shots and sees the world through a viewfinder. This passion transfers to his relationship with Kyle. At first, he finds it hard to give up control, but when he does he shows the same courage and trust that he shows during their mission. I found the research for this book fascinating and I hope that some of that interest is reflected in its pages. After all, who doesn’t enjoy cute men and fluffy animals in the same story?

Testing Lysander by L.M. Somerton

Excerpt from Testing Lysander:

“Morning,” he yawned. “I need coffee.”

Brock grinned. “That would be your first thought—today of all days.”

“And I’ll bet yours was ‘Where’s my camera?’ wasn’t it?” Kyle looked at him expectantly.

“So, I’m predictable too. The light out there is just stunning. I won’t be long.” He grabbed his camera before Kyle’s naked chest could distract him.

“Get some water while you’re out there. I’ll rebuild the fire and get it going. I believe we have the delights of reconstituted oatmeal to tempt our taste buds this morning.”

Brock picked up the billycan and took it with him. Once he was out beyond the falls, it was hard to know where to aim his camera first. He put the can down in among some roots, then took picture after picture, delighted by the way the light reflected from so many glistening surfaces. A scurry of movement caught Brock’s eye and he zoomed in to a spot at the base of a tree. To his astonishment, a small creature—no bigger than a kitten—clung to the trunk.

“Oh my God, it can’t be!” Brock snapped off some shots and crept closer. The tiny creature didn’t run away, just stared at him with curious eyes. Farther up the trunk another animal scratched at the bark. Brock panned upwards and realized that this must be the mother of the tiny cub on the ground. “Olinguitos. I can’t believe it.” The animals seemed completely unperturbed by his presence. The baby was so small that Brock could have fit it onto his palm. He was so close that he could see its tiny, curved claws and textured foot pads. It was perfectly designed for climbing trees.

Brock forced himself to move slowly backward to the cave, never taking his eyes off the olinguito baby. He desperately wanted Kyle to get the chance to see the animals too. As he reached the waterfall, he turned to find Kyle standing there, staring.

“Are those what I think they are?” he asked.

Brock nodded. “Yes! Can you believe it? A mother and baby—and they are so fearless.” The two of them stood and watched the cute little creatures as they foraged for insects and chased up and down the tree. Eventually they disappeared upward and out of sight.

 

About LM Somerton:

Lucinda lives in a small village in the English countryside, surrounded by rolling hills, cows and sheep. She started writing to fill time between jobs and is now firmly and unashamedly addicted.

She loves the English weather, especially the rain, and adores a thunderstorm. She loves good food, warm company and a crackling fire. She’s fascinated by the psychology of relationships, especially between men, and her stories contain some subtle (and some not so subtle) leanings towards BDSM.

Check out the trailer for Testing Lysander:

The Giveaway

Enter Totally Bound’s Testing Lysander competition for the chance to win a copy of Testing Lysander and two books from LM Somerton’s backlist!

 

Filed Under: Book Tours Tagged With: Contemporary, L.M. Somerton, Male/Male, Totally Bound

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. L M Somerton says

    June 19, 2015 at 11:46 AM

    Thanks for hosting me 🙂 LM xx

    Reply
    • Devan Huff says

      June 22, 2015 at 7:10 AM

      Your welcome! Thanks for being a part of the blog!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Affiliate Link Disclosure

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Devan's books

A Vampire's Heart
really liked it
A Vampire's Heart
by Kayleigh Sky
Review first posted on Nautical Star Books . I can honestly say that A Vampire's Heart by Kayleigh Sky has got to be one of the best vampire romances I have read in quite some time.  This is the first book of the  Ellowyn Found trilogy ...
Robbie
it was amazing
Robbie
by Ella Frank
Review first posted on Nautical Star Books . If you are looking for a scorching hot MMM romance with fabulous characters, Confessions: Robbie by Ella Frank was incredible. This is book one of the Confessions series and includes several...
Where Death Meets the Devil
it was amazing
Where Death Meets the Devil
by L.J. Hayward
Review first posted on Nautical Star Books . This is the first book by L.J. Hayward that I have read. I can honestly say that it was a fabulous story that had my nose stuck in the book for the entire weekend. If you love good suspense...
Throwing Stones
really liked it
Throwing Stones
by Avery Cockburn
Review first posted on Nautical Star Books . Throwing Stones is the first in a spinoff series related to the Glasgow Lads football/soccer books, but may be read as a stand-alone novel. I have read several of the previous romance books b...
Trick Roller
it was amazing
Trick Roller
by Cordelia Kingsbridge

goodreads.com

Follow Us on Pinterest!

Visit Nautical Star Books's profile on Pinterest.

Commonly Used Tags

A.M. Arthur Amish Annabeth Albert Anthology Author BDSM Bisexual Blog Tour Carina Press Christmas Contemporary Crime Dreamspinner Press Eli Easton fantasy Female/Female Free Read Giveaway Historical Interlude Press Keira Andrews L.A. Witt Less Than Three Press Leta Blake Loose ID M/M/M Male/Male Menage Morticia Knight mystery New Releases Nic Starr Paranormal Riptide Publishing RJ Scott Samhain Publishing Science Fiction Sean Michael Shifters Siren Publishing Suspense Tara Lain Torquere Press V.L. Locey Young Adult

© 2010–2021 · Nautical Star Books ·

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok