I am so excited about this book--I love Sarina's Ivy Years series, and this male/male romance was so gorgeous and beautifully told. Today, we have an interview with Sarina about the series, as well as a great giveaway! Be sure to check it out! :)
The Understatement of the Year Synopsis:
What happened in high school stayed in high school. Until now.
Five years ago, Michael Graham betrayed the only person who ever really knew him. Since then, he’s made an art of hiding his sexual orientation from everyone. Including himself.
So it’s a shock when his past strolls right into the Harkness College locker room, sporting a bag of hockey gear and the same slow smile that had always rendered Graham defenseless. For Graham, there is only one possible reaction: total, debilitating panic. With one loose word, the team’s new left wing could destroy Graham’s life as he knows it.
John Rikker is stuck being the new guy. Again. And it’s worse than usual, because the media has latched onto the story of the only “out” player in Division One hockey. As the satellite trucks line the sidewalk outside the rink, his new teammates are not amused.
And one player in particular looks sick every time he enters the room.
Rikker didn’t exactly expect a warm welcome from Graham. But the guy won’t even meet his eyes. From the looks of it, his former… best friend / boyfriend / whatever isn’t doing so well. He drinks too much and can’t focus during practice.
Either the two loneliest guys on the team will self destruct from all the new pressures in their lives, or they can navigate the pain to find a way back to one another. To say that it won’t be easy is the Understatement of the Year.
Warning: unlike the other books in this series, this heartbreaking love story is about two guys. Contains sexual situations, dance music, snarky t-shirts and a poker-playing grandmother.
Buy Links:
AMAZON | B&N | KOBO | iBOOKS
Previous books in the series:
#1 The Year We Fell Down (March 2014)
#2 The Year We Hid Away (June 2014)
#2.5 Blonde Date (July 2014)
#3 The Understatement of the Year (October 2st, 2014)
Read on after the giveaway for an interview with the author.
Q&A for Sarina Bowen:
Q: Is Harkness College from the Ivy Years
series based on Yale?
A: Heck yes!
But it’s based on a Yale which has gone soft and fuzzy in my mind, in all the
best ways. So I’ve fictionalized it to avoid the errors and inaccuracies that
I’d be likely to make if I tried to get everything just right.
Q: So what parts of Harkness are the
Yaliest?
A: The
architecture! The turrets and gargoyles, the Harry Potteresque dining halls,
the slate footpaths and the creaky oak doors. The iron gates. The courtyards.
The window seats, where you perch while you wonder if you’ll find true love.
(Or just do your homework.)
Q: Why did you decide to write a book about
two guys this time?
A: In the
first place, I didn’t really decide,
so much as the idea for Graham’s struggle surgically implanted itself in my
brain and would not let go. And when I pictured the two of them meeting up
again in a locker room after five years of silence, I just got the chills. This
became the book that I cheated on all my other books to write. (If my editors
of other projects are reading this… sorry! I’ll get back to work now.
Probably.)
Q. Why college hockey?
A. Because…
duh! Hockey players are hot. And hockey is a fast-paced game where whining is
categorically disallowed. Interestingly, fighting is not legal in college
hockey, either. At the college level, it’s all about the game. I love that!
Q: How many Ivy Years books do you have
planned?
A: Five, if
you’re counting the novella. After Rikker and Graham’s book, Bella is going to
need her own book. What, you haven’t met Bella yet? Just wait. She steals quite
a few scenes in The Understatement of the
Year. She is a kick-ass chick in much the same way as Corey, Scarlet and
Katie. You’ll love her. You can read a bit more about all the titles on The Ivy Years page on my
website.
Q: How did you come to write romance?
A: I’ve
always loved novels—all kinds of novels. And my goal is to make the reader do
three things when she’s reading my book: cry, laugh, and sigh. Romance is the
best vehicle for that goal, and I’ve really enjoyed the ride.
Sarina Bowen Bio:
Sarina Bowen makes her home in the Green Mountains of Vermont, where she lives with her family, eight chickens and a large pile of skis and hockey equipment. She is a graduate of Yale University.
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