Blog Tour: OUT IN BLUE by Sarah Gilman (Guest Post, Review & Giveaway!)

Today is my stop on 
Sarah Gilman's OUT IN BLUE Blog Tour 
being hosted by Entangled Select!

A big thank you to Sarah for taking the time to be a guest on my blog today!







GUEST POST

The Father and Son Relationship in Romance Books 
by Sarah Gilman

First, I must say how much I love this blog; it reminds me of spring! Spring is not far off, but here in Vermont, it’s still as frigid as ever. Thank you so much for hosting!

In romance, both adult and young adult, the story focuses on the developing relationship of the hero and heroine. One of my favorite themes is “love overcoming all obstacles,” which is why you won’t find characters at odds with each other until the very end in my books. As a reader and a writer, I enjoy witnessing two characters who want to be together fight not with each other, but fight everything else to secure a future together. Even so, a lot of factors come together to form a relationship worth fighting for.

One of the things that can bring two people together is a shared experience that few people can relate to. In Out in Blue, the hero, Wren, experienced the murder of his parents when he was ten years old. The heroine, Ginger, carries a similar burden. That shared pain and the basic understanding of each other it creates, by itself carries more weight than a thousand casual conversations.

A person’s relationship with their parents always makes up a vital part of their personality. It goes without saying that Wren and Ginger wouldn’t have connected over, say, broken toys; the loss of parents, particularly the violent loss, alters a child forever. When writing any character, I consider how their relationship with their parents will affect the story.

In all three of the Return to Sanctuary books I’ve written so far, the hero’s father plays a vital role in the plot. The heroines and their fathers are also crucial, of course, and so are the mothers of the characters, but I find myself often putting emphasis on the father and son relationship.

The father figure is fundamental in who a given hero is as a person and a character. Basic biology comes into play, of course: Wren has wings because his father is a fallen archangel. But as in real life, it’s much more than biology. Wren’s father, Raphael, is a character who relentlessly protects his family. As a ten year old, Wren witnessed his father fight for all their lives despite having no chance against the antagonist. As a character, this sets the stage for Wren to become a fighter, someone who won’t give up in the face of dire odds especially when it comes to someone he cares about—a crucial factor in how he deals with his relationship with Ginger. If his father had left him to fend for himself, saving his own neck, Wren would have grown into a considerably different character.

Not all romances give mention to the hero’s father, but many do. I think it’s an important way to develop the hero. How a man views and treats women is often a product of his relationship with his father, as fathers teach by example in their own relationships. Good fathers, evil fathers, geek fathers, military fathers—all play a role in the hero’s life and ultimately, the hero’s relationship with the heroine.

When I first started writing Out in Blue, curiosity drove me: What would it be like to have an archangel as a parent? The question helped spawn a whole series. 

Readers, what romances have you read in which the hero’s father played a significant role?

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Out in Blue

A Return to Sanctuary Novel

by Sarah Gilman

Release date: January 29th, 2013

Published by: Entangled Select

Genre: Adult - Paranormal Romance

Format read: eARC

SUMMARY

In a violent world where fallen archangels are hunted for their valuable plumage, Wren knows one thing for certain: the human woman who saved him from a poacher attack will die if she stays with him. The demon responsible for his parents’ gruesome deaths two decades ago pines for the chance to rip apart any woman who stands under Wren’s wing.

Wren doesn’t expect Ginger to stay by his side once she discovers his ability to drain life with a mere touch, yet she lingers. When an unusual talent of her own reveals the location of Wren’s father, Wren’s isolated world implodes. With the help of the demon protectors he’s sworn never to trust again, Wren risks everything to rescue his father, confront the demon who stalks his and Ginger’s every step, and claim his eternity with the most courageous woman he’s ever known.

(Read the first chapter here!!!)
Amazon / Barnes and Noble

MY REVIEW

Sarah Gilman's take on fallen angels and demons is like no other that I have ever read before - this story captured my attention within the first few pages...

The author immediately throws us into Ginger's world where archangels exist - fallen angels, humans think that they are disgusting, evil and don't deserve to live. There aren't many left, but they do exist. Poachers hunt them down for their feathers - feathers softer than silk - and a box full can bring in millions of dollars.

Ginger is minding her own business and having a cup of coffee when she overhears a conversation - a group of poachers have found where an archangel has been hiding and they are planning on waiting for his return to capture him, take his feathers and then kill him.
But Ginger is not your ordinary human, she grew up with the Guardians - Demons whose job is to protect the archangels. And she would be dishonoring her father if she didn't do something to stop these poachers. Her plan gets askew a bit, but in the end, she does end up saving the archangel, known as Wren.

There is an instant connection and attraction between these two, but it was written so well and convincingly, I barely noticed it, and actually liked what was going on between them.
Ginger never showed any weakness, yes there are moments when she worries and was frightened, but she never backed down and always became better and stronger when she stood her ground.
Wren, there are no words to best describe him. His pride was strong and heartening, but even so, he never took shame in his weakest moments and never held back when it came to showing his love.
What I really loved about both Ginger and Wren was their strong bond of family and loyalty. It is rare to find a story where the bonds of family and friends, no matter how they came about, are so strong and heartfelt.

Out In Blue is brilliantly told from two different point-of-views. Both main characters, Ginger and Wren, have such refreshing voices where they spoke their mind and were honest with everyone, especially with each other. Nothing was ever a game to them.
Sarah Gilman's writing is fluent and capturing - she gives us just enough to picture the story in our minds, but not too much, which is something that I love when an author can accomplish this. It gives the reader the freedom to add in the extra small details that they would like to and make it their own.

Even if you're not a fan of angel-type stories, I would still highly recommend this book to you! It is so unique and believable, it will definitely have you looking up to the sky, searching for a fallen star... an archangel.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Sarah Gilman

 Sarah Gilman started her first novel in third grade. She never finished that story, but never gave up the dream. 

Her fascination with wings also began at that age, when images of the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis captured her imagination and never let go. 

Now a paranormal romance writer, she employs her love of writing to bring the allure of winged creatures to the pages of her novels.

Sarah lives in Vermont with her supportive husband and two spoiled cats.

Official Website, Blog, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter

Follow the OUT IN BLUE Blog Tour!!!

There are a ton of excerpts, guest posts, reviews, prizes, etc..! 

Be sure to stop by all the blogs listed below for more!!!

February 11th - Fiktshun After Dark
February 13th - Kindle and Me
February 15th - My Shelf Confessions 
February 20th - Ren's Rambles 
February 22nd - Cocktails and Books 
February 25th - Reader Girls Blog 
February 27th - Bumbles and Fairy-Tales 
March 2nd - The Book Cellar 
March 4th - Always YA at Heart 
March 6th - Simply Ali
March 6th - Fade Into Fantasy 
March 8th - Girls With Books 
March 11th - Young Adult Book Reviews
March 13th - Urban Fantasy Investigations 
March 13th - Ramblings From This Chick 
March 14th - Goodreads Group: Never Too Young for YA Books
March 15th - Kristina's Books and More 
March 16th - Return to Sanctuary Facebook Chat

(2) GIVEAWAYS

Enter to win an eCopy of OUT OF BLUE!!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

There is also a blog tour scavenger-hunt giveaway for 4 paperback copies of OUT IN BLUE!
Enter below!!!

Out in Blue Giveaway