OMG OMG OMG! Not going to lie, I am SO excited! I get to give away a signed copy of my own book. My. Own. Book. And I am beyond thrilled to be able to give it away along with a copy of “Meatworks” which I absolutely adored. Oh, Desmond! I’m not even into romance and I was swooning over this story. SO, you, my lucky reader, have a chance to win two amazing books this week. Make sure to get subscribed!
Week Eight: “Meatworks” by Jordan Castillo Price
Summary: Desmond Poole is damaged in more ways than one. If he was an underachiever before, he’s entirely useless now that he’s lost his right hand. He spends his time drowning his sorrows in vodka while he deliberately blows off the training that would help him master his new prosthetic. Social Services seems determined to try and stop him from wallowing in his own filth, so he’s forced to attend an amputee support group. He expects nothing more than stale cookies, tepid decaf and a bunch of self-pitying sob stories, so he’s blindsided when a fellow amputee catches his eye.
Corey Steiner is a hot young rudeboy who works his robotic limb like an extension of his own body, and he’s smitten by Desmond’s crusty punk rock charm from the get-go. Unfortunately, Desmond hasn’t quite severed ties with his ex-boyfriend, and Corey isn’t known for his maturity or patience.
Meatworks is set in a bleak near-future where cell phone and personal computer technologies never developed. In their place, robotics flourished. Now robots run everything from cars to coffee pots. Taking the guesswork out of menial tasks was intended to create leisure time, but instead robots have made society dependent and passive.
Desmond loathes robots and goes out of his way to avoid them. But can he survive without the robotic arm strapped to the end of his stump?
What Readers Are Saying (Goodreads):
“If you're expecting a traditional romance, you won't get it here. It's not happy and sweet. It's honestly unlike anything I've read before. And I loved it…FIERCELY.”
“JCP reveals Desmond’s light and dark parts with raw and bracing diction. He’s broken and beautiful. “Meatworks” is like an urban-style Grimm fairy tale with a happier ending, but not too happy. It may be make believe, but don’t let that fool you. It’s real, and if you read this book you’re going to fucking live it.”
“Fucking brilliant. Honestly, I am so glad Jordan Castillo Price writes the books she does, about characters like Desmond, in places like Riverside.”
“22 days into 2015 and I think I've already read my book of the year.”
“What an amazing, quirky, emotional ride this was... Meatworks stomps all over usual genre boundaries and tells a truly powerful story through mouth of an antihero if I ever read one.”
Not your typical romance by any stretch of the imagination, but if you love an anti-hero like I do, you’re going to love Desmond Poole!
“Trans Liberty Riot Brigade” by L.M. Pierce
Summary: How do you fight for who you are, when the government controls what you are?
Andi knows being born an intersex "Transgressor" and then choosing to stay that way, can have lethal consequences. After all, surgical assignment is mandated by law. But she ain’t going to spend her life hiding from the Society, hooked on Flow, and wanking tourists just to make a few bucks. She's a member of the Trans Liberty Riot Brigade, an underground faction of Transgressors resisting the government’s war on their illegal genitalia.
But it’s not enough to tag their messages on shithouse walls and sniff down the next high. The government has found their headquarters, decimated their ranks, and they’re crushing the resistance. Though Andi might be nothing but a junktard, she embarks on a desperate dash to stay alive and send a call for help before they’re all killed—or worse, surgically assigned.
Andi, together with Brigade leader Elenbar, must get beyond the communications block preventing all radio transmission, which means crossing the seaboard Wall barricading the United Free States borders. It’s designed to keep enemies out and the citizens in, but amid increasing earthquakes and deadly pursuit, Andi will discover there’s a far more dangerous secret hidden deep within the Wall itself.
What Readers Are Saying (Goodreads):
“This is a cross between Clockwork Orange and Tank Girl. Freaking awesome!”
“Dark, haunting, and intelligently written, Trans Liberty Riot Brigade shifts away from traditional gender binarism in narration to something far more complex and beautiful—a human being.”
“This story has a vibe that makes me think a little bit Handmaid's Tale, a little bit Les Miserables, and some 1984. I loved Andi's character, flawed and struggling and in way over her head.”
“The world building is excellent and the narrator comes up with the most astounding, and sometimes HILARIOUS, ways of describing the places she finds herself in as she navigates a harsh and restrictive world. I love a character who swears even more than I do.”
“It's a wonderful, impactful story with graceless, but charming characters. Five stars for the heartfelt nature, bravery and consistency. A really awesome read.”
Hope you will have the opportunity to enjoy Andi’s race for survival (and win a free signed book)!