Release Blitz, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway:
Because of Ben by Lisa Henry
Star Crossed, Book 2
Marco Chase is the lead singer for Static, one of the world’s most famous and successful rock bands. Marco’s bad boy rock star image isn’t just one he’s cultivated for his fans—it’s Marco all over. Marco’s past is full of one night stands, bad decisions, and blackouts. Marco never saw a cage he didn’t want to rattle—and from the moment he lays eyes on him, he really wants to rattle sweet, innocent Ben Selden’s cage.
Ben Selden comes from a fundamentalist Baptist family. Ben is struggling under the weight of knowing that he’s gay, and a lifetime’s teachings that tell him that his God will condemn him, and his family reject him, if they ever find out. With a future he doesn’t want already mapped out for him, Ben’s at a breaking point when he meets Marco.
Marco’s teasing, flirting, and obvious interest awakens a hunger in Ben, and he knows this might be his only chance to act on his attraction to a man—if he’s brave enough to risk his future, and his family, to take it. He doesn’t expect Marco to be his savior, but maybe a savior isn’t what Ben needs—maybe he just needs someone to believe in him enough that he’s willing to save himself.
Because of Ben is the second book in the Star Crossed series, where regular guys meet famous ones, and sparks fly.
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Marco took a sip of his water. “So, Ben, why have you strayed from the rest of the blue-shirted herd? Aren’t you worried the lions will pick you off?”
“Oh.” Ben flushed. “My friends went for pizza, but I didn’t feel well, so I came back.” He caught his bottom lip between his teeth before releasing it again. “Are you the lion in this scenario?”
Marco bit back a delighted laugh, wondering if Ben was flirting, just a little, or if he was exactly as naïve as he appeared to be. “Maybe I am. Is that what you’re looking for?”
Ben reached for another crab cake and didn’t answer. “My friend Dion says you’re a famous rock star.”
Marco tore open his bag of jalapeno poppers and set it between them. “Is this the part where I’m supposed to be offended that you’ve never heard of me?”
A beautiful flush spread from Ben’s throat up to his face, darkening his cheeks. He ducked his head for a moment and then looked back at Marco, a self-conscious smile tugging up the corner of his mouth. “I didn’t mean it like that, sorry. I don’t listen to a lot of music.” He wrinkled his nose. “How do you get to be a famous rock star anyway?”
Marco laughed. “A lot of hard work, a lot of luck, and a lot of spite.”
“Spite?” Ben raised his eyebrows, looking a little shocked.
Jesus. He was so sweet that Marco wanted to lean over and shove his tongue down his throat. “I had a lot of people to prove wrong. A few teachers, a bunch of asshole kids from high school, and even my parents. I mean, they love me to bits, but they also thought I was ruining my future.”
“But you didn’t?” Ben asked, as though he was seeking clarification.
“Well, not yet,” he said with a lazy grin. It was a breath of fresh air talking to someone who didn’t know that Static could fill stadiums. “But there’s still time.”
Ben laughed softly at that.
“Back when I was sixteen and lying about my age online, I met Zane in some music sub on Reddit, and we bonded over a shared love of new wave post-punk revival. And then one day he says he’s putting together a band, so what else could I do?” He bit into another crab cake. “I packed my bags and left in the middle of the night and hitchhiked all the way from West Virginia to California.”
“You hitchhiked?” Ben looked horrified.
Well, he wasn’t the only one.
“Holy shit,” Zane had said when he’d found out Marco’s real age. “Did I just groom a kid into crossing state lines for me?” And, to his twin brother: “Stop laughing, asshole!”
Static had gotten off to a bumpy start. Marco’s parents had been understandably unhappy about him running away, and Zane’s parents had been equally unhappy about the teenager who’d turned up out of nowhere to live in their garage, but they’d worked it out in a series of lengthy phone calls. Marco’s brattish insistence that he’d rather live on the streets than go back to West Virginia had a lot to do with it. He’d been a total shit, to both his parents and to Zane’s, and more than once, he’d caught Brian Finch looking at him like he was wondering where the hell he came from and whether or not he could wrestle him into the trunk of his car and drive him home, but Static’s success was impossible for them to argue against.
A million things could have gone wrong, but somehow, they hadn’t. He was still pretty smug about that, actually. Because of all the things in his life he’d doubted—and there had been plenty—he’d never once thought that Static wouldn’t make it. He might have been a fuckup in every other aspect of his life, but not when it came to music. When he held a guitar in his hands, he knew exactly who he was and what he could do.
“Yeah, it could have been a disaster.” He shrugged. “But it wasn’t.”
As a life motto, it wasn’t exactly punchy, but it had served him well.
“That’s really brave. And scary. I could never…” Ben shook his head. “And people didn’t think you’d make it?”
“The day we won our first Grammy, I mentioned my high school principal in my speech,” he said. “‘And to Mr. McClintock, principal of Greenbriar East High School, who said I would never amount to anything, fuck you.’ They beeped out the ‘fuck you.’”
Ben’s face fell, and he ducked his head again.
“What?” Marco asked. “That was supposed to be a funny story.”
Ben didn’t look at him. “You won a Grammy? You’re really famous then?”
He shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah.”
Ben lifted his gaze at last. “And I’m just some dumb idiot who’s never heard of you.”
Marco leaned forward and flicked the card hanging from Ben’s lanyard. “What’s the story with this? I’m guessing you’re not my target audience, Ben.”
“Um, yeah. My church is pretty traditional.” Ben chewed his bottom lip for a moment, his blue eyes wide as he stared at the way Marco jiggled his lanyard. “We don’t listen to music or go to movies and stuff. Like, we do, but not…not anything that’s not appropriate.”
Marco drew back and took another crab cake. “And you’re certain I’d be inappropriate, huh?”
He loved the blush that darkened those gorgeously sharp cheekbones.
To celebrate the release of Because Of Ben, Lisa is giving away a $20 Amazon Gift Card!
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Catch-up on the series with Book 1:
Not Until Noah
Carter Westlake is on the brink of being Hollywood gold. Cast as the lead in a highly-anticipated sci-fi trilogy filming in Australia, he’s primed to be the next A-list action hero: all-American, hot as hell, and straight. The problem is, Carter can only check off two of those boxes. But that’s okay—his bisexuality can remain a secret until these movies are behind him.
Childhood educator Noah Jones has a plan. Work as a nanny for six months, make some extra cash, and move to the UK to teach. He doesn’t expect his new boss to be a Hollywood star. And he certainly isn’t prepared to fall for the guy.
One kiss sends them tumbling into a secret relationship, even though they both agree it can be nothing more than a fling. Carter needs to stay in the closet for the sake of his career, and Noah’s leaving. But when their feelings continue to grow into something deeper, Carter has a decision to make. Knowing that exposing his sexuality could cost him his career, would he rather carry on living a lie, or risk it all to stand tall in his truth?
Not Until Noah is the first book in the Star Crossed series, where regular guys meet famous ones, and sparks fly.
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About the Author:
About Lisa:
Lisa likes to tell stories, mostly with hot guys and happily ever afters.
Lisa lives in tropical North Queensland, Australia. She doesn’t know why, because she hates the heat, but she suspects she’s too lazy to move. She spends half her time slaving away as a government minion, and the other half plotting her escape.
She attended university at sixteen, not because she was a child prodigy or anything, but because of a mix-up between international school systems early in life. She studied History and English, neither of them very thoroughly.
She shares her house with too many cats, a dog, a green tree frog that swims in the toilet, and as many possums as can break in every night. This is not how she imagined life as a grown-up.
Lisa has been published since 2012, and was a LAMBDA finalist for her quirky, awkward coming-of-age romance Adulting 101, and a Rainbow Awards finalist for 2019’s Anhaga.
To connect with Lisa on social media, you can find her here:
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She also has a Facebook group where you’ll be kept in the loop with updates on releases, have a chance to win prizes, and probably see lots of lots of pictures of her dog and cats. You can find it here: Lisa Henry’s Hangout.
