#Second Chances in New Port Stephen

[tjalexandernyc]

My next book is out today!

Second Chances in New Port Stephen is...the book I think I'm the proudest of so far. If you are queer or gay or trans or questioning or an elder millennial or Floridian or a single dad or a washed up comedian or a fan of manatees--this one's for you.

You can order it here.

[eldrytchcryptid]

(Spoilers Ahead)

I wrote this review on Goodreads too but like every trans dude of like adult age needs to read this damn book-

A trans man, as a romance protagonist in an actual adult novel.

Have you ever loved the words on the page of a book so much you wanted to rip them from the spine and stuff the paper into your mouth and digest them?

I think I might sleep with this book under my pillow for the next year just to absorb it into my bloodstream through osmosis.

When I tell you I have been waiting years for trans men to be properly represented in romance (or just ANY adult media at all), this book decided to grab me by the throat and force tear after tear from my eyes until I was sobbing and hollering with laughter, slamming the book down on my bed to the point where I may actually get charged with abuse.

There were points in this book where I thought I needed to check my brain for cameras - I can't speak for every trans man of course, but having the ftm experience so seamlessly written from an actually confident trans man in his identity with the same inability to realise people actually want to be around him, and the same kind of trans dick jokes and mourning over childhood - at certain point, especially when they redid the photos I started crying only to realise that Eli was crying to like "Ye bro I'd be crying too in that scenario damn."

I have truly, truly never felt so represented in a book - and I was starting to give up hope that I would ever see a trans man in an adult book who was PROPERLY written that I-

I can only thank @tjalexandernyc for writing this and hope that this is the start of trans men beginning to come into their own to being represented as something other than in teen media.

Transness aside, the book is beautifully written with amazing humour and heartwarming scenes that ripped me into thin little ribbons.

And the only qualm I had is that Eli didn't dick Nick down. I need a novella of just them exploring each other. Please. The sex scenes were just exquisite and hilarious.

I'm also gonna put some of my favourite bits here cause I have to.

[lgbtqreads]

New Releases: December 2023

Caught in a Bad Fauxmance by Elle Gonzalez Rose (5th) Devin Báez is prepared for a relaxing winter break after his rough, first semester of art school. Sure, his family’s old Florida lake cabin is falling apart, and everything in it reminds him of his late mom. And yes, the Baezes’ next-door neighbors, the Seo-Cookes, are still petty, but things could be worse. That is, until Devin runs into the…

[transbookoftheday]

Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander

Eli Ward hasn’t been back to his suffocating hometown of New Port Stephen, Florida, in ages. Post-transition and sober, he’s a completely different person from the one who left years ago. But when a scandal threatens his career as a TV writer and comedian, he has no choice but to return home for the holidays. He can only hope he’ll survive his boisterous, loving, but often misguided family and hide the fact that his dream of comedy success has become a nightmare.

Just when he thinks this trip couldn’t get any worse, Eli bumps into his high school ex, Nick Wu, who’s somehow hotter than ever. Divorced and in his forties, Nick’s world revolves around his father, his daughter, and his job. But even a busy life can’t keep him from being intrigued by the reappearance of Eli.

Against the backdrop of one weird Floridian Christmas, the two must decide whether to leave the past in the past…or move on together.

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (10-16 Dec 2023)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰 Second Chances in New Port Stephen (TJ Alexander, author; Aden Hakimi & Feodor Chin, narrator) - 2nd chance romance between 2 former HS sweethearts after Eli comes back home to his small FL home town (post-transition & unemployed due to proximity to an industry scandal) and reconnects with Nick (who left for college, came back, got married & divorced and became a (hot) dad). Also there is a fat ginger cat named Sweet Potato. I kind of love what a mess Eli is. Nick is also a bit of a mess but masking it better. I loved them both.

💖💖 +120K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

The First Rule of Book Club series (Deisderium) - MCU: stucky, 28K - reread for stucky bookclub; a forever fave where recovering Bucky joins a book club - just a warm hug of a series, with a fantastic OC (unfortunately does have period-typical reading of HP but I was able to just focus on everything else)

tattoo your last bruise (ftmsteverogers) - MCU: stucky, 9K - great post-WS recover fic

Blood, Sweat, Ambrosia (AidaRonan) - Stranger Things: steddie, 4K - amazing gift of a monsterfucking fic. aida has truly blessed us this holiday season

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Doctor Who: The Giggle (2023 special #3)

D20: Fantasy High: Sophomore Year - e8-15

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

The Sporkful - How Do Michelin Stars Actually Work?

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Diddy, Hip-Hop, and #MeToo

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Ol Pejeta Rhino Cemetery

Our Opinions Are Correct - What Makes Us Quit Reading a Book in the Middle?

Today, Explained - A concrete solution to climate change

Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Julia Gets Wise with Darlene Love

NPR's Book of the Day - Jordan Peele curates a new Black horror story collection 'Out There Screaming'

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Knoxville Weather Kiosk

Pop Culture Happy Hour - 2023 Pop Culture Favorites [love that D20's Dungeons & Drag Queens made this list!]

Switched on Pop - Nicki Minaj's Roman Empire

The Allusionist - 186. Ravels

It's Been a Minute - Music trends that took us by surprise in 2023

Shedunnit - The Murderless Christmas Mystery

Vibe Check - It’s Like an Inspirational Relay Race

⭐ 99% Invisible #563 - Empire of the Sum

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - New Bedford Whaling Museum

⭐ Off Menu - Ep 216: Dawn French (Christmas Special)

Twenty Thousand Hertz+ - Tournament of Champions

Ologies with Alie Ward - Quasithanatology (NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES) with Bruce Greyson

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Gourdlandia

One Year - 1990: Art on Trial

Sara & Cariad's Weirdos Book Club - Persuasion by Jane Austen with Andrew Hunter Murray

Not Another D&D Podcast - D&D Court: Sneaky Snowmen, Horny Dogs, and The PC vs The People’s Champion

Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Julia Gets Wise with Rhea Perlman

Up First - Gaza Post-War Plans, Ohio Prosecutor Misconduct, Comer Shell Company

What Next: TBD - Shein’s Newest Offering? An IPO

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Wonka And What's Making Us Happy

Dear Prudence - I Rejected A Friend’s Sexual Advance—Now He’s Being Weird. Help!

Endless Thread - This song wants you to stick out your what!?

⭐ Welcome to Night Vale #240 - He Is Holding a Knife

Today, Explained - Why millennials dread motherhood

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Classic Rock Instrumentals

Presenting Stevie Ray Vaughan

Presenting Santana

Dropkick Murphys Radio • Familiar

New Blue Sun [André 3000] {2023}

Throwback Workout

my christmas playlist

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

Second Chances in New Port Stephen by T.J. Alexander

goodreads

A trans man returns to his Florida hometown for Christmas after his career goes up in flames, only to cross paths with his high school ex in this charming rom-com about family and second chances. Eli Ward hasn’t been back to his suffocating hometown of New Port Stephen, Florida, in ages. Post-transition and sober, he’s a completely different person from the one who left years ago. But when a scandal threatens his career as a TV writer and comedian, he has no choice but to return home for the holidays. He can only hope he’ll survive his boisterous, loving, but often misguided family and hide the fact that his dream of comedy success has become a nightmare. Just when he thinks this trip couldn’t get any worse, Eli bumps into his high school ex, Nick Wu, who’s somehow hotter than ever. Divorced and in his forties, Nick’s world revolves around his father, his daughter, and his job. But even a busy life can’t keep him from being intrigued by the reappearance of Eli. Against the backdrop of one weird Floridian Christmas, the two must decide whether to leave the past in the past…or move on together.

Mod opinion: I haven't read this book yet, but if you like romance this one sounds fun!

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌈 Queer Books Out December 2023 🌈

🌈 Good afternoon, my bookish bats! Struggling to keep up with all the amazing queer books coming out this month? Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Remember to #readqueerallyear! Happy reading!

❤️ Caught in a Bad Fauxmance by Elle Gonzalez Rose 🧡 Heartstopper #5 by Alice Oseman 💛 This Cursed Light by Emily Thiede 💚 All The Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows 💙 Vampires of Eden: Book One by Karla Nikole 💜 Not My Type by Joe Satoria ❤️ Storm in Her Heart by KC Luck 🧡 Eternal Embrace by Luna Lawson 💛 A River of Golden Bones by A.K. Mulford 💙 Tomb of Heart and Shadow by Cara N. Delaney 💜 Through the Embers Volume 2 by Adriana Sargent 🌈 Lucero by Maya Motayne

❤️ The Poison Paradox by Hadley Field & Felix Green 🧡 Second Chances in New Port Stephen: A Novel by TJ Alexander 💛 Matrimonial Merriment by Nicky James 💚 Under the Christmas Tree by Jacqueline Ramsden 💙 Every Beat of Her Heart by KC Richardson 💜 The Memories of Marlie Rose by Morgan Lee Miller ❤️ Playing with Matches by Georgia Beers 🧡 Always Only You by Chloe Liese 💛 Fire in the Sky by Radclyffe and Julie Cannon 💙 Nuclear Sunrise by Jo Carthage 💜 The Naked Dancer by Emme C. Taylor 🌈 Resurrections by Ada Hoffmann

❤️ Destiny’s Women by Morgan Elliott 🧡 Framed by Kate Merrill 💛 The Spoil of Beasts by Gregory Ashe 💚 Catered All the Way by Annabeth Albert 💙 A Cynic’s Christmas Conundrum by L.M. Bennett 💜 Yours for the Taking by Gabrielle Korn ❤️ One Swipe Away by Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue 🧡 The Gentlemen’s Club by A.V. Shener 💛 A Death at the Dionysus Club by Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold 💙 Secrets of the Soul by Holly Oliver 💜 Like They Do in the Movies by Nan Campbell 🌈 Limelight by Gun Brooke

❤️ Heart First by S.B. Barnes 🧡 Grave Consequences by Sandra Barret 💛 Haunted by Myth by Barbara Ann Wright 💚 Invisible by Anna Larner 💙 The Murders at Sugar Mill Farm by Ronica Black 💜 Coasting and Crashing by Ana Hartnett ❤️ Fairest by K.S. Trenten 🧡 A City of Abundant Opportunity by Howard Leonard 💛 The Dark Side of MIdnight by Erin Wade 💙 Mending Bones by Merlina Garance 💜 Transform by Connal Braginsky & Sean Ian O’Meidhir 🌈 The Apple Diary by Gerri Hill

❤️ TruLove by Nicole Pyland 🧡 Structural Support by Sloan Spencer 💛 Whiskey War by Stacy Lynn Miller 💚 Overkill by Lou Wilham 💙 Heart of Outcasts by Nicole Silver 💜 In the Shadow of Victory by J. E. Leak ❤️ Just Like Her by Fiona Zedde 🧡 Gingerbread: Claus For Christmas by Miski Harris 💛 Lies are Forever by C. Jean Downer 💙 The Boys in the Club by M.T. Pope 💜 Lasting Light (Metal & Magic) by Michelle Frost 🌈 Tell No Tales by Edie Montreux

❤️ Radio Silence by Alice Oseman 🧡 Even Though We're Adults Vol. 7 by Takako Shimura 💛 The Accidental Bite by Michelle St. Wolf 💚 Mated to the Demons by Taylor Schafer 💙 Someday Away by Sara Elisabeth 💜 Gatherdawn Luminia Duet Volume 1 by Lee Colgin ❤️ Curse of Dawn by Richard Amos 🧡 Healing the Twin by Nora Phoenix 💛 Ride Me by KD Ellis 💙 How to Bang a Vampire by Joe Satoria 💜 Cthulhu for Christmas by Meghan Maslow 🌈 Prestige by Toni Reeb

❤️ Don't Look Down by Jessica Ann 🧡 Winter and the Wolves by Chris Storm and Kinkaid Knight 💛 Hat Trick by Ajay Daniel 💚 Starborn Husbands: Return to the Pleiades by S. Legend 💙 Dead Serious Case #4 Professor Prometheus Plume by Vawn Cassidy 💜 Practice for Toby by Amy Bellows ❤️ The Siren's Song by Crista Crown 🧡 Hers to Hunt K.J. Devoir

[the-forest-library]

December 2023 Reads

The Witchwood Knot - Olivia Atwater

A Holiday by Gaslight - Mimi Matthews

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

The Good Part - Sophie Cousins

Faking Christmas - Kerry Winfrey

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love - Lex Croucher

Every Time You Go Away - Abigail Johnson

Second Chances in New Port Stephen - T.J. Alexander

The Spectacular - Fiona Davis

Below Zero - Ali Hazelwood

Happiness Falls - Angie Kim

Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank - Elle Cosimano

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone - Benjamin Stevenson

How to Find a Missing Girl - Victoria Wlosok

What Lies in the Woods - Kate Alice Marshall

Thinking of You - Beth Evans

Seance Tea Party - Reimena Yee

I am Superman - Brad Meltzer

Making It So - Patrick Stewart

Happy People Are Annoying - Josh Peck

Gentle Chaos - Tyler Gaca

The Comfort of Crows - Margaret Renkl

Laid and Confused - Maria Yagoda

Butts - Heather Radke

Imposter No More - Jill A. Stoddard

A Life in Light - Mary Pipher

What the F - Benjamin K. Bergen

Seek - Scott Shigeoka

Nobody's Fool - Daniel Simons

Call You When I Land - Nikki Vargas

When the Game Was War - Rich Cohen

Mostly Veggies - Brittany Mullins

One-Pot Magic - Good Housekeeping

Bold = Highly Recommend Italics = Worth It Crossed out = Nope

Thoughts: 

If you liked Olivia Atwater's Regency Faerie Tales, definitely give The Witchwood Knot a try. It had a lot of the same magic.

When the Game Was War filled the void left by Winning Time. These tales of the magic of 80s basketball align with the one time in my life I had interest in the sport. It has been fun revisiting that time, and WTGWW provided a nice deep dive into elements and players that Winning Time was unable to explore in its short run.

Goodreads Goal: 432/400 

2017 Reads | 2018 Reads | 2019 Reads | 2020 Reads | 2021 Reads | 

2022 Reads | 2023 Reads

[reveriesofawriter]

got neurotic and had to Make Lists so these are all things I enjoyed from this year (I only included books that came out this year and not additional ones I read but like if anyone is interested I have that list too)

albums

built to last - arrows in action

so much (for) stardust - fall out boy

pineapple sunrise - beach weather

the end - cody fry

retrovision - honey revenge

the good witch - maisie peters

the maine - the maine

the dark - the band camino

the feeling of falling upward - 5sos

sunday at foxwoods - boys like girls

something to give each other - troye sivan

live from atlanta - ben rector

books

ephemera - sierra demulder (poetry)

we could be so good - cat sebastian

once more with feeling - elissa sussman

spell bound - f. t. lukens

second chances in new port stephen - tj alexander

teach the torches to burn - caleb roehrig

[clinchcoverenthusiast]

I started August on a roll, enjoying every book listed below up to and including T. Kingfisher then had to DNF three new releases that didn't work for me. I was able to get back on track with the help of Elizabeth Hoyt and the incredible, unhinged Duke of Sin, Valentine Napier and after that, it was all good again. I'm off Kindle Unlimited again so everything came from Hoopla and Libby except for What is Love?, which I got free through Prime First Reads, and the super cute and sexy A Walk in the Park, which I listened to with a brief Audible trial.

Looking at my stats, my average time to read is skewed because I started What is Love? in April and just now finished it. It was fine but I kept having to stop because the FMC was giving too much Nadia from Russian Doll and it was taking me out of the story. I'm eagerly looking forward to StoryGraph implementing a pause feature for books you want to leave on hold instead of DNFing.

The Bound Worlds (The Devoured Worlds #3) - Megan E. O'Keefe

A Walk in the Park - Rebekah Weatherspoon* **

The Cull Vol 1 (The Cull #1-5) - Kelly Thompson, Mattia De Iulis**

The Earl's Mistress (MacLachlan Family & Friends #10) - Liz Carlyle

Queen of Dreams (Bound to Fire & Steel #2) - Kit Rocha

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins - P. Djèlí Clark* **

A Sorceress Comes to Call - T. Kingfisher

Duke of Sin (Maiden Lane #10) - Elizabeth Hoyt

Wicked Intentions (Maiden Lane #1) - Elizabeth Hoyt

Notorious Pleasures (Maiden Lane #2) - Elizabeth Hoyt

Sharing Shane - Hannah Murray

Saga #68 - Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples

The Hunger and the Dusk: Book Two #2 (The Hunger and the Dusk 2.2) - G. Willow Wilson, Chris Wildgoose

Second Chances in New Port Stephen - TJ Alexander**

Scandalous Desires (Maiden Lane #3) - Elizabeth Hoyt

What is Love? - Jen Comfort

* = author(s) of color

** = main character(s) of color

[lovebooksgroup]

BOOK MAIL - Thank you @BookMinxSJV | @TeamBATC showcase | @tjalexanderNYC @jackiejcollins @LindseyKelk |#RespectRomFic #bookmail #bookblogger #scottishbookblogger #lovebooks

BOOK MAIL - Thank you @BookMinxSJV | @TeamBATC showcase | @tjalexanderNYC @jackiejcollins @LindseyKelk https://amzn.to/3P4yCAj https://amzn.to/4bZjSwh #RespectRomFic #bookmail #bookblogger #scottishbookblogger #lovebooks

Huge thanks to Sara-Jade for my bundle of goodies. I am so grateful to be included. I got an array of samplers of upcoming titles and I was so lucky to be gifted two books. Second Chances in New Port Stephen  by TJ Alexander  Pre-order TRIPLE SEC, the brand new TJ Alexander novel, coming Summer 2024.A trans man returns to his Florida hometown for Christmas after his career goes up in flames,…

[tjalexandernyc]

Calling all bookstore folks, book reviewers, and publishing people who use NetGalley! My next book, Second Chances in New Port Stephen, is currently available as a Read Now e-arc. Meaning you don't have to wait to be approved! It's a Christmas miracle! Get it hassle-free (for a limited time/quantity).

I'm so glad my publisher is giving folks a chance to read & review this well in advance of the Dec. 5 pub date. My whole gay, trans, Floridian, elder millennial, coastal, dad friend, swim team alum heart is in this one, y'all.

If you're NOT a book reviewer/bookstore buyer/industry person and you're gnawing off your own arm wanting to read this book, please please please consider preordering! It helps me more than probably anything in the world other than handing me a fistful of money.

[eldrytchcryptid]

"I'm trying my best 🥲."

[lgbtqreads]

New Release Spotlight: Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander

If you’re looking for a delightful new holiday read, may I recommend (heh, yes, of course I can, this is my website) Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander (Emily Bestler Books/Atria)? While second chance romance may be a well worn trope, second chance with your (ostensibly straight, male) high school sweetheart from before you transitioned and whom you haven’t seen since was…

[pansysgothgf]

Get to know me!!

i was tagged by @911-on-abc and @elgascreamslikehell thank you!!

last song: Blood Upon the Snow by Hozier

favourite colour: blue

last film/show: Bridgerton (s1)

sweet/savoury/spicy: savoury, i got a salt shaker for Christmas this year haha

last thing i googled: brownie cookies, I’m going to try baking them soon, wish me luck lol

last book: I’ve been in such a reading slump for anything other than fan fiction right now rip. I read Swept Away (I’m Stolen)by @princessfbi last night and would highly recommend!! I read If I Risk It All (Could You Break My Fall) months ago so I was really excited to read this instalment :) I’m also trying to read Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander, but again the brain rot isn’t letting me consume media outside of 9-1-1 fanfic and certain YouTube deep dives

relationship status: I have a girlfriend!! She’s lovely and wonderful and I get very sappy about her haha

current obsessions: as previously mentioned I have the entire cast of 9-1-1 making a home in my brain. Other than that I’ve been very excited for season three of Bridgerton and I spend a lot of time making and eating soup.

tagging makes me anxious but if you see this consider yourself no pressure tagged 🩷🩷 thanks for reading this far I hope you have a really great day and drink some water 🩷🩷

[thebooksareeverywhere]

Review: Second Chances in New Port Stephen by T.J. Alexander

Storygraph | Bookshop.org Eli Ward hasn’t been back to his suffocating hometown of New Port Stephen, Florida, in ages. Post-transition and sober, he’s a completely different person from the one who left years ago. But when a scandal threatens his career as a TV writer and comedian, he has no choice but to return home for the holidays. He can only hope he’ll survive his boisterous, loving, but…