Category: Romance

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The Only Guy Audiobook by Skylar M Cates Narrated by Matt Baca

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Dreamspinner Presents: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5762

Blurb

Aaron Weiss knows how to escape. Years ago, he ran from a romantic disappointment and impulsively joined the Army. Now, he’s forced to take a medical discharge and readjusting to life at home proves a challenge.

Jesse Ross knows how to hide. He realizes he’s an oddball, and that he’s an outsider within his own family. He also knows his secret love since childhood, Aaron, only wants his good-looking, favored older brother. Yet Jesse could never completely abandon his intense feelings for Aaron. Over the years, Jesse was a faithful pen pal to him. Still, he’s shocked to his core to find Aaron on his doorstep.

As long-buried secrets and past hurts take center stage, the two are overwhelmingly drawn to each other. But it’s their future that may force them to risk everything.

Morgan’s Review

Aaron fell in love with Jesse’s brother when they were kids. When he didn’t return the sentiment Aaron fled, but has harbored the crush for all these years.

Meanwhile Jesse has had a crush on Aaron ever since he knew what it was to want another person.

While Aaron was in the military he and Jesse formed a strong friendship through the mail but still, Aaron harbors nothing more than a vague feeling of companionship for Jesse and a burning hot adoration for his brother.

One day, after Aaron is sent home from the military for a bad heart, he goes to visit Jesse and is surprised at the man Jesse has become.

Jesse, a loner from the beginning, has only become more of a recluse over time, doesn’t know what to do with his childhood crush. On the one hand he thinks he’s just as gorgeous as ever, but doesn’t know how to like someone who can “like” his huge jerk of a brother.

Finally – FINALLY – Aaron manages to see Jesse for the amazing man he is and to see the other crush he’s harbored all these years was nothing more than a mirage.

It looks like the couple is really going to make it work when Aaron’s medical troubles drive him to the hospital again. Aaron doesn’t want Jesse to be burdened with anyone less than perfect so he pushes Jesse away. Fortunately Jesse fights for Aaron, and after a brief, but tense period apart, Aaron pulls his head out and the two re-unite… forever.

**

In this book, Aaron (Dean’s friend) is nothing like you’d expect an ex-military man to be. In fact, Jesse is the hard-ass of the relationship.

I really enjoyed watching Jesse deal with his social anxiety and the support he got from Aaron. I also really liked that Jesse was NEVER a wimp. He put up a good fight and Aaron really had to work hard to convince him what they have is real.

The secondary characters, ie brother, parents, friends; were all very well thought out and really added to the realistic feel of the story. The sub-plot with Jesse’s family was fascinating. I could really feel his pain at being “the red-headed-step-child” of the family.

I enjoyed this book when I read it and Matt Baca did an excellent job with the audio. He did a nice vaguely Brooklyn accent when needed and it was clear who was speaking.

I give both the book and the audiobook 4.5 hearts, I really enjoyed them!

4.5

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The Guy from Glamour Audiobook by Skylar M Cates Narrated by Matt Baca

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5710

glamour

Blurb

Anthony Carrino loves his big, gregarious Italian-American family, even if his sisters are interfering, and his dad, the local sheriff, knows everything going on in town. He’s happy as a middle school guidance counselor. Despite helping kids and their parents fix their problems, Anthony can’t manage to get his own love life right. If only everyone would stop calling him the “nice” guy.

Dean Pierce doesn’t do relationships. A tough-minded military man, he is dedicated to his job as a Night Stalker, flying Chinook helicopters and not speaking much to anybody. He certainly doesn’t want to deal with a mess of emotions. But when tragedy strikes, Dean finds his hands full with his troubled niece, her irresistible guidance counselor, and a meddlesome family, which includes a rather large puppy.

My Review

Dean gets called from active duty in Afghanistan to return to Arizona when his sister is killed to take charge of his 13 year-old niece. He’s totally freaked out because he really doesn’t want to A) leave the military B) raise a teenaged girl C) live in Arizona.

Then he meets Anthony, his niece’s guidance counselor and realizes that he is A) in over his head B) very attracted to Anthony.

Dean doesn’t have many social skills, he’s used to the military and hidden, hard, fast screwing as a means to release and he really doesn’t know how to handle things like “lovemaking”, feelings, or parenthood.

Dean was in foster care as a child, so he decides he can’t abandon his niece to the system and decides to leave the military to raise her. He works with Anthony to make this happen.

Anthony, who was used by his last boyfriend and left hung out to dry, is kind of a mess, but he really, really likes Dean and his niece, so he agrees to form a “no strings” relationship with Dean. He schools Dean both on “slow, tender, the-end-isn’t-important-it’s-the-journey” sex and tips to raise a teenager.

In the end, Anthony thinks he must sacrifice his family for Dean’s career. Dean has to confront his feelings and be willing to “come out” to his niece and accept a new life, without the military. We get a terrifically sweet HEA here and a glimpse of the pair in the future in the sequel!

**

Dean is sweet, closed off, hard to reach, but in the end very warm. I loved watching Anthony “train” him in the ways of tender lovemaking. I also enjoyed Anthony’s sisters, they were a hoot!

Anthony was the weakest character, but he did provide an interesting contrast in that he was kind of spineless out in the world, but totally owned things in the bedroom. In the end, he was the perfect foil for Dean.

I had originally rated this as a 3.5 when I first read it, but upon re-reading/listening to this, I upgraded it to a 4.5. I don’t know if it was the sequel, wherein everything is far more stable that convinced me, but I really enjoyed this book more knowing what I know about them in the future.

Audio

Matt Baca (previously from Into this River I Drown) did a great job. He didn’t do too much with the voices, but Dean had a nice rumbly voice and Anthony wasn’t done in any over-the-top gay-boy voice. The sisters had a vaguely Brooklyn type lilt that suited them well. I enjoyed his narration very much. 4.5 of 5 hearts.

Overall 4.5 hearts

4.5

 

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The Gin Ricky (Cock & Tails #3) by Renee George

 

gin rickey

When mixology meets biology, it’s pure chemistry!
Alex Michaels values intellect and propriety. To help pay the bills while he finishes his biological research degree, he waits tables at The Other Team. He’s trying to avoid romantic entanglements to focus on his studies, but the new cook, Ricky McNeil, is dangerously attractive. Ricky’s scars and tattoos have Alex both scared and horny. It doesn’t take long for Alex to cave in to their insane attraction. But can two men from two different worlds have more than just a physical connection?

 

 

My Review

Very short, very hot, very sweet love story. Supposed bad boy meets nerd. They have hot, hot sex. Find there is way more to each other than they thought. Maybe even love?

I highly recommend this and give it a 5 of 5 hearts.

5

Buy from Amazon.

 

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Bianca’s Plan Audiobook by BG Thomas Narrated by Paul Morey

biancaDreamspinner Presents:

Blurb

Bianca worries that her daddy, Gavin, is lonely and decides he needs a boyfriend for Christmas. So she enlists her father’s best friend, the straight and unattached Curtis. Gavin has a Christmas wish, too, and Curtis setting him up on disastrous dates isn’t part of it! Meanwhile, Curtis finds life becoming complicated as he tries to please Bianca, make Gavin happy, and fend off his own unexpected mixed feelings. Will anyone’s wish come true?

My Review

Bianca, Gavin’s 10 year old daughter is trying to get her dad a boyfriend for Christmas. She enlists the help of their mutual, straight neighbor/friend, Curtis to set Gavin up on some blind dates, since Gavin has been alone for the last two years.

Co-incidentally, two years ago is when Curtis moved in, and it’s no secret Gavin is harboring a huge crush on the straight guy. Curtis feels guilty about this crush so he elects to help Bianca, even though each set up leaves him angry and vaguely unsettled.

Finally, Gavin meets someone on his own, and Curtis realizes that he has actually been deluding himself all this time, and he makes his move in a jealous fit.

When the boys tell Bianca that they are finally together, Bianca admits that had been her plan all along!

**
This was a fast story with quick humorous “dates” punctuated by Curtis’s guilty conscience acting as a monologue in the background. Bianca is no ten year old I’ve ever met – but as a catalyst, her interest in seeing Daddy with a boyfriend works. (I don’t know why the author didn’t just make her older, it would have worked just as effectively, without bringing you out of the story, thinking “a ten year old said that?!”)

The last 20% was the couple exploring Curtis’s new forays into gay sex and it was appropriately steamy.

All in all I enjoyed the story and thought it was pretty funny and sweet.

3.5/5 hearts

3.5

Audio:
Paul Morey does another nice job. I love the deep bass voice that he gives to Gavin and he did some funny characterizations with some of the bozos Gavin ends up dating. This is another case where listening might be a bit more entertaining than reading, because the voices add some color to what might be a more vanilla story.

4 of 5 hearts

Overall 3.75 hearts.

4

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All Fired Up by Morticia Knight

Totally Bound Presents

https://www.totallybound.com/all-fired-up

fired Blurb

Officer Shawn Everly patrols the Strip and one night, fireman Trent Marshall saves him when danger strikes. But it’s still uncertain whether Trent can save himself from getting his heart broken by Shawn.
The party never ends on the Las Vegas strip but neither does the danger. Officer Everly is new to the beat, having recently relocated to Vegas from Los Angeles. Foot patrol on the Strip is a demanding assignment because he’s up close and personal with the public. But what he’d really like to do is get up close and personal with Station 32’s hunky fireman, Trent Marshall.

Trent has been a fireman for over ten years and is dedicated to his job. He’s built tough and is a no-nonsense man of few words. At a local blood drive, Trent meets the handsome new officer on foot patrol but won’t let himself get too close. He’s lost love before when his policeman lover was killed in the line of fire.

During an emergency, Trent’s over-protective instincts kick in when he believes Shawn is in harm’s way. He ends up embarrassing and angering Shawn in front of their fellow officers, which seems as though it will end any hope of Trent having a chance with the young man he can’t push from his mind. Shawn can’t decide whether he wants to punch or kiss Trent. Kissing wins. Once they spend some time together away from the stresses of their jobs, they find that they’re not just compatible—they’re combustible.

But Trent can’t seem to accept that there are hazards that come with working in law enforcement. Right as they’re discovering how much they mean to one another, the danger escalates on the Strip. The underground vigilante group, The Citizens Against Immorality, have raised the stakes. Will Shawn and Trent be their next targets?

My Review

Trent’s lover of several years died 2 years ago, the victim of a murderer while on duty.   He hasn’t felt desire in all this time and when he meets Shawn at a blood-drive, he ignores the policeman, knowing he can’t handle another relationship with a cop.

Shawn has just moved to Las Vegas from Los Angeles and he doesn’t have many friends. He sees Trent across a crowded hall and falls immediately in lust with the hunky fireman. But it isn’t until Trent rescues him from a near drowning that he realizes Trent is just as attracted to Shawn as Shawn is to Trent.

When Shawn gets injured chasing down a bad guy, Trent is there to rescue him and set him up in his house to recuperate. By this time Trent is ready to admit that he’s gone for Shawn and can’t fight the attraction any more.

The relationship starts off hot and steamy and only gets more molten from there. But… Trent does several really dumb, cave-man things that humiliates Shawn and forces him to realize that Trent isn’t exactly over his past lover’s death.

Shawn and Trent are also caught up in solving a string of murders/arsons that place Shawn in harms way and forces Trent to make some tough decisions.

Fortunately, Trent asks for and receives some help that allows him to give Shawn the space he needs so that they can have their HEA.

**

This was such a surprise! When I read the blurb and some of the reviews, I was expecting a book full of hot sex and not much else. But, while it is FULL of hot sex, it is also really tender and loving. There’s a little mystery/excitement thrown in and a pretty astute look at grief and grieving.

I found myself very, very pleasantly surprised and definitely recommend this book to lovers of the men in uniform, hot sex, and sweet love stories.

4.5

I give it 4.5 of 5 hearts.

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The Half of Us by Cardeno C

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Dreamspinner Presents:  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5511

Blurb

Short-tempered, arrogant heart surgeon Jason Garcia grew up wanting a close-knit family, but believes he ruined those dreams when he broke up his marriage. The benefit of divorce is having as much random sex as he wants, and it’s a benefit Jason is exploiting when he meets a sweet, shy man at a bar and convinces him to go home for a no-strings-attached night of fun.

Eight years living in Las Vegas hasn’t dimmed Abe Green’s optimism, earnestness, or desire to find the one. When a sexy man with lonely eyes propositions him, Abe decides to give himself a birthday present—one night of spontaneous fun with no thoughts of the future. But one night turns into two and then three, and Abe realizes his heart is involved.

For the first time, Abe feels safe enough with someone he respects and adores to let go of his inhibitions in the bedroom. If Jason can get past his own inhibitions and open his heart and his life to Abe, he might finally find the family he craves.

My review

Jason Garcia, cousin to Ash from Something in the Way He Needs, is a surgeon, divorced, father of two. He doesn’t believe men can be in relationships with each other, and doesn’t know why you would even try. He takes his lovers one night only and, so far, hasn’t found the need to change that pattern.

Abe, the student from Strong Enough, is all grown up and teaching math. He’s at a bar with friends one night and runs into Jason – the chemistry is hot and immediate and since it’s his birthday, Abe takes Jason home, knowing it’s a one night thing.

But then Jason runs into him again… and again… and then things are looking less like a hook-up and kinda sorta like a relationship…but Jason still doesn’t exactly believe in those, especially when it seems his kids aren’t doing as great as he thought and might need more of his time.

Abe, on the other hand, is loving where things are going – sure he’s scared it could all crumble, but he never even hoped to have a relationship that satisfied him on so many different levels. So he perseveres and crosses his fingers.

When push comes to shove, Jason is sort of forced to “define the relationship” and of course, we get our HEA… it is a Cardeno book after all!

**

Abe is amazing. He is absolutely the only one who would put up with Jason and fortunately Jason recognizes this. The sex in this book is exceptionally hot – higher on the Richter scale than most – and the emotional interactions are downplayed but still very present and very touching.

I really enjoyed this installment in the family series, I loved seeing Ash again, but I wished we’d seen Emilio and Spence too.

Jason was such a unique character, sort of oblivious yet extremely sharp at the same time. Abe, though always bending, was never a doormat and it just worked out so well for them.

I highly recommend this book, this author and this series and give it a 5 of 5 hearts!

5

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In the Blue Moonlight Tour with Excerpt and Giveaway

SMIn the Blue Moonlight H. Lewis-FosterSimon has a good job and a nice house, and according to his best friend Chris, he’s turning into a boring old fart. So it’s totally out of character when Simon bares his bum to the local constabulary on a night out with his brother’s student mates. He hopes he’s put the incident behind him, when Simon bumps into one of the officers.  Simon fears he’s in trouble, then thinks he’s in luck when PC Mark Timmis buys him a drink – but life in a rural English town is never as simple as it seems.

BestsellerIcon100X100Excerpt:

On a count of three from Tim, the most vocal of the group, six students and one financial expert lowered their trousers to reveal a remarkably varied set of backsides. Glancing sideways, Simon spied a pert pair of buttocks which could have graced a swimwear ad, a scrawny little bum which could barely have held up its owner’s jeans, and an unusually hairy arse adorned with a love-heart tattoo.

Then Simon looked round at the uniformed recipients of their cheeky display. Their jaw-dropping looks of surprise were priceless, and Simon genuinely hoped a passer-by had snapped them on a mobile phone. Simon soon realized, however, that it was he and his mooning chums who were far more likely to end up on YouTube.
Only one of the policemen wasn’t gaping like a truncheon had been shoved somewhere unexpected. A smile crept onto the face of the tall, blond and undeniably handsome officer. Simon instinctively smiled back, until he noticed the copper’s colleagues had recovered their professional poise and were readying themselves for action. Tim gave his orders once more.
“Leg it!”
Pages: 22 pages

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Author Bio:

H. Lewis-Foster lives in the North of England, and has always worked with books in one form or another. As a keen reader of gay fiction, she decided to try writing herself, and is now the proud author of several short stories and her debut novel ‘Burning Ashes’. She was also delighted to see her first play performed earlier in 2014.
H. likes to create characters who are talented, funny and quite often gorgeous, but who all have their faults and vulnerable sides, and she hopes that you’ll enjoy reading their stories as much as she loves writing them.
Author Contact: https://twitter.com/HLewisFoster
Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing
Cover Artist: Lily Velden in collaboration with Design Bug

Buy: http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Moonlight-H-Lewis-Foster-ebook/dp/B00OJ31NQ4

http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/product/in-the-blue-moonlight-by-h-lewis-foster/

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-inthebluemoonlight-1658980-145.html

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Protector of the Alpha:Shifting Needs Book 1 by Parker Williams

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Author Bio:

Parker Williams believes that true love exists, but it always comes with a price. No happily ever after can ever be had without work, sweat, and tears that comes with melding lives together.
Living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Parker held his job for nearly 28 years before he decided to retire and try new things. He enjoys his new life as a stay-at-home author and also working on Pride-Promotions, an LGBT author promotion service.
Author Contact:
Connect with Parker on:
Twitter: @ParkerWAuthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parker.williams.75641
Or you can visit his website: ParkerWilliamsAuthor.com
Publisher: Self-published
Cover Artist: Laura Harner

Blurb:

Adopted at an early age by a wealthy family, Jake Davis’s life appears easy. Even in college, he is blessed with good grades and an apparently clear path to a pro football career. Good thing his best friend keeps hanging around to keep his head from getting too swollen.
Zakiya Incekara has always been…odd. Being fluent in six languages and having a flair for international cooking should open the world to him, but those skills leave him isolated.
When Jake sees Zak for the first time, with water beading down his slender form, something inside him shifts, and it hungers for Zak. To have him. To claim him. And Jake knows that whatever it is, it won’t be denied.

Excerpt:

Jake’s hand was rough, his skin dry. Zak loved how his fingers gripped tightly, but not so much that it hurt. Jake said nothing as they walked along the streets of the campus. There were few people around, but Zak did not care if everyone was watching them. He was confused as to his attraction to Jake, but it was something he could not deny.
The soft jazz music poured from the door of the pub when Jake pulled it open. Jake’s hand on his lower back urged him inside. Zak sniffed appreciatively at the scent of Cajun spices, no doubt from the blackened catfish special. His stomach protested, and he heard Jake snicker, but he could not seem to raise the ire he should. Jake escorted him to a booth and allowed Zak to sit back against the brushed leather.
“Two dinner specials coming up,” Jake said brightly.
Zak gazed at Jake’s hulking form as it moved away, marveling at the sinewy grace as he dodged patrons and servers. It was odd. He had never met anyone like Jake. He doubted there was anyone like Jake. He felt comfortable in his presence. Jake’s size did not intimidate him. In fact, that made him all the sexier. But his eyes were what made Zak melt into a puddle of goo. The way they twinkled in the dimmest of light. When Jake so much as glanced at him, Zak felt he was the sole thing Jake saw.
Jake turned from the bar, and Zak watched as the bright smile turn into a sneer. He dropped the tray, the catfish crashing to the floor, before he stalked to where Zak sat. Jake grabbed a man, probably about forty, by his throat and pushed him against the wall.
“You don’t so much as breathe near him,” Jake snarled.
The man looked cool as he smiled and croaked out. “You are everything I had heard you would be, and more, my lord.”

Pages: 237 pages

Buy from Amazon     ARe     Smashwords

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The Nothingness of Ben Audiobook by Brad Boney Narrated by Charlie David

Dreamspinner Presents:

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4245

nothingness

Blurb

Ben Walsh is well on his way to becoming one of Manhattan’s top litigators, with a gorgeous boyfriend and friends on the A-list. His life is perfect until he gets a phone call that brings it all crashing down: a car accident takes his parents, and now he must return to Austin to raise three teenage brothers he barely knows.

During the funeral, Ben meets Travis Atwood, the redneck neighbor with a huge heart. Their relationship initially runs hot and cold, from contentious to flirtatious, but when the weight of responsibility starts wearing on Ben, he turns to Travis, and the pressure shapes their friendship into something that feels a lot like love. Ben thinks he’s found a way to have his old life, his new life, and Travis too, but love isn’t always easy. Will he learn to recognize that sometimes the worst thing imaginable can lead him to the place he was meant to be?

My Review

Ben lives in New York at the start of the story, he’s friends with the influential and looking to rise quickly in the world of lawyers. His parents die suddenly and leave him his younger brothers to raise – back in Texas. He’s sure the thing to do is move everyone back to NYC , there isn’t anything keeping him in Texas and many reasons to leave the dust behind. Until…

Travis has been friends with the Walshes for a while now and is especially close to their sons. He plays an influential role in helping Ben reconnect with his brothers and somehow, along the way, finds himself being attracted to a man (Ben) for the first time in his life.

The attraction is mutual, though the path to love is far from easy. First there are the brothers – they don’t trust Ben and don’t know how he’s going to fit in their lives again. Then there’s the fact that Travis has some pretty hefty hurdles to overcome concerning his own sexuality. Finally, once Ben and Travis are together and the boys have come around, there is the problem of location. Namely, Ben can’t see himself in Texas and no one else can see themselves in NYC – especially not Travis, who really is a good ol’ boy at heart.

After some much needed time apart, the advice from friends and some unexpected visits from beyond the grave, Travis and Ben re-prioritize and we get our HEA.

**
I have to admit, I didn’t like this book nearly as much when I first read it as I do now that I have read the subsequent sequels. Without giving away too much, just let me say that Travis and Ben have much more to their relationship than we see here and the payoff is really, really worth it.

This is essentially a GFY story for Travis and a sort of coming of age story for Ben in that he has a lot of growing up to do, despite his years. The book is heavy on dialog and the romance, the sex is subtle, slow building, but very sweet. Again, with a re-read after knowing more about the characters from the next books, the subtleties are really showcased as quiet clues to a much bigger, more amazing story that you will want to re-read this book just to catch them.

I highly recommend this book and the subsequent books that follow.

I give it 4.5 of 5 hearts

Audio:

Charlie David is one of my favorite m/m narrators. He does a really fantastic job with the southern drawls and is very easy to listen to. The sound quality is excellent and I think that I enjoyed listening to the audiobook even more than reading it, due to the quality of the narration.

I give it 4.5 of 5 hearts.

Overall, 4.5 of 5 hearts.

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The Eskimo Slugger by Brad Boney

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Dreamspinner Presents:

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5459

Blurb

It’s the summer of 1983, and Trent Days is Major League Baseball’s rookie sensation. Born in Alaska to an Inupiat mother, the press have dubbed him the Eskimo Slugger, but a midseason collision at home plate temporarily halts his meteoric rise to the top.

Sent back to Austin to recuperate, Trent visits his favorite record store, Inner Sanctum, where he meets amiable law student Brendan Baxter. A skip in the vinyl of New Order’s “Blue Monday” drives Trent back to Brendan, and their romance takes them into uncharted territory.

As Trent’s feelings move from casual to serious, he’s faced with an impossible dilemma. Does he abandon any hope of a future with Brendan and return to the shadows and secrets of professional sports? Or does he embrace the possibility of real love and leave baseball behind him forever? As he struggles with his decision, Trent embarks on a journey of self-discovery—to figure out who he really is and what matters most.

My review

Trent is a baseball player from Alaska, thus the name Eskimo Slugger. He’s at the top of his game when he gets injured and ends up spending two weeks in Austin, TX. There he meets Brendan, a law student/record store clerk. They start as friends but once Brendan tentatively asks Trent “Is this a date?” the two acknowledge the deeper aspect of their blossoming relationship. The two immediately set sparks off one another, though neither has ever had a gay relationship before.

With some pretty funny forays into gay sex, the two explore each other and a relatively unexplored aspect to their personalities. For Brendan, being gay is something he’s pondered but been afraid of, but with the right incentive he embraces the idea and eventually decides to incorporate into his life fully and without secrecy.

For Trent, being gay means possibly (probably) the end of his career, certainly the end of his life as it stands currently, and though he’s always known he was gay, he has never let himself entertain the idea that he could actually live as a gay man.

Brendan enlists the help of Stanton and Hutch (from The Return) as “gay mentors” and together, with Bill Walsh (from The Nothingness of Ben) the group bonds, smoke a lot of weed and begin to form relationships that even death won’t end.

Ultimately, Trent has to make the biggest decision of his life: Choose baseball or choose Brendan. Perhaps the two can be together, but probably it’s one or the other.

**

By now you should have read the first two books (The Nothingness of Ben and The Return). If you haven’t – go! What are you waiting for? Technically this could be a standalone, I guess, but it won’t make a heck of a lot of sense and will leave you very unsatisfied.

If you have read the other books you know that the end of this book is really the beginning of TNOB. That, Brad Boney, is an amazing feat! Mr. Boney has managed to create this beautiful circular set of books that literally bleeds one into the other so that (as a reader) you want to just keep going round and round the merry-go-round.

I found myself referencing both of the earlier books time and again with the “treasures” that were revealed throughout this book. Without completely giving away all the secrets just know that the MCs of all three books are inter-related in various ways and little bits of their stories, past and present are slipped in throughout the story.

In The Return it was all about music – fast paced facts and quips, with Slugger it’s baseball. For me, the music was more interesting, but if you are a baseball fan this will really hit home. (See what I did there?)

I didn’t like the love story as much in Slugger as in The Return or TNOB, probably because it happens so quickly. I just never felt the emotion – especially from Brendan. Trent was invested, you get that feeling so strongly. Brendan was too standoffish for me and it made me a little sad. But… since I know what I know about how things end… he’s forgiven ☺.

I really, really enjoyed these books and was sad to see it end. I can’t say for sure, but I think that if I were to recommend a reading order I would say start with The Return, then Slugger then finish with TNOB. There may be something “missing” with that order, but I think, ultimately, it will be so much more satisfying. Or… do as the author may have intended and read it : TNOB, Return, Slugger, TNOB… and so on and so on…

Just a fantastic book all around, 5 of 5 hearts and for the series 6 of 5!

5