Where do you go when your home is no longer a safe place?
Alex is about to turn eighteen and is firmly in the closet. He’s been biding his time, waiting to escape to uni, and finally come out away from the oppressive influence of his homophobic father. When he flunks his exams, he’s stuck in the small town of Porthladock—and what’s worse is that he’s working for his dad. The only thing that makes it bearable is Cam.
Cam’s comfortable with his bisexuality, but he doesn’t broadcast it. Young, free, and single, his social life revolves around playing rugby and hanging out with his mates. He’s attracted to Alex, but with the six-year age gap, Cam’s wary of getting involved. Plus, he thinks Alex needs a friend more than he needs a lover, and as their friendship grows, Cam decides he’s not willing to risk ruining it for casual sex.
When Alex’s dad finds out about his sexuality, Alex is suddenly both jobless and homeless. He finds work at Rainbow Place, the local LGBT-friendly café and Cam lets Alex stay in his flat for a while. But Alex would rather be sleeping in Cam’s bed than on his sofa. With them both living under one roof, their feelings for each other grow stronger, and the sexual tension is hard to ignore. Will giving in to it ruin their friendship and complicate things for Alex even more?
Although this book is part of a linked series, it has a satisfying happy ending, and can be enjoyed as a standalone.
Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design
Length: 48,000 words approx.
Amazon – Kindle Unlimited
Amazon – Kindle Unlimited
So, I loved Seb and Jason in book one, though I did want to strangle Jason a time or two. I was glad to see things had worked out so well with them. Not only that, but remembering Alex from their story had me really hoping for his own story.
Alex is young, only seventeen with a very influential father in town; he’s kept his sexuality a secret from everyone apart from the people at Rainbow Place. It’s his sanctuary of sorts, the only place he can really be free to be himself. If you’ve read the first one, you know that Rainbow Place is a place coffee shop for both the LGBT+ community AND their allies. I love the concept, I so badly wish every place had someplace like that. Especially smaller towns where it could be dangerous for people to be themselves. Alex and his friends though, they fit right in thanks to Seb…
And then there’s Cam, a part of the rugby team that helped Seb when the shop was vandalized. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that they were taken with each other…However, just when Alex gets the nerve to acknowledge Cam and Cam makes a move…he discovers who Alex’s father is.
A bit about Alex’s dad…not only is he a terrible father, he’s also a bigoted, hateful and controlling man. He wrote the letter in the paper that no doubt had everything to do with Seb’s café being vandalized, if he wasn’t behind it altogether, I’m still not sure; but the things that come out of his mouth…He’s just an ugly person. My heart broke for Alex having to grow up around that…His mother too, but I felt that maybe she just more uneducated…stupid to what she didn’t understand, and she got there in the end, and I was glad for that for Alex’s sake.
When Alex’s dad finds out his secret, he not only tells him how much he does not approve but he also physically hurts him… Alex knows he can’t go back to living under his dads roof and working under his thumb, luckily, he’s got lots of friends and of course Cam. Cam tries to keep things platonic, he doesn’t want to lose the friendship he’s built with Alex, but the attraction to each other goes deeper than either of them expected. It’s nice seeing Alex stand up for himself and learn to depend on himself. I love Seb for his help and the way Cam and his roommate step up for Alex.
Overall, it was a great addition and I’m curious to see who’s next.
4 pieces of eye candy from me!
August 31 – Mikku-chan, Gay Book Reviews, Two Chicks Obsessed, My Fiction Nook, Lelyana’s Reviews, My Mind’s Landscape, September 3 – Katie’s Book Corner, Cupcakes & Bookshelves, September 5 – Bonkers About Books, September 7 – Queerly Reads, September 10 – Amy’s MM Romance Reviews, The Way She Reads, The Day Before You Came, September 12 – Wicked Faerie’s Tales, Wicked Reads, September 14 – BooksLaidBareBoys, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, The Geekery Book Review, September 17 – Nicole’s Book Musings, September 19 – Xtreme Delusions, Book Lovers 4Ever, September 21 – Drops Of Ink, Valerie Ullmer, Mirrigold, Lillian Francis, Making It Happen, OMG Reads, Bayou Book Junkie
Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England. He comes from a family of writers, but always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed him by. He spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content.
One day, Jay decided to try and write a short story—just to see if he could—and found it rather addictive. He hasn’t stopped writing since.
Jay writes contemporary romance about men who fall in love with other men. He has five books published by Dreamspinner Press, and also self-publishes under the imprint Jaybird Press. Many of his books are now available as audiobooks.
*** Disclosure of Material: I received a copy of this book from the Author/Publisher with the hope that I would voluntarily leave unbiased and unsolicited feedback. I was not asked, encouraged, or required to leave a review – nor was I compensated in any way. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. ***
