After five years of living in the UK, it’s time for Leo to return home to his dad’s stud farm in outback Australia. He has no idea what to expect when he arrives. He didn’t exactly leave with balloons and banners.
Nope. His farewell involved destruction and his own heart split in two.
He knows seeing the man who’s always held his heart, Zak, is going to be awkward. The older farm manager made his feelings pretty damn clear when Leo hightailed it out of there.
Leo quickly figures out life is going to get complicated and a whole heap more exciting as his trip home becomes so much more.
Amalgamated is a fun and steamy M/M short story in Becca Seymour’s Coming Home series. Stand-alone romances complete with heat, wit, and happily ever afters.
Escape with Leo and Zak in outback Australia as they discover it sometimes takes time, distance, and interfering family to amalgamate.
Book Title: Amalgamated
Author: Becca Seymour
Publisher: Rainbow Tree Publishing
Cover Artist: Soxsational Cover Art
Release Date: September 28, 2019
Genre/s: Small-Town M/M Romance
Trope/s: Friends to lovers, May to December,
Themes: Forgiveness
Heat Rating: 3 flames
Length: 18 000 words/70 pages approx.
It is a standalone story.
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Realigned (Coming Home #1) – FREE READ
“Promise you won’t be mad.”
Groaning, I shook my head. Any request starting that way was going to result in me being pissed off. “What did you do?”
This time her glance my way had me tensing. Concern flickered in her eyes. When she focused on the road ahead, she blew out her cheeks, her lips pursed. “We’re heading to mine.”
“Okay?” I dragged out the word. I’d figured that out since we weren’t heading towards Dad and Michelle’s.
“Dad kinda got excited about you coming home.”
My stomach dipped. I just knew where she was heading with this. Slamming my eyes shut, I waited for her next words.
They came out in a rush. “Sohekindainvitedaheapofpeopleover. But…” She gasped for breath. “…it’s not technically a party, as there aren’t banners or balloons.”
My eyes sprang open, and I stared at her wide-eyed.
She glanced at me, a mix of horror and amusement on her face. “You owe me big for talking him out of that.”
“Yet you couldn’t have talked him into a small family meal?”
She shrugged. “I did try, but, Leo.” She paused, emotion swirling in her eyes, and I swallowed. This was just one of the reasons I’d stayed away. Guilt still clawed at me whenever I gave it life. “Dad was so excited you were coming home. You know he still doesn’t understand why you left. If it had just been heading to the city, that would have been a struggle, but you travelled to the other side of the world.”
My gut clenched. I still felt shit for leaving my dad, but I had my own life to live, and taking over my dad’s stud farm wasn’t what I wanted. Plus there was the major screw-up with how I destroyed any semblance of a friendship with Zak.
“There’s more.”
I flashed Jen a resigned look.
“Dad obviously invited Zak.”
My heart seized, and my gut churned. This could not be happening. While I’d anticipated seeing him, I wasn’t prepared for it to be the first night I got home. In hindsight, this was ridiculously naïve of me, considering his place was only a hundred metres or so away from the main house on the property.
“I know, I know, but best to get the whole awkwardness out of the way, right?” She reached out and gave my hand a small squeeze. After I’d run out on Zak the night I’d left, it had taken just a handful of calls from Jen for her to recognize something was wrong and for me to spill my guts. We remained close, even with the distance of the past five years, and without her in my corner, life certainly would have been trickier.
“Yeah, I suppose.” There was something to be said for ripping the Band-Aid off, but my gut clenched in anticipation.
Unrequited love is the absolute worst. I can remember being fourteen and the new boy came to school and being the first person to see him, because I’d gotten sent out into the hallway for disrupting class. I was a talker that talked back when I called on it. It was sixth grade, what do you want from me?
Anyway… everyone had a crush on him, but he became my twin brothers best friend, which sparked the crush to end all crushes, I still act like a fan girl when he comes around and I’m pushin 35…. I’m not proud of it, but come on!
Anyway, much like Leo, I acted out my jealousy and if running away had been an option, I would’ve probably done that too. So, I can relate. When Leo told the man he’d grown up with that he had feelings for him, being rebuffed had him acting out in a big way before leaving home for the next five years and licking his wounds. Now, going back for a two week holiday, he plans to apologize for how he left things and hopefully make amends.
Zak has other plans though, not letting Leo take all the blame, sure he kind of overreacted just before he left by throwing a major hissy fit, but, Zak understood. He knew how Leo felt and for how long he’d felt it. But, being near on a decade older than Leo, I can understand his hesitation, not to mention how close Zak is to the family. It wasn’t something he could’ve just jumped into with a then 17-year-old Leo.
Fortunately, enough time has passed and Leo is home, so Zak goes about setting things right too. Because even though it wasn’t the right time way back when, Zak cared a lot about Leo and his feelings have only grown since he’s been away.
Ah, if only every unrequited story could end like that…not so unrequited after all.
I enjoyed reading about these two and it was sweet seeing them work everything out, especially because Leo’s family, namely his dad wanted him back home so bad. If you like second chancers, cute accents and quiet cowboys, you’ll adore this one.
4 Pieces of Eye Candy
Cute, quick read set in the Australian Outback.
I am not the biggest fan of shorts, but sometimes you want a quick read. This will fit the bill.
Leo goes home for the first time in five years and has to face his first crush, Zak. When his unrequited love is not returned, he destroys Zak’s most prized possession. So he also is returning home with his proverbial tail between his legs.
And even though the book was short, they still took the time to explain and talk and realize what was going on. THEN things got hot an heavy.
So if you have an hour to kill and don’t want to read anything heavy, this is for you.
Becca Seymour lives and breathes all things book related. Usually with at least three books being read and two WiPs being written at the same time, life is merrily hectic. She tends to do nothing by halves so happily seeks the craziness and busyness life offers.
Living on her small property in Queensland with her human family as well as her animal family of cows, chooks, and dogs, Becca appreciates the beauty of the world around her and is a believer that love truly is love.
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