TCO Reviewer: Jennifer

Sometimes you have to start over to get love right.

Luke Ryan’s life is too chaotic for romance, what with running his business and being the legal guardian to his ten-year-old niece, but he’s hopeful he’ll find the right man.

Trauma surgeon Finn Thomason recently relocated from Chicago to Boston, where his focus on medicine leaves him little space for a personal life. Making a commitment to find a better work-life balance, Finn hopes he’ll also find a relationship.

Caught in an evening rainstorm, Luke shelters under a sidewalk awning…and encounters a handsome stranger. The two strike up a conversation and Finn offers to walk Luke under his oversized umbrella. Charmed, Luke accepts and asks Finn out for coffee in thanks.

Luke and Finn quickly grow close, but, as the summer draws to an end, Luke struggles to keep his connection with Finn while Finn tries to come to terms with caring for a man whose attention is pulled in many directions. Both men are scrambling to get it right, but only time will tell if they’ll learn there is more than enough room in their hearts to go around.

Reader Advisory: This book contains references to child abandonment.

Book Title: Third Time’s The Charm (Boston Seasons, Book 1)

Author: K. Evan Coles

Publisher: Pride Publishing/Totally Entwined Group

Genre/s: Contemporary M/M Romance, Erotic Romance

Trope/s: Hurt/Comfort, KidFic, True Love, Meet Cute

Themes: Family/Parenting. Friendship, Child Abandonment

Heat Rating:  4 flames

Length: 68,000 words

Release Date: May 28, 2019

This is book number one in a series. It can also stand as its own story.

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When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer?

I started writing when I was in middle school and did on and off over the years, purely for own enjoyment. Around ten years ago, I started writing steadily and putting words out there through writing contests and fanfic. I started co-writing with Brigham Vaughn and we decided we’d team up on a novel-length work and get it published for real. By the time the publishing happened, one novel had become two and I was fully immersed in the world we’d built.

How many books have you written?

As of this post, I’ve written six novels and published five, and published one novella and three short stories.

How long does it usually take you to write a book?

A novel is usually six to twelve months in the making, depending on its length and whether I’m writing alone or collaborating. Shorter works take less time, typically a month or so.

How did you come up with the idea for your book?

I enjoy imagining how characters meet because there’s a lot of romance in the way the stars align to enable such connections. I decided to write a story where the two mains literally bump into each other on a city sidewalk and went from there.

Who are your favorite authors?

Outside of the MM genre, my favorites include Margaret Atwood and William Gibson. Within the MM genre, my favorites include RJ Scott, Annabeth Albert, and Marie Sexton, but I read a lot and I’m always adding to that list.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Finding time is my biggest challenge—I work a demanding day job and that leaves writing time for evenings and weekends.

Where is your favorite place to write?

Anywhere I can set up shop undisturbed is my favorite place—I bring a tablet with me almost everywhere and I’ve been known to throw down words in the car or at a café over lunch. That said, I get a lot done at my kitchen table.

When you develop characters do you already know who they are before you begin writing or do you let them develop as you go? 

Usually, I have a pretty good idea of who the characters are by the time I start writing. There’s a long time where they’re still very fluid, however, and that means they can change as I go. This is especially true when I make a deep connection with a character.

Do you aim for a set number of words/pages per day?

I don’t set word counts by day but instead by chapter. Typically, I try for 3-4K words per chapter (but usually fail and go over).

What is the hardest thing about writing?

Writing can be lonely because so much of it is happening inside your own head. As an extrovert, I like to direct my energies outward and that’s hard to do when the characters are literally in your brain.

What is the easiest thing about writing?

World building is something that comes very naturally to me. Once I’ve got an idea, my brain starts running on its own, even when I’m not writing.

Do you use images to develop your character’s looks?

Yes. I find face casts helpful for giving me a general method of describing facial features but often the characters are amalgams of multiple people.

Are your characters based on people you know?

Some characters have things in common with people I know or even myself—their sense of humor, or family/relationship drama—but none of them are strictly based on a real-life person.

Do you use your experiences in your books?

I have used some real-life experiences in my books, yes. As a person of mixed race, I sometimes draw on my background when writing characters who are persons of color.

Do you ever get writer’s block?

Not typically, no. But if I feel “stuck” on a story, I try to switch to a different project and that often straightens out the tangles in my head. Reading is also a restorative exercise for me.

What do you think makes a good story?

I want to really care about the characters and their happiness. I like for them to connect and, at some point, for that connection to be threatened. A little uncertainty about whether the relationship work or not makes the eventual outcome of the story satisfying.

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Generally, I find writing energizing—it gets my creative juices flowing and my brain hums along. The exceptions are when scenes wring me out emotionally and leave me physically tired, too.

What has been one of your most rewarding experiences as an author?

Connecting with people—readers, writers, bloggers—through a shared passion for words and more has been a truly wonderful experience.

What do your friends and family think about you being a writer?

My family are supportive as are the friends who’ve watched me write over the years.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

Outside of the day job, I like to read, honestly. I’m also fond of baking and photography, and I like to do needlework. And go outside! Fresh air is my friend.

Do you like music or silence when your write?

I can do either but if I’m listening to music it needs to be mostly lyric-less … otherwise, I start singing and no one wants that.

Do you outline or do you just write?

I get a rough timeline down with a general story arc before I start. This can be a full spreadsheet with notes for every chapter or just a quick paragraph. Then, I adjust as I go because the story changes as I go along.

Do you prefer pen and paper or computer?

I’m a computer/tablet person. Typing is faster for me and my handwriting is a nightmare.

Do you write as routine or do you write when you feel like it?

I try to stick to a routine when I can, both the keep on track and because the amount of time I have to write time is influenced by my day job. I take advantage of hours when I can!

What do you love best about your current book?

I’m a not-so-secret total sap and I really enjoyed indulging that side of myself and turning on the romance in “Third Time’s the Charm.” Also, there are a lot of dark things happening in the world right now—writing “Third Time’s the Charm” made me feel light and I hope some of that comes across in the story to readers, too.

What is your next project?

Currently, I’m working on two collab projects with Brigham Vaughn – we’re releasing Book #3 of The Speakeasy series this summer and writing Book #4 right now. My current solo works include Boston Season’s #2, the follow-up to “Third Time’s the Charm,” and a novella-length work I’m hoping to release in the fall.

This is my first read by this author, but any time I see a hot dad, or in this case, a hot uncle, I can’t help but get suckered in.

In this one, we have Luke, who is taking care of his niece, Ella while her daddy (Luke’s brother) is deployed, or stationed in a different state. Its been a few years and the routine is working for them, even if it does put a damper on Luke’s social life. I mean, not many single men want a ready-made family. Dating is hard when you’re a single parent… I remember!
And Luke’s life revolves around her, she’s his first priority….. as she should be.

Finn is a trauma surgeon and doesn’t have a whole lot of time for much. What with crazy work hours and really pushy friends to boss him around. I do have to mention that I didn’t like any of the friends in this entire story… Maybe, Mick, or Mack, I don’t even remember his name, but he’s one of the friends’ husbands…. He seemed alright, but everyone else was so bossy and pushy and seemed jealous or possessive. I just didn’t like any of them.

When Luke and Finn catch each other’s eyes at Starbucks, a phone call interrupts either man from saying hi. Luckily, they run into each other a few days later and that starts the “courting.”…. This goes on for a really long time. I felt like there was so much dialogue and explaining things, I found myself skimming a good half of the book. I’m sorry, I know that’s rude….but nothing important happened as far as I could tell. I didn’t feel like I missed anything and it was sooooo much of the same thing.

I liked how they took their time getting to know one another before introducing Finn to Ella. Finn wasn’t sure he was ready for such a big step and Luke wanted to be sure that Finn was going to be around before he started introducing him to family.

Ella, I was confused about. She seemed older for her age, and the cussing was kind of something that put me off. I mean, she’s 10, but swears in front of adults?? Not in my neck of the woods, her behind woulda been eating a bar of soap. And hey, I’m no prude… I live with 4 guys… I’ve heard it all, seen it all and have likely seen it all and said it all, myself…. But let one of my kids be that disrespectful and swear in front of anyone….. Wouldn’t happen more than once, I’ll say that.

Eventually, though, we get to the good stuff and these two fall for each other. There is somewhat of a misunderstanding… poor communication and again, the friends, or one in particular, gets in the way… but other than that, once the two talk about what they want with each other, the last third of the book is cute and doesn’t drag on so much.

It had a cute ending, so I can’t be too disappointed, but it’s not one I’d revisit or probably even recommend.

3 Pieces of Eye Candy 

K. Evan Coles is a mother and tech pirate by day and a writer by night. She is a dreamer who, with a little hard work and a lot of good coffee, coaxes words out of her head and onto paper.

K. lives in the northeast United States, where she complains bitterly about the winters, but truly loves the region and its diverse, tenacious and deceptively compassionate people. You’ll usually find K. nerding out over books, movies and television with friends and family. She’s especially proud to be raising her son as part of a new generation of unabashed geeks.

K.’s books explore LGBTQ+ romance in contemporary settings.

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