Two men, one with a past and one determined to give them a future.
Mick Flanagan has kept himself hidden since his only lover died three years ago. He works at night, keeps to his routine, has impressive facial hair and avoids contact with other people as much as possible. Enter Ceri Llewellyn, with his constantly changing rainbow-colored hair, who, for reasons Mick doesn’t understand, seems determined to talk to him. Gradually, Mick reveals his traumatic past as he begins to trust Ceri enough to shake himself out of his entrenched routines.
Ceri Llewellyn has no idea why Mick intrigues him, but he determines to bring this shy man out of his protective shell, especially when he discovers they share a mutual love of all things Doctor Who. Ceri faces his own turning point, a moment when he must decide on his future. The more time he spends with Mick, the more he realises he wants Mick to be a part of this new life. Can Ceri show Mick he’s his perfect companion, give him the new beginning he needs and, above all else, help him find his true self?
Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of homophobia and the misgendering of a child.
Publisher’s Note: This book was previously released elsewhere. It has been expanded, revised and reedited for release with Pride Publishing.
General Release Date: 23rd June 2020
Genre:
CONTEMPORARY
EROTIC ROMANCE
GAY
GLBTQI
Amazon
Pride Publishing
I’ll start this review by saying that there were areas of this book that surprised me…honestly shocked the h*ll out of me. Which isn’t easy to do. However, clearly I didn’t read the warnings well, I just dove in, but I am glad I did. I’m not sure I would have wanted to be too aware of it from the beginning.
Mick was such a sweetheart, and had his heart not only broken, but shattered twice. Who could blame him for hiding away from the world as much as possible? It was awesome that his first (and only) lover took care of him after his death, but during his life, he was a “wee” bit controlling, so Mick had no idea how to live his life. None of that was especially surprising considering how controlling his mother had been.
Meanwhile, Ceri was patient, and sweet, and willing to just slowly begin to show Mick what living his own life would be like. Their Doctor Who obsession was a door to that path. FYI, there were a lot of Doctor Who references, that someone who has not watched the show at all would not get, but it managed to not be a distraction to the story. For those that know Doctor Who, it would be an enhancement, I’d imagine. However, I was still able to understand most of the references in some fashion.
What I loved most, though, was that Mick really began to know and understand his true self as he fell in love with Ceri. He discovered things about himself he would have never suspected before. Reading as Mick began to know more about his past, and his personality was as much a joy to read as the romance between the two men.
There were a few things that I felt needed to be fleshed out more at the end, whether in the epilogue, or the end of the book that I felt were missed. Maybe something for a future edition, a follow up story, or maybe never to be worried about. 🙂
3.5 pieces of eye candy
