Luke Schumaker designs computer games, working from his home. Every day he walks his dog in the woods nearby, never suspecting that someone who is completely smitten is watching.
The watcher is Alex Shaw, and he too works from home, designing logic and crossword puzzles. Alex’s options are limited: he’s too shy to approach Luke and his wheelchair won’t let him follow into the woods. His solution? Secret messages for Luke in the crosswords he writes for the local paper.
When Luke decodes them, romance begins, but then they face greater puzzles, like Alex’s interfering sister and what commitment to a man in a wheelchair really takes. And, most puzzling of all, how do you know if love is real?
Cover Design: Reese Dante
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A mixed, but still positive review from me.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, I just felt it was rushed and could have been fleshed out a bit more. I loved that the beginning had Alex wooing Luke with crossword puzzle clues. And while Luke was having fun with it, he also wanted to know RIGHT NOW who it was. That whole part could have been longer to really bring the romance early.
Both characters are lovable nerds. Luke, who is a video game designer and works from home and Alex, a crossword puzzle designer who may work from home part time? That was a bit unclear. But neither guy is a jerk, neither guy has the proverbial walls up, neither guy says hey let’s keep it casual. They are both grown ass men ready to find that special someone.
There are challenges of course. The biggest is that Alex is in a wheelchair and Luke likes to hike. In the grand scheme of things- this is a work around. Alex never gets upset if he can’t do something- but he encourages Luke to do it without him.
Of course there was a bit of conflict, mostly because Alex’s sister is overprotective and tried to scare Luke off. And there actually could have been a lot more angst and drama- family stuff, work stuff, etc etc. But it was mostly a light hearted romance between two men who really weren’t afraid of commitment. Shocker!
3 Pieces of Eye Candy
Having been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, a game designer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a fan fiction writer, and organic farmer, Eli has been a m/m romance author since 2013. She has over 30 books published.
Eli has loved romance since her teens and she particular admires writers who can combine literary merit, genuine humor, melting hotness, and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, bulldogs, cows, a cat, and lots of groundhogs.
In romance, Eli is best known for her Christmas stories because she’s a total Christmas sap. These include “Blame it on the Mistletoe”, “Unwrapping Hank” and “Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles”. Her “Howl at the Moon” series of paranormal romances featuring the town of Mad Creek and its dog shifters has been popular with readers. And her series of Amish-themed romances, Men of Lancaster County, has won genre awards.
Her website is www.elieaston.com
You can email her at eli@elieaston.com
