. .
Tyler: All I ever wanted was to be a good doctor and serve the community I had grown up in. And I wanted a loving husband to share my dream of a house with a picket fence, two children and a dog. Was that so much to ask of life? Why was it so difficult to find that man?
Rickie: All I ever wanted was the freedom to sail the oceans, taste salt on my lips and feel sea spray on my face. So when Tyler Matthews offers me the chance of a week’s sailing at Nantucket, I agree to go with him. The only snag – we have to convince his snooty friends that we are boyfriends. How difficult can that be? Tyler is a good friend, I know him. Surely we can pull this off.
The only danger I did not foresee was that all my dreams could be derailed if my heart became entangled with the cute doctor Tyler Matthews who is rooted to the soil like a giant sequoia.
Can love find a way to bridge the ocean-sized chasm between two men who do not appear to be destined for each other?
Read the latest book in the Love at Lake Clyde series. A delicious fake boyfriend romance with many unexpected twists and turns.
Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions
Rickie
We boarded the plane and luxuriated in the space and comfort of first class. Free champagne even before take-off. Man, I could get used to this. We settled in. That is, I put in my earbuds and chose music on my phone while Tyler sterilized the area around his seat with a sanitary wipe. Then he took out the emergency safety card from the seat pocket and studied it. I think it was the first time in my life I’d seen someone actually read one of those cards. He leaned toward me and pointed at the exit signs three rows in front of us. It was on the tip of my tongue to say, Yes Tyler, I can read. I’m pretty good with four-letter words. But I didn’t say anything. He was so earnest and so damn cute and innocent. I guess that’s what happened if you grew up without two older brothers who mocked you mercilessly if ever you did something remotely dumb.
Just before take-off, I was about to put my jacket in the overhead bin when the stewardess – a gorgeous brunette with a ready smile – reached for it and said, “You wouldn’t want that to get creased, sir. Let me hang it up for you.” Her colleague, a handsome dark-haired guy with a neatly clipped beard, was busy serving champagne. He turned and said to me, “I love your shirt. I’ll come by later so you can tell me where I can get one of those.”
I was wearing one of the T-shirts that Mandy, our local tattoo artist, had designed for the Master of the Wild challenge. It featured two stallions on their hind legs with their necks entwined. I’d never been able to figure out whether they were fighting or embracing each other. Mandy was coy about it, saying everyone was free to interpret the intricate, tattoo-like design as they pleased. The slogan under the stallions read, Go Wild in Clydesdale.
Tyler was bemused and whispered, “How do you do it? You must have special pheromones that intoxicate everyone who comes near you.”
“Is it working on you?” I quipped.
He punched me on the shoulder and rolled his eyes again, “You’re obnoxious when you’re grouchy and you’re even more insufferable when you’re in a good mood.”
I was beginning to enjoy his eyerolls almost as much as his smiles.
First time author for me. And probably the last.I didn’t read the previous books, but you don’t need to. It works as a stand alone.
After reading for a bit I had to go and look up the author. Who says they live in Northern California. But so much of the language used was British. And formal. And not even close to how Californians would talk. And I don’t mean surfer slang at all. I mean, a lot more casual. You aren’t going to hear “Fancy something to eat?” from a local.
Honestly, the characters were just either unlikable or wet rags. Rickie has a chip on his shoulder because he is on probation for a crime he didn’t commit. (BTW, no way was someone getting probation for that), his brother and boss was nasty to him, Tyler is a limp noodle who everyone walks all over and his friends are awful.
The plot mostly worked, but still. A bit much and a bit coincidental. I know it’s fiction. I still want it to be a little believable. There was just no connection between characters for me. The realest connection was between Tyler and his dad.
This is one of those cases where it could have been so much better with a good beta read or 4. A good editor, etc.
2.5 pieces of eye candy
Aiden Ainslie lives in the Diablo foothills, east of San Francisco. He grew up in various small towns and loves to draw on that small-town feel for his romances: the sense of community but also the petty grievances, intrigue and rivalries. “An author has to draw on personal experience to create authentic stories.”
According to Aiden, setting and mood are critical parts of a romantic story, hence he is always taking pictures of romantic settings to be used in future novels. Check them out on his website www.aidenainslie.com
When Aiden is not writing or listening to audiobooks, he likes to cycle and hike. During those solitary pursuits, he dreams up the characters and plots for his MM Romance novels. He also enjoys zipping around town on his motor scooter, drinking coffee at the local coffee shops, and watching people to get inspiration for his writing.
Connect with Aiden:
https://aidenainslie.com/
https://www.facebook.com/aiden.ainslie
a Rafflecopter giveaway
