“Bros stick together no matter what.”
When Chris and Liam made that promise, they had no idea how important it would become or how it would be tested in the most brutal way. Nine years later, their bond cemented in blood, that relationship is all they have to hold on to.
“No matter what happens, this friendship will be the one constant we can count on.”
When Billy and Owen made that promise, they knew exactly how dangerous the world could be. They survived prison by protecting each other and they survived freedom by holding that promise sacred. Now they want more than just to survive and they want it from the brothers whose bond is as strong as their own.
“We are stronger together than we’ll ever be apart.”
When Owen reaches his breaking point, Chris jumps at the chance to make things right for all of them. With the future in their grasp, will they realize their strength is in their numbers and finally become the family they crave?
Author Name: Jessie G.
Book Name: Safety In Numbers
Series: Sizzling Miami
Book: Five
Author’s Note: This is NOT a foursome, but the story of two couples that needed to be told together.
Pages or Words: 76,000 words
Categories: Gay fiction, M/M Romance, Romance
Release Date: October 31, 2015
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/jessiegbooks
Publisher: Jessie G. Books
Cover Artist: Andrew Reyna
That silence hid a lot from their friends, but Liam knew Chris was plagued with memories far worse than his. That’s why they decided not to celebrate alone this year. Billy and Owen were expected any minute and it was the first time they invited anyone to join them. The anniversary was bittersweet for them and they chose to celebrate it because becoming brothers meant that much to them. “Do you think they’ll find it stupid?”
Chris just shrugged as if it was no skin off his back what they thought and Liam knew that was just bravado. Fact was, they both very much cared what the two men thought. “Liar.”
His brother sighed and dropped his head back. As if shit wasn’t fucked up enough, they fell for two bastards just as fucked up as they were. “I know you’re worried about Owen. The business with Colin is growing out of their control and I’m not sure why he thinks it’s a good thing. Is he trying to prove something? And the middle of the night phone calls from the FTR? He’s looking more and more fragile every day.”
Liam knew he wasn’t stating anything new. What he didn’t know was what Chris intended to do about it. Lately, when it came to Owen, Chris conveyed zero intent and seemed to be waiting for Owen to read him as effortlessly as Liam did. Their brother bond had been forged through blood and he was afraid Chris’s expectations of Owen were unreasonable. “Do you see his face every time he thinks he’s failed to understand you? The weight of it is crushing.”
Instead of regret, all Liam saw was anger in Chris. It wasn’t a common emotion for Chris and Liam could name every time he saw it. The fact that Chris knew what he was capable of if provoked had made him extremely conscious of that emotion and he often went to great lengths to contain it.
Owen was the very definition of insecure. Just the type to inspire Chris’s protective instincts, which Liam knew for a fact Owen did. Hell, he inspired Liam’s protective instincts. Owen was stubborn though and he often distanced himself, keeping things bottled up until they manifested elsewhere. Like in panic attacks that felt like heart attacks, which he also tried to hide. Liam nearly lost it when they found out that Billy was keeping Owen’s secret.
Chris nodded slowly, as if he completely followed Liam’s train of thought and waited for him to connect the dots. And just like that, Liam understood. “You’re pissed because he doesn’t come to you when the panic sets in. That he hides it from you and they hide it from us.”
It made total sense, but he had to wonder if they were expecting too much. After all, they couldn’t call what was going on with either man a relationship. No, they were four fucked up bastards trying to come together in some romanticwhat? Not a foursome, eww…he loved Chris, but yeah, that just wasn’t happening. And Owen wasn’t his type any more than Billy was Chris’s type. But—always with the fucking buts, right?—what was happening was very definitely happening to the four of them, and Liam now had to wonder if that was the problem, because trying to come together was definitely not the same as being together.
Chris shook his head and shifted in his seat. No, he was right. It wasn’t just their brother bond that made it impossible to move forward as two separate couples. Billy and Owen had formed their own unique friendship in prison and were no more likely to move forward without the other one either. “Just once, coul
dn’t we have done something the easy way?”
The fire door banged open and Liam turned to see Billy and Owen, arms full of brightly wrapped packages, struggling to pull a huge cluster of balloons through the door. It was a shocking contrast to their dark thoughts and so uncharacteristically sweet of both men. Billy caught their surprised stare and yelled, “Is this where the party’s at?”
“It is now.” It might seem silly, but it was exactly what they needed and exactly who they needed it from. Maybe they hadn’t been expecting too much at all. Liam rose to give them a hand and glanced down to see the look of longing in Chris’s eyes and thought maybe it was time they all expected more.
Interview with Jessie G
Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Jessie G author of Safety in Numbers, book five in the Sizzling Miami series. Hi Jessie, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.
- What is the most satisfying thing about being a writer?
Seeing the voices in my head become fleshed out “people” with pasts, hopes, dreams, things they regret and redemption for their own perceived faults. And then watching the readers fall in love with my men and their stories. Nothing makes me happier than knowing my readers are rooting for their favorite characters, or even get mad at me because they are so invested and I don’t get where they want me to go when they want me to go there. I am lucky that they stick with me in those cases, but they know I’ll always give them a happily ever after.
- Do your characters ever take over your writing and make the story go somewhere you hadn’t originally planned?
Since I don’t do a lot of planning, the answer is definitely. I know who my characters are and a general idea of what I think the book is about, but when I put my fingers on the keyboard, it’s a crazy ride that has as many surprises for me as it does for you.
- How did you celebrate the release of your book?
This book is being released on Halloween and I’m going to a Halloween party dressed as a writer J Easiest costume ever!
- How did you come up with the idea for this book?
Oh man, there are four different stories in this book. There is familial abuse, bullying, the dangerous allure of gangs, and redemption, of course. There is no one specific event or news story that I could pinpoint for those arcs, they are issues faced every day in real life that I have shined a light on and exaggerated as fits the story.Many of the books we read in this genre deal with real life issues that have been tweaked to fit the romance theme. We all use our voices differently and there are many worthy causes that need to be talked about—even if you’re talking about it because you read it in a romance novel.
- Have you ever written naked?
Nope, no one needs to imagine that lol
Thank you so much for hosting Safety in Numbers today. Good luck to all who enter the rafflecopter and if anyone has any questions, I’ll be stopping by to answer. – Jessie
This one was definitely a departure from what Jessie G has written up until now. This book was all about the feels for me. There wasn’t a lot of “action”, as she normally has provided the reader in the past. That was all right with this reader. It didn’t need to be full of gunfire or explosions. This book, quite simply was about four men, two couples who’s lives were so interconnected that seeing one without the other was rare.
These men all had pasts that brought them to this one place in time in their lives, where they could finally connect with someone other than their counterpart. We had only gathered bits and pieces of these men. Knowing that Chris had kept silent for so many years, while protecting his brother Liam from the beatings he took from his step father. Meanwhile, Billy was the protector for Owen when they were in jail. They all leaned on each other, and this was their chance to learn to lean on someone else, and find the trust and love they had to give.
One of the most poignant scenes I’ve ever read was Chris standing guard over Ian in For a Reason, protecting him against the emotional threat to Red from his brother. That much steadfast devotion could only come through a true friend. That is how Chris viewed everyone who stood by him, he would stand by them until the very end, brothers to the finish.
These men all loved differently, yet found that they could all love each other despite those differences. Billy, Liam’s Billy Bear, was such a sweet soul when it came to his love for Liam, making sure that he could truly be the right one for Liam before jumping over that line.
One of the best relationships to me though, was the love of Chris and Liam. Never lovers, only brothers by marriage, and of the heart. My favorite line was “You should hate me and I honestly don’t know why you chose to love me instead, but I’m gonna hold you to it.” (Just typing that brings tears to my eyes again.) Their love for each other, through the hardest of times, was stronger than any hatred by any one man.
This series should definitely be read in order, and although to me, it may not have been the strongest book in the series, it still more than holds its own, showing a depth of love and devotion between all four men, as well as their friends on the periphery. The one challenge I had while reading this was trying to keep everyone “straight”, for lack of a better word. Knowing who was who, and who was falling in love with who was a mind challenge, and I commend Jessie G for being able to keep them all in line. I throughly enjoyed learning the dynamics of these two relationships, and how they could make it work on a day to day basis, feeling their way through how to be two couples in love, instead of two couples of steadfast friends and brothers. In the end, they were able to make it work on all levels, keeping their brotherly love, as well as falling in love with their other half. A very well done book in this series.
4 pieces of eye candy from me.
I was so excited to get my hands on this book. These guys have been so intriguing to me from the very first moment. Each of these men have gone through so many struggles and difficulties in their lives. With Safety in Numbers we finally learn what happened in the past to make the ‘freaky foursome’ the men they are today.
We get to meet some new characters with this one and there is a new addition to Bull’s garage as well. We also get to revisit a few of our favorite guys. This story is packed with different emotions so be ready. You have lots of tears and laughter ahead especially with the precious little Ava and Luc.
I loved this story!! This is another wonderful read from Jessie and I can’t wait for her next installment.
5 pieces of eye candy from me
Like many readers, the dream of being a writer has been with me a long time. After three decades of trying, I’d begun to doubt. Thanks to social media, I followed my favorite authors hoping to glean some words of wisdom as I pounded out half-formed ideas with alarming regularity. Two repetitive themes emerged: to be a great writer you must read a lot and your butt must be in the chair every day like it’s a job. The more you write, the easier it will be to write and the better you will be at writing. I took that advice to heart and write every day. With six published books to date, three series in the works and a full schedule of releases planned for the next two years, it’s been amazing to have made this dream my reality.
I am a firm believer in marriage equality, love at first sight, power dynamics and happily ever after. I’m a lover of strong secondary characters and series filled with families, biological or chosen. All are themes you’ll find throughout my books.
Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessiegbook
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/JessieGBooks
Facebook Author Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/jessiegbooks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JessieGBooks
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jessiegbooks/
TSU: http://www.tsu.co/jessiegbooks
Ello: https://ello.co/jessiegbooks
G+: https://plus.google.com/+Jessiegbooksmm/posts
Tumblr (NSFW): http://jessiegbooks.tumblr.com/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bhuja1
Tour Dates & Stops:
9-Nov: KathyMac Reviews, Nephy Hart, Foxylutely Book Reviews
10-Nov: Unquietly Me, Prism Book Alliance, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves
11-Nov: Bayou Book Junkie, Books A to Z
12-Nov: The Novel Approach
13-Nov: V’s Reads
16-Nov: 3 Chicks After Dark, Cheekypee Reads and Reviews
17-Nov: Parker Williams, Jill P Rand, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy
18-Nov: Joyfully Jay
19-Nov: Multitasking Mommas, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
20-Nov: Carly’s Book Reviews
23-Nov: Loving Without Limits, Molly Lolly
24-Nov: Love Bytes, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My
25-Nov: Amanda C. Stone, BFD Book Blog
26-Nov: MM Good Book Reviews, Andrew Q. Gordon
27-Nov: Gay Media Reviews, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents
30-Nov: Cheekypee Reads and Reviews, Inked Rainbow Reads
1-Dec: Cathy Brockman Romances, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings
2-Dec: Velvet Panic, MM Good Book Reviews
3-Dec: Sassygirl Books, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
4-Dec: My Fiction Nook
Thank you so much for hosting my boys today and for that wonderful review. I love when readers hop on the emotional roller coaster with me and this was definitely that, but I promise more action to come (just not from these guys, maybe…well…) Good luck to all who enter the rafflecopter!!
This sounds like a great read, thank you for sharing!