Arkady Izmaylov is a family man. He’s also gay. In Russia. His sister Natalya has been telling him to get out for years, but it’s only after an attack in the street that he finally concedes and says yes to her desperate plan of him marrying a stranger for a green card.
Jason Cooley was taught from birth that he’s no good to anyone. Then the military taught him he was good enough to save other lives, but that purpose got amputated along with his leg. He’s now working security at Wolf’s Landing and sending monthly checks to his ex for their daughter’s education. When Natalya asks him to marry her brother, Jason knows right away he’ll do it more for the mission than the money she’s offering. But when he actually meets Arkady, his mission turns complicated.
Jason quickly discovers he’s not as straight as he thought. He’s also the man of Arkady’s dreams. Arkady must convince Jason that he’s worth loving, and that Arkady won’t disappear from his life like everyone else. Because Arkady has always wanted a family of his own, and he’s not letting go of this one.
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Riptide Publishing
I won’t lie, I am going to miss the Bluewater Bay series by Riptide (last book is out next week!). There have been some really great books in this series. This was a good one in the series, for sure. I like that it was one of the last two, going out in style! 🙂
Green card marriage is a trope which if you grew up reading Harlequin romances, you likely came across a time or two. And this one is based around that trope. However, I did like how this one came about. With as much as you hear in the news about how gay men are treated in countries such as Russia, this makes more sense than not.
There was an instant connection on both sides for these men. Arkady knowing he was attracted. Meanwhile, Jason, never having considered himself to be bisexual, gave himself a ton of excuses, yet didn’t have any problem with it once he realized that he was attracted.
I loved that Arkady was free with his love. He loved his family and friends that he moved from, and wanted to have a new family and friends in his new life, throwing himself fully into loving and caring for the people around him as much as possible. Even down to wanting to do renovations for Jason. The reader could feel that it wasn’t just boredom, but a need to do something for someone who meant something to him.
Jason’s lack of belief in himself, didn’t start with his amputated leg, but as a child, and carried through his adult life. His belief that he couldn’t trust anyone to stay, or to appreciate him, not just himself made it difficult for Arkady to get through. So, he did it in small ways. Whether beers on the couch, or shooting at nuts on a log, he worked his way into Jason’s subconscious minute by minute.
I loved that their moment of realization came while sitting in a government office, it seemed so poetic. Another good entry into this fantastic series.
4 pieces of eye candy
About Bluewater Bay
Welcome to Bluewater Bay! This quiet little logging town on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula has been stagnating for decades, on the verge of ghost town status. Until a television crew moves in to film Wolf’s Landing, a soon-to-be cult hit based on the wildly successful shifter novels penned by local author Hunter Easton.
Wolf’s Landing’s success spawns everything from merchandise to movie talks, and Bluewater Bay explodes into a mecca for fans and tourists alike. The locals still aren’t quite sure what to make of all this—the town is rejuvenated, but at what cost? And the Hollywood-based production crew is out of their element in this small, mossy seaside locale. Needless to say, sparks fly.
This collaborative story world is brought to you by eleven award-winning, best-selling LGBTQ romance authors: L.A. Witt, L.B. Gregg, Z.A. Maxfield, Heidi Belleau, Rachel Haimowitz, Anne Tenino, Amy Lane, SE Jakes, G.B. Gordon, Jaime Samms and Ally Blue. Each contemporary novel stands alone, but all are built around the town and the people of Bluewater Bay and the Wolf’s Landing media empire.
Check it out at Riptide Publishing!
G.B.Gordon worked as a packer, landscaper, waiter, and coach before going back to school to major in linguistics and, at 35, switch to less backbreaking monetary pursuits like translating, editing, and writing.
Having lived in various parts of the world, Gordon is now happily ensconced in suburban Ontario with the best of all husbands.
Connect with Gordon:
- Website and blog: gordon.kontext.ca
- Twitter: @gb_gordon
- Goodreads: goodreads.com/gbgordon
To celebrate the release of Operation Green Card, one lucky winner will receive a $10 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 16, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!
