Tadhg: After a nasty breakup with my manipulative ex, I returned home to Seattle to lick my wounds. I’m done with relationships. From now on I’m focusing on my career.
There are just a few issues with that.
1. It’s not that easy for a Deaf man to succeed in a Hearing world, even with the right degree and experience.
2. Quinn MacDougall. He’s my co-worker. He’s also incredibly talented, driven, and distractingly handsome.
3. He’s hearing. And that’s the biggest problem of all. How can someone who isn’t Deaf ever truly understand and accept me?
Embrace Me is a 95,000-word contemporary MM romance about language barriers, loving but demanding families, crappy bosses, and sexy guys in speedos. It contains no cheating, and a guaranteed Happily Ever After.
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I glance back at Tadhg to find him watching me curiously. I drain my beer and jump up. ‘Need another. You want one?’
He finishes his bottle and stands. ‘I’ll come with you.’
Oh. Okay. That’s. Fine? Sure. It’s fine. We’re just two people who work together, getting a beer. Together. As co-workers. I spin on my heels and hurry into the kitchen, with Tadhg trailing behind me. I toss my empty bottle into the recycle bin and pull two fresh beers out of the fridge. When I spin around, Tadhg is so close I have to lean back so I don’t bump into him. “Oh!” His beautiful blue eyes look into mine and it sucks all the air out of the room. I stand there like an idiot holding a beer in each hand, panting as if I’ve just run a mile flat out.
He gently pulls one bottle from my hand and carefully opens it, his eyes never leaving mine. I hadn’t even noticed he’d picked up an opener. He hands the opened beer back and takes the second one, repeating the process just as easily, like he does this solely by touch all the time. It’s kinda hot.
We stand there, so close I can feel warmth rolling off his body, and he smells so damned good I want to press my face into his neck and inhale lungfuls of him. His gaze drops to my mouth and then snaps back up to meet my eyes. And oh god, he’s going to kiss me. He leans forward and I move closer, unable to fight his pull.
This was my first book by Beck Grey, but it won’t be my last. And although this is book 2, it is easily a stand alone.
First, big props to the author for not only deaf representation, but Deaf representation. That isn’t seen as often- at least not in books.
This book does a great job of combining Deaf culture with hearing people. How difficult it can be, how isolating. But Tadhg is lucky in that he meets Quinn in a coffee shop when he steps in to try to help. And then finding out that he works at the same architectural firm Tadgh is starting at that day.
Quinn works on his rusty ASL with his roommate and other friends who speak it. Good thing as they are put together on a project. Another employee, Tom, is also put on the project as the landscape architect. On his own, Tom starts learning ASL (a little too quickly to be true, but still).
The beginning of the book had a lot of descriptions of various ASL signs. To me, that is hard to visualize. Signs that use two hands with various motions, etc. Luckily that mostly stopped as I felt like it was taking me out of the story instead of pulling me in.
I also loved that Tadgh was just fine with being Deaf. He didn’t wish he could hear, wish he could speak, wish his life were easier. It was just part of who he was. Even when he was starting a new job he only had an interpreter the first day and then at the end for a big presentation.
The entirety, pretty much, of this book is Tadgh, Quinn and Tom working on one project. But they were picked by the one owner who generally doesn’t do that kind of work (green, eco friendly, low footprint) and the other owner who’s passion is green design was never heard from. It was odd since their difference was pointed out.
ANYWAY
Quinn’s family is big, loud and very loving. And while they welcome Tadgh with open arms, the communication issue is what finally drove the conflict with he and Tadgh. And that conflict kept them apart “on a break” for a bit. I hate when they get in a fight and then just make up the next day. After some stubbornness on Tadgh’s part, they actually hashed out their issues and problems.
Besides a couple of minor missteps, I really did enjoy this book. I really loved that Tadgh was never the victim, never acted like a victim.
4 pieces of eye candy
Beck Grey is an LGBTQ romance author who lives in the Northeastern United States with their partner and two adorable dogs. Weekdays are passed spending their employer’s money. Evenings and weekends are devoted to writing stories involving hot characters, favorite tropes, and happily ever afters.
Any additional time is spent laughing with friends, drinking red wine, printing and painting minis, and playing D&D. There might even be video games. If there’s cake involved at any point it’s a win!
Connect with Beck:
www.beckgrey.com
Twitter: @BeckGreyWrites
FB Group: Beck’s Blanket Fort https://www.facebook.com/groups/789307111722835/
Pinterest boards for Beck’s books: @Beck_Grey
IG: beckgreyauthor 
