Release Blitz + Giveaway: Second Chances in Cedarwood by Megan Slayer

Author Megan Slayer and Pride Publishing host today's release blitz for Second Chances in Cedarwood! Find out more about the return to the popular town and enter in the giveaway to win a A LOVELY GIFT PACKAGE AND YOUR FREE MEGAN SLAYER ROMANCE BOOK!

Second Chances in Cedarwood
Megan Slayer

General Release Date: 16th February 2021

Word Count: 35,930
Book Length: SHORT NOVEL
Pages: 147
Genres: CONTEMPORARY, EROTIC ROMANCE, GAY, GLBTQI

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Book Description

Who knew love could be found at a small-town hot dog shop?

Jack Walters opened his hole-in-the-wall restaurant to serve hot dogs—being a chef is all he’s ever wanted out of life. Love hasn’t worked out for him, so the last thing he expects is to find romance at his shop. But Jack’s been hurt before and he’s leery of the sexy man who keeps visiting his restaurant.

Henry Lord has been all around the world. He’s visited gourmet foodie places and tiny restaurants, but he loves the ambience at Jack’s Hot Dog Shop. He’s also in lust with the sexy owner. Henry’s shy, but he’s determined to get Jack’s attention. There are people who want to use Jack and change him.

Not Henry. It’ll take a herculean effort to prove to Jack that he’s the one for Henry. Good thing Henry believes in love, second chances and finding his home…in Cedarwood.

Reader advisory: This book contains mentions of homophobia, and emotionally abusive exes.

Excerpt

“Who needs a hot dog?” Jack Walters stood behind the grill at his one-room hot dog shop and surveyed the landscape. Fifteen people had packed into the space—ten waiting on orders and five spread among the three tables. People waited outside. He could almost hear the chatter of the customers over the sizzle of the grill.

Jack lived for the blur of action. He loved his shop and serving food to the people of Cedarwood. Truth be told, he liked being needed in the community and he enjoyed the din of conversation. He’d heard so much gossip over his twenty years at the shop. Couples splitting, people cheating on lovers and spouses, people cheating in business, discussing business, politics…he’d heard it all.

Unlike some of the restaurants in Cedarwood, he kept his business rather plain. Sure, there were metal signs from other hot dog shops and old advertising signs on the wall, but he wasn’t going for upscale ambience. He wanted a quick in-and-out type of establishment. Cash only and most customers took their food to go. He’d considered opening at a bigger location, but why mess with what worked?

He spotted Henry at one of the tables. Most people didn’t bother to stop and sit. They wanted quick and convenient. Henry seemed to linger every day, coming in after one in the afternoon, then staying until closing at three.

Jack filled orders, but his mind wandered to Henry. He didn’t know much about the guy beyond that he was a writer. He’d read a few of Henry’s articles in the local paper and seen his work in magazines displayed in the bookstore.

He’d learned the most about Henry—most of which he doubted was true—through the gossip grapevine in Cedarwood. Everyone talked about everyone. Henry lived alone, wrote stories and articles, traveled and didn’t say much. Henry liked order and could be cranky when things didn’t go his way.

Most people got irritated when things didn’t work out. He knew—he’d seen it at the shop. Hot dogs without the right toppings, with the right ones but cold or too hot, or swearing they’d been overcharged. He shook his head. Every hot dog cost exactly three dollars. Condiments were free, but cheese, jalapenos and chili cost an additional fifty cents each. The sodas were two bucks and fries cost a dollar. Easy.

Jack served up another handful of hot dogs, then read through the new orders. He added a new batch to the grill and glanced over at Henry. He wondered how old he was, since no one seemed to discuss that point. He couldn’t be much older than Jack’s forty-five years. Sure, he had some gray hairs on his temples and scattered through his short sandy tresses, but lots of people went gray far before middle age. Hell, he’d started showing grays at twenty-eight. He swore the loss of color came from the stress of the shop.

Maybe it did. Maybe he needed to loosen up. He’d been told he’d relieve stress if he visited a BDSM club, but he wasn’t sure he wanted someone spanking him.

He served up the hot dogs and only a few people were left in the shop. There tended to be a lull at two in the afternoon. People couldn’t seem to remember if his shop was open until two or three, even though he’d kept the same hours since he’d opened the shop twenty years before. The lull always happened at the same time, but the action ticked back up at two-thirty. “I’ve got to rush to get an order in before you close,” they’d say. He didn’t care.

Anna, his lone employee, closed the cash register and joined him at the grill. “That’s the last one for now—Henry’s paid.” She elbowed him. “He’s only asked for one refill.”

“He ordered,” Jack murmured. “All I ask is they buy food if they’re going to linger and he eats here every day. Leave him alone.”

She picked up an onion and one of the larger knives. She chopped the vegetable into small bits. “Just makes me wonder why he hangs out here so much. Think he’s bored?”

“No.” He’d kept an eye on Henry. Every day, Henry brought his notebook with him and jotted in the pages while he ate. Jack scraped the grill down, then lowered the heat. “I’m going to stretch.” He left the spatula in the holder, then rounded the grill. He strode right up to Henry. “Can I refresh your soda for you?”

“Oh.” Henry blushed. “Sure.” He closed the notebook. “Sorry. Got lost in my writing. Am I bothering you?”

“Nope.” He ducked behind the counter long enough to refill the cola, then brought the glass back to Henry. “I’m taking a break. Mind if I sit with you a moment?”

“No. Please, do.” Henry moved his notebook out of the way and gestured to the other chair.

Now that he was right across from Henry, he could really look at him. The grays in his hair worked for him and gave him the look of seriousness without seeming severe. His blue eyes sparkled when he smiled, and Jack swore he had a dimple on the left side. Henry folded his hands on his notebook. Jack liked hands and preferred men with clean ones. Blunt working ones were fine, but he preferred pianist ones. Henry didn’t disappoint. Jack wondered what he’d look like holding a fountain pen. Probably sexy. He suppressed a snort. He barely knew Henry, but he’d already fantasized about him. At least the man was handsome—close-up and far away, too.

“You’re staring at me.” Henry’s blush increased. “Am I wearing mustard on my mouth?”

“No.” Jack averted his gaze. This time, his ears burned. “I’m sorry. I spend so much time behind the counter, and I don’t get much of a chance to talk to the customers. You’re always in here, so I wanted to chat, but I got lost in the comfort of sitting.” Jesus. How ridiculous? The comfort of sitting? He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Henry held out his hand. “I’m Henry Lord. I write travel articles for magazines and I’m a libra. I’m forty-seven and single. I like long walks at sunset and the quaintness of this shop.”

He laughed at Henry’s means to break the tension. “Thank you.” He nodded. “I’m Jack Walters. I own the Hot Dog Shop and I’m not sure which astrological sign I am. Never bothered to look. I’m forty-five and single, too. I spend too much time at the shop and not enough at home.”

“Nice to meet you.” Henry smiled. “Looks like we’re both a bit flawed.”

Jack shrugged. “There’s something to be said for flawed.”

“There is.”

The bell dinged and a group of customers entered the shop. Jack sighed. “Duty calls. Maybe next time we’ll get to chat for more than a few moments.” He winked, then left his seat and resumed his position behind the grill. Of all the times he had to work, it had to be this one, when he wanted to get to know more about Henry. A travel writer. Interesting. He’d barely ventured out of Ohio. Henry had probably traveled all over the globe. His partner had to be either very forgiving or the travel had led to their breakup.

A thought occurred to him. Henry hadn’t said he was gay, but he’d mentioned he was single. Christ, he had to get his overactive imagination under control. For all he knew, Henry wasn’t gay—just single. All the handsome ones in Cedarwood tended to be straight. Most of the gay men had paired up.

Jack focused on making food and tried to ignore the need to look over at Henry. He’d felt a spark when they’d locked gazes, but Henry seemed shy—not attracted. Jack shook his head. Knowing him, he’d overestimated the spark. Again.

He wanted to be in love. Wanted to be needed. There had to be someone out there for him. Someone who understood he had a business and was required to be there if he wanted to make money. Someone who could love him, despite his tendency to close himself off. He needed a partner. An equal.

Talk about a lot to superimpose on someone. Henry might not be interested in being all those things. Might not want to be any of them.

Jack focused on grilling hot dogs for the two-thirty rush and did his best to ignore Henry.

Why focus on what might not even be possible? Because sometimes the impossible did happen.

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About the Author

Megan Slayer

Megan Slayer, aka Wendi Zwaduk, is a multi-published, award-winning author of more than one-hundred short stories and novels. She’s been writing since 2008 and published since 2009. Her stories range from the contemporary and paranormal to LGBTQ and BDSM themes. No matter what the length, her works are always hot, but with a lot of heart. She enjoys giving her characters a second chance at love, no matter what the form. She’s been the runner up in the Kink Category at Love Romances Café as well as nominated at the LRC for best author, best contemporary, best ménage and best anthology. Her books have made it to the bestseller lists on Amazon.com.

When she’s not writing, Megan spends time with her husband and son as well as three dogs and three cats. She enjoys art, music and racing, but football is her sport of choice.

Find out more about Megan on her website and sign up for the newsletter here. You can also check out her Blog, Amazon Author Page, Bookbub and Instagram.

Giveaway

Enter to win a fabulous gift package and get a FREE eBook from the author!

Megan Slayer's Second Chances in Cedarwood Giveaway

MEGAN SLAYER IS GIVING AWAY THIS FABULOUS PRIZE TO ONE LUCKY WINNER. ENTER HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A LOVELY GIFT PACKAGE AND YOUR FREE MEGAN SLAYER ROMANCE BOOK! Notice: This competition ends on 2nd March 2021 at 5pm GMT. Competition hosted by Totally Entwined Group.

Review: The Devil's Cum in His Eye (A Cox Club Story #1) by James Cox

Cop by day, erotic writer by night, stripper on the weekends and Tomkin Coburn just found a dead body in his bedroom. But which occupation lead to murder?

Coburn has his teenage son in tow and a detective that seems to be interested in his butt as well as his innocence. He’ll do anything to protect his kid and the intense feelings he has for Detective Luke Early. The evidence quickly mounts up against Coburn, murder weapon, body fluids and oh yeah, no one in the world seems to know who the dead guy is.

Together, Coburn and Luke find themselves in the path of a killer but can they unravel the mystery before it’s too late?

It’s been entirely too long since I’ve read a story by James Cox and I’ve missed his words terribly. The Devil’s Cum in His Eye was a great story to get me back into bed with the Cox and I had a great time. His stories never fail to entertain and they’re a great weekend read, a treat you deserve at the end of a week full of reality’s BS.

The Devil’s Cum in His Eye is the story of two cops who are thrown together in a slightly less than meet-cute manner. Coburn has woken up next to a dead very casual acquaintance-with-benefits and Luke is the detective who shows up on the scene. It’s Luke’s case and the two of them shouldn’t spend time together, but there is no fun in that and the two of them are ridiculously attracted to one another sooo, they break all the rules while working to prove Coburn’s innocence in the slaying of the BJ buddy.

Coburn also has a teenage son who is his whole life. Their backstory gives the necessary depth to their relationship and I liked the family aspect the author put in this story. It fit for all the MC’s and I would love to read more about them and actually would have loved for this story to be twice as long. They would be my only niggle. The story had a lot to work with and while nothing is left out and all the questions were answered, I would have just loved more of all of it. The interactions between all the characters, not just the MC’s, were great. I loved Jake’s partner, and would have liked to meet Tom’s girlfriend, not to mention just more of the MC’s together in general. There were great dynamics here and I want more.

One of the things I really appreciate in Cox stories is the relative lack of angst between the two MC’s once the attraction gets acknowledged. Not that they may not have outside influences that affect the “getting together” timeframe, but they are always honest about their feelings and ask for what they want. It’s really refreshing and one of the reasons I’m such a fan. Sure, the MC’s are generally horny as hell, I’ve got no problem with that, but they have no problem admitting they want more and go for it. I love it. I get more time with the MC’s together and they always seem more fully fleshed out to me.

The mystery is solved, but not without loss and this is an example where I wanted more of all the characters involved. It was heartbreaking and I loved how they were all so supportive of one another. I just wasn’t ready to let it all go.

I’m hoping for more in the series soon. I’m heading to Evernight now to get a copy of Lawless so I can read Mickey’s story (you meet him briefly in this one) and I’m ready to get back to the Cox Club world. Kudos to the author for naming the strip club after himself, I mean, why wouldn’t you? And also for the working so many keys to the investigation into the title. Loved it!

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Review: Falling for Him by C.L. Mustafic

Doctor Gavin Addison’s marriage didn’t end on the friendliest of terms, and his estranged wife’s continual harassment has the local police visiting his home so often they’ve started calling him “the doc.” One of those cops, Officer Lex Turner, has a crush on the handsome doc, even though he knows there’s no chance the doc would ever consider dating a man.

A chance encounter on a crowded dance floor ends with both men in the same bed with the same woman—but with questionable results. When the doc wants to try that again, Lex becomes more involved than he’d dreamed possible as he helps his new friend navigate the kinkier side of sex. Knowing it’s just sex for Gavin, Lex finds it hard to keep his feelings hidden. But when Gavin finally figures out he has feelings for Lex that go beyond what a guy should feel for his buddy, will he let Lex convince him to take a chance with him—even if it turns both their lives upside down?

I know my updates prolly lead people to believe that I hated this book. I didn't. I have two main problems with it and a few quibbles which I will get to in a minute, but for a first book it's really not bad. The plot is straightforward slice of life friends to lovers, one of whom discovers he's bisexual. On paper it sounded like it was meant for me.

Gavin is in the midst of a divorce and his soon to be ex-wife is a crazy ex which is how he meets Officer Lex Turner. I'm not a fan of the crazy ex-girlfriend plot device in general and it went on far too long for my tastes.

Furthermore, it leaks like a sieve. Not to jump too far off the diving board but she's pretty much always been a bitch on wheels and Gavin just fooled himself into believing she's misunderstood or some such nonsense. But this level of unhinged? I didn't buy that she could stalk and harass him for months on end without him taking more drastic measures to protect himself, like hiring a private investigator to get her prosecuted sooner or installing a security system or maybe acquiring a guard dog. She's a menace and her antics escalate to ridiculous levels taking her from villainous to caricaturish quicker than you can say Ice Queen. Her motivations for harassing Gavin in the first place are thin and most of this struck me as added drama for added drama's sake which these two did not need, but I'll come back to that.

Now Gavin... there's a part of me that pities him and part of me that wanted to nut punch him. He's wishy washy, temperamental and milquetoastish, a trifecta I'm not crazy about. His character and the relationship altogether felt very m/f to me with the coquettishness, abundant giggling and the crying.

I'm pretty sympathetic to a wide range of human emotions and I know everyone needs a good cry once in awhile especially when there are hurt feels but MOTHER OF GOD! I know. I know. I sound hella bitchy when I say that but at some point I thought he'd realize it's not a productive use of time. Of course he didn't and reading about Gavin's mantears and hurt feels wore me out.

His relationship with Lex is fraught with hurdles. One too many hurdles if you ask me. Gavin wends up in a threesome with Lex and this is how their relationship begins. So be forewarned m/f sex occurs on page. Being a fan of the ménage I found these scenes possibly the hottest of them all. Through these interludes Gavin realizes he's attracted to Lex. Then the troubles began. Communication issues, misunderstandings, Lex is not out at work, the crazy ex again and again, Gavin's mother turns out to be a bigot which led to more dramatics that didn't add up for me which led to yet another big misunderstanding and so on and so forth. So many external dramatics that were unnecessary. They had enough to deal with within their relationship, so all the external kerfuffles were superfluous and skirted the soap opera line.

I could go into all the specifics of why some of these things seemed fabricated, but I think it can all be summed up by saying this book is trying too hard. I completely understand the desire to be thorough as someone who's quite verbose herself. I also appreciate the lure of dramatics to keep the pace uptempo but sometimes less is more. Many of the conversations became monotonous, didactic and even preachy at times. There are details upon details of every single minute of Gavin and Lex's lives that killed the pace. Making it tighter would've gone a long way towards making it a more successful read for me.

There are sweet and heartfelt moments between them and through the dual POVs it's clear they both care for the other and want to make it work. The author did a good job of fleshing out these characters as well as some of the secondary ones. The sexual chemistry is there, though I found some of the sex scenes somewhat awkward.

I have read, and quite liked, the short story by this author so I think much of this is firstbookitis. I would read something else by her and I would encourage anyone interested to go for it. If you like Gavin I think the read will be more successful for you than it was for me.

A review copy was provided.

Review: Blind Date (Back in the Game, #1) by Kay Doherty

Dekker Callan is content with his life though he knows something is missing. Wanting the kind of love his friends share with their partners, Dekker is talked into taking part in a modeling and dating show as part of a fundraiser. He immediately falls in love with the anonymous, sexy voice on the other side of the wall, but fate has a surprise in store–his mystery man isn’t single.

Slade Gannon wasn’t supposed to take part in the dating show. That spot was for his roommate, Phil, who becomes ill and asks Slade to take his place. Slade has just recently gone through a breakup with his cheating boyfriend, George. Shocked and pleased when he wins the interest of handsome Dekker Callan, before he can go on the obligatory blind date, his ex asks for a second chance. Believing Dekker can’t possibly be as good on the inside as he looks on the outside, Slade agrees.

Dekker and Slade hit it off immediately, drawn to each other despite Slade being involved with someone else. They finally get their opportunity to be together when Slade finds out his boyfriend is still cheating, but just as they seem to discover the happiness they’ve been waiting for, George throws them one last hurdle—and this one may prove to be insurmountable.

I have no shame in admitting, I jumped to read this because there was cheating mentioned in the blurb. Warning: there is on page sex between an MC and another character.

(Good) cheating romances aren't easy to find. Unabashedly doing whatever to get the other person...even if it means to break another's heart? It can make for a strong story. A lot of times when there is cheating in a romance, the author will cop out, try to make it the new person's fault for the other person who is currently in a relationship for stepping out.

Basically, blame game is supposed to be the stand in for passion. The old 'I wasn't myself, you made me do it' excuse.

You can find a version of that in Blind Date. For readers who need the protagonists to not admit to being guilty or owning up to their feelings from the start, Blind Date might be a choice for you.

Dekker Callan falls for a guy's voice during a charity dating auction. He wasn't allowed to see his contestants. He meets his choice, Slade Gannon on their blind date and falls for him after a conversation of shallow small talk. Slade just got back with his boyfriend...even though he feels something too for Dekker. And is upfront about it.Which kind of makes him a jerk but I can understand where he came from after the first date. Days of flirting stretched into weeks to try to move the story along, painting Slade's boyfriend George as a possessive cheater and liar though...pretty suspect for me.

First time author Kay Doherty read like...a first time author's effort to me. There were too many characters (who were also unofficial mind readers), too much superficial, poor development and over the top antics. Plus, instalove.

I tried to like this book. But it was a sinking ship when one of the MC's declared, "I'll start my seduction then. I'm gonna...I'm gonna eat food and make him wish it was him, and then I'll win".

And it kept sinking with contradicting antics from the characters like Dekker who told the reader he was outgoing and acted shy. Or declaring he was going to "go full force" in seducing Slade and by the next paragraph declaring he wasn't going to "force the issue".

The ex-boyfriend got crazier as the story progressed, though his behavior and the characteristics had me question his purpose for the story. Without him, the story has no conflict. And is just a lot of 'I can tell by the way you listened to his voice, he's perfect for you'

Rather than go into all of the quotes that I quibbled with. I'll just leave a few questions.


Simple questions: Do most friends waltz into bathrooms while showering and talk to each other naked? [Take out them being men as a factor] Or make out with each other (while in relationships) to make their sad friend feel better? Or know exactly what you're thinking by looking at you? Why was everyone able to read each other's mind, know exactly what they were thinking and thought exactly the same?

*tilts head*

Something about the way the men interacted with one another read unnatural to me. The thin romance, the extreme HEA...nothing worked for me. If I don't find anything remotely worthy in either MC, I'm not invested into whatever is dished out. One guy is a adult toy store owner, the other is a wine and gallery owner. The fact that their jobs read tacked on and no development was given to either guy, more attention was paid to having cute twins and their hot buff boyfriends parade about... read paper thin. The premise was interesting, the delivery didn't work for me.

I know I'm not the right reader for this writing style. It's in the same vein of Stormy Glenn/Scarlet Hyacinth/Joyee Flynn which has a solid readership. Fans of that band of authors,  might enjoy Kay Doherty's efforts.


The story isn't bad. I'd be curious to see a story from this author, after a lot more books under her belt. But I'm pretty sure, this is a one time deal for me.

If you prefer not be invested in the characters, just want a solid HEA with an over the top/left field plot twist thrown in...check out Blind Date.

Find out more info on Goodreads or below!

Purchase Links:
NineStar Press: http://ninestarpress.com/product/blind-date/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blind-Date-Back-Game-Book-ebook/dp/B01KGR5I5I

Author Bio

Kay lives in Colorado with her husband and their animal children. Family is important to her so there are weekly visits to her parents and frequent text messages with her brothers. She has a severe addiction to coffee and Mexican food. She loves to read and write and can easily become consumed by it for hours, much to the dismay of the husband and dogs. On occasion she can be convinced to venture out into world of the living.

Email: kaydohertyauthor@gmail.com

Twitter: @kdohertyauthor

Pinterest: @KDohertyAuthor

Excerpt

Kay Doherty © 2016

All Rights Reserved

Dekker kept his eyes locked on Alek as he walked onstage to exuberant applause and whistles. He shoved his hands into his pockets and shifted nervously from foot to foot as Alek made him sound like an oversexed Thor. He ducked his head to hide his blush behind the cowboy hat. He really wished Alek would just shut up. There was no way Dekker could live up to the expectations Alek was creating. He glared at Alek as he was escorted to his seat. Alek chuckled softly as he took his seat beside Dekker.

“Keep your head up and the hat back. These people paid to see that gorgeous face of yours. Don’t disappoint,” Alek whispered.

Dekker blew out a nervous breath and did as he was instructed. He wanted to fidget. He wanted to try to close the shirt over his exposed chest. Somehow, he managed to remain still.

Alek lifted the microphone to his lips while watching Dekker from the corner of his eye. “Contestant one, what would you like to ask our bachelor?”

“Well,” said a disembodied voice from the other side of the barrier. “Like everyone else here tonight, I like to have a lot of sex.” Great, contestant one was a player, thought Dekker. “I’m curious what kind of stamina you have? Can you manage multiple orgasms in one night?”

Dekker groaned to himself as he slid sweaty palms over his denim-clad thighs. “Yes, I can,” he answered. Applause erupted in the audience, and he shot Alek a pleading look. This was beyond uncomfortable. Alek smirked as he continued on.

“Contestant two, what’s your question?”

“Yeah, I prefer experienced men, so I’m wondering when you lost your virginity?” came a voice that was higher and younger than contestant one.

Dekker took a deep, fortifying breath. When he had lost his virginity said nothing about his experience level, but whatever. “Fifteen with a girl, eighteen with a boy,” he answered. He dipped his head down to hide the embarrassment, but a gentle nudge to his ribs from Alek had him raising his head again.

“Okay, contestant three, your turn,” Alek prompted.

“I have to admit, I’m eager to see you naked. How many dates would I have to get through before that happened?”

Contestant three’s voice was deep and gravely, like a smoker’s, with a slight southern drawl. Dekker caught Alek’s eyes. He imagined Alek was eager for that answer, as well, since they’d dated for months without it ever progressing to the bedroom. He scrubbed his face with both hands before answering.

“Um, I don’t know. Depends on the connection, I guess,” he answered. He’d had sex on a first date, but also never had sex at all with some men despite dozens of dates. Alek shook his head.

“Man of few words. Contestant four, you’re up,” Alek said.

“What would a first date with you consist of?”

Dekker shifted in his seat. Contestant four’s voice was warm, husky, and slid over him like honey. His entire body took notice. Damn, the man’s voice was sexy. He didn’t realize his thoughts had drifted until Alek addressed him over the mic.

“Dekker, what’s your answer?”

Dekker rushed to cover his sudden distraction and arousal by clearing his throat. He’d never been turned on by just a voice before.

“Sorry. I was thinking,” he said and once again scrubbed his hands down his pants. “There’s this indoor skydiving place that I’ve always wanted to try, so we’d do that first. After that I’d take you to the Tibetan restaurant I like. Then…I guess we’d decide if we still like each other’s company and go from there.”

Review: The Empty Box (The Square Peg #3) by Jane Davitt and Alexa Snow

Dave’s taking life day by day after leaving Travis, his emotionally abusive partner of fifteen years. Working as the cook at the Square Peg is all the social life he has and he’s content with that.

When a swerving car leaves him sprawled on the snowy sidewalk with a broken ankle, being rescued by his new neighbor, young, sinfully pretty Jeremy, seems like the start of something good, even if twenty years separate the two men. But Travis isn’t content to let Dave slip away and Dave’s his own worst enemy, holding Jeremy at arms’ length when Jeremy wants to get as close as possible.

With decisions about his future complicated by his tangled past, can Dave accept the second chance Jeremy offers or will his heart stay empty of love?

I was really looking forward to this one when it came through as a review request to the clubhouse. I love the series and the unique personalities. I think the first it still my favorite, the dynamics that Shane and Ben have is tough to go up against. The strength in this series is in the characters and The Empty Box did not disappoint. Shane and Ben were there as well as Vin and Patrick and I loved reading about them all again. I was worried I would be a little lost since I read The Broken Triangle two years ago but I had no trouble picking up where that one left off which says a lot for the strength of all the characters in the series.

Jeremy is the new addition and he appealed to me immediately. He “rescues” Dave one late night and is attracted to him from the beginning. An older man is definitely his thing and Dave pushes all his buttons. Jeremy is no kid though, he’s 29, successful and independent. His experience with men is sparse, but he’s been with plenty of women. You know the saying, “what he lacks in experience he makes up for in enthusiasm”? That’s Jeremy. He gets tongue tied around Dave and his stream of consciousness conversations are really quite charming.

The first half of the book is Jeremy and Dave getting to know one another and Dave struggling with how to fit Jeremy into his life in a realistic way. He’s not convinced that Jeremy could be interested in him long term because he’s so much younger and he’s beautiful and he’s an eternal optimist and all the ridiculous things a dude with a messed up head thinks. Dave doesn’t get his own appeal so he doesn’t understand Jeremy’s attraction. Dave also has the specter of his long term love with Travis hanging over him and it really had made him into a hot mess. I’ve got to admit, I got frustrated with Dave and his attitude. I mean, I got it, his whole frame of reference with relationships is broken, but not giving Jeremy the benefit of deciding for himself what he did or did not want got old and was just plain disrespectful after a while. It was unfair to put his issues on Jeremy.

Half way through the book I hit a wall of what-the-fuckery. Beware, minor spoilers ahead. The evil ex makes his appearance and threatens Jeremy. Frankly, Jeremy’s reaction surprised me. I understood he was scared, and rightfully so, but until the resolution of their relationship a few chapters later I felt like a new character had taken over Jeremy’s body. His speech and actions didn’t connect at all with his character in the first half of the book and I lost the momentum in the story.

From then on out Travis is a major focus of the book even if his character isn’t present. Jeremy took a bit of a backseat and it just made me sad for him. He deserved better. I really couldn’t blame Dave a whole lot, again, his inner relationship guide is broken, but it was just a big old, fat-ass, hairy bummer for me. Things got way worse for the guys before they got better and they didn’t get better until the very end. By then I was so completely over Travis but he’d been front and center for so long that I had trouble reconciling Jeremy and Dave back together. Dave spent a lot of time pushing Jeremy away and Jeremy spent a lot of time being patient. So very fucking patient. I have to say that it read realistically though. If Dave would have miraculously gotten his head straight I would have called BS.

 My wish would be that Travis got less page time and there was more of Dave and Jeremy as a couple at the end. I think I needed that different balance to put them back together as a couple in my head. I’ll be ready for the next one when it’s rolls around. At least I hope there’s going to be a next one, please tell me there will be! I really like how the authors flow from one story to the next. It’s very smooth with well written reminders of prior stories and characters without a complete rehash that takes up a big chunk of the new story. So, that means I would get more Jeremy and Dave. I need to get back to liking Dave and read about him loving Jeremy. I need to get resolution on the balance of their relationship. Not to mention I love Jeremy’s ramblings and anytime I can read more of Shane and his attitude I’m a happy unicorn.

Read more about The Empty Box over on Goodreads.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**