- Carlisle Cops book 6
- Carlisle police officer Dwayne knows what Robin is doing the moment he lays eyes on the young man at Bronco’s club. But he doesn’t know that they both come from families who’ve cast them out for being gay, or that they’re still lugging around the pain of those rejections. Robin leaves the club, and soon after Dwayne decides to as well—and is close by when things between Robin and his client turn violent.
When Dwayne finds out Robin is the victim of a scam, which lost him his apartment, he can’t leave Robin to fend for himself on the streets. Despite Dwayne’s offer of help and even opening up his home, it’s hard for Robin to trust anything good. The friendship between them grows, and just as the two men start warming up to each other, Robin’s sister passes away, naming Robin to care for her son. Worse yet, their pasts creep back in to tear down the family and sense of belonging both of them long for. - Buy links: Dreamspinner | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Tams gives this one 5 Stars...
There's more trouble for the Officers in Carlisle PA, and it starts at Broncos.
Young Robin faces the very real threat of living on the streets, so he makes a bad decision in an effort to keep his run down apartment. Things go from bad to worse when Robin winds up on the wrong side of a scam but thankfully, he has a guardian angel. Dwanye feels very protective of Robin from their first... awkward meeting in an alley way. When Robin needs a place to stay, Dwayne quickly offers up his home. It shouldn't be a hard decision for Robin, after all, Dwayne is a cop. But Robin's life has been one bad situation after another. Not even his own mother could be trusted, so why should he put his faith in Dwayne?
This book ebbs and flows flawlessly. The plot is steady and all the pieces come together like a puzzle at just the right time, and I was on the edge of me seat a couple of times. There is little angst, and what is there is generally surrounding Robin, which is to be expected given his age. What this poor young man has been through has made him strong, made him a survivor, to spite the fact he views himself as a failure. It takes Dwaynes unconditional trust and unwavering support for Robin to finally see himself as worthy of love, worthy of a family, worthy of anything actually.
Dwayne too has some issues with his self worth and he and Robin have much in common when it comes to mothers that should have been neutered. Dwayne craves love and trust just as much as Robin does, he just conveys it in different ways. He keeps his heart under lock and key while Robin wears his on his sleeve. It read to me as neither man would be happy or complete until they found each other. I really enjoyed the way Dwayne romanced Robin, proved to him that he was just as worthy of love as any other person, showed Robin that he could trust Dwayne with his heart.
This story is a continuation of the Carlisle Cops series by Andrew Grey and I'd recommend reading the series in order so you can fully understand and appreciate all the characters. That is one of my favorite things about this Author and his series, they start at point A and run to point B, but there are so many things happening in between and it fits together. If you miss a book, you'll miss a piece.
Excerpt...- “Yeah? What will they want, ’cause everyone wants something and no one does shit for nothing.” The skepticism rolled off him as he turned away.
- Dwayne tightened his hands on the wheel. “First, clean up your mouth, and second, my friends are cops who’ve seen enough bad stuff that they try to help those they can. They aren’t going to want anything from you other than you not acting like a dick. Are you starting to see a theme here?” He tightened his hands on the wheel.“Fine. I’ll pretend you’re my mother and put on my best manners, waiting for when you, like everyone else, decide I’m not worth anything.” Robin turned away, looking out the window as lights passed by.Dwayne didn’t have an argument for him. He couldn’t change Robin’s past, and though he’d do his best to try to help him, Dwayne wasn’t sure what he could do. “Take things one day at a time.” That was what the counselor had told him after all hell had broken loose at home. It had been really helpful when the shit kept getting deeper and deeper by the day, with no end in sight.“Just try a little gratitude and less snark. It isn’t going to hurt you, is it?”“No.” The answer was short but without the accompanying commentary, so maybe that was an improvement.The tires hummed as he continued down the freeway. It took a good twenty minutes to get out to the Carlisle area, then off at his exit and through the traffic lights to the main intersection of town. Dwayne made the partial trip around the block to his parking space. It was late and he was tired, but he needed to get Robin settled.“Let’s get your things,” he said, popping open the trunk. He grabbed a box and left the other one for Robin. “You can leave the bedroll. You won’t need it, and it’ll be fine in the trunk for now.” He closed the lid and led Robin around the block to the front of the building. He unlocked the door and climbed the stairs, listening to the heavy trudges of Robin’s feet. For God’s sake, he wasn’t leading him to the gallows.“Where do you want my stuff?” He indicated the box he held.“Set it by the side of the sofa. I’ll get you some blankets. The bathroom is right in there, and I’ll see if I can find some things for you to use if you need them.”“I got stuff,” Robin said, putting his box on top of the one Dwayne had already set down.Dwayne went to his room and found his extra sheets and a blanket and a pillow, then took them to the living room and set them on one end of the tartan plaid sofa. “I’ll get you a bottle of water and then I need to go to bed.”Robin looked so confused as he stood and stared at the sofa and then back at Dwayne, as though he really couldn’t believe that Dwayne didn’t want something from him.Dwayne got the water and handed it to him. “Just get some rest, and we’ll talk in the morning.”Robin nodded but seemed lost.Dwayne made up the sofa and finally left the room, went to his bedroom, and closed the door. He undressed and pulled on clean boxers and a T-shirt. Then he used the bathroom and returned to the bedroom to get into bed. He listened to the sofa springs squeak a little in his otherwise quiet apartment. Dwayne tried to imagine what Robin was doing, and then footsteps sounded outside. The door to the bathroom closed, and Dwayne shut his eyes. He was nervous as hell. Dwayne had actually brought a near stranger home to his apartment and was letting the guy sleep on his sofa. Good Lord, had he completely lost his mind?“Good night, Dwayne,” Robin said once the bathroom door opened again. Then soft footfalls headed to the living room, the light switched off, and the sofa springs squeaked again.Dwayne sighed and tried to go to sleep. The problem was, every time his mind started drifting off, he saw images of blue eyes and blond hair, and Robin swinging his backside as he danced. He knew the dancing part was all his imagination, but the danged thing kept him up well into the night.
- Andrew Grey is the author of nearly 100 works of Contemporary Gay Romantic fiction. After 27 years in corporate America, he has now settled down in Central Pennsylvania with his husband Dominic and his laptop. An interesting ménage. Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and now writes full time. Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing) He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Thanks for the excerpt!
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