Heart Untouched (A Hearts Entwined novel) by Andrew Grey | Cat's Release day Review, Excerpt & #giveaway @Dreamspinners @AndrewGreyBooks @TTCBooksandmore ~ '

A Hearts Entwined Novel

An accident crushed Duncan’s Olympic dreams and landed him in a chair, but he knows it’s time to get his life back on track—and he has a plan in mind. Working with his friend Todd, an Olympic skeleton racer, on a promotional campaign will not only help Duncan regain some direction, but it’ll give Todd the financial boost he desperately needs. The sport Todd loves is draining his resources—so much so that he’s thinking of giving up racing just to make ends meet.

As the two men work together, their friendship blossoms into much more, and suddenly the future is looking brighter than it has in a long time. But just when love, happiness, and success seem within their grasp, the USOC steps in with plans to stop their campaign. That’ll mean an end not just to Duncan’s business, but to Todd’s dreams… and Duncan isn’t about to let that happen to the man who means everything to him.

Buy links: Dreamspinner | Amazon

Cat gives this one 4 Meows with a 3 Purr heat index...

Heart Untouched is book three in the Hearts Entwined series and works well as a stand-alone. There are recurring Characters that link it to the series and I loved seeing all the other guys!

Duncan and Todd are skeleton racers with the dreams of being in the winter Olympics. A terrible accident puts Duncan in a wheelchair with little to no feeling in his legs. Duncan and Todd have been friends for a long time and Todd has come back into Duncan's life. Duncan is trying to start an advertising business and goes to talk to Todd's boss where he meets the other guys. Some are blind or deaf and still working and enjoying life. Todd is working at the garage and loves it but his real dream is the Olympics. He wants Duncan and is determined to help him find his worth and get over his negativity.

I loved both Todd and Duncan. Especially Todd. I adored how he was so persistent and never gave up on Duncan. and how he took care of his mom as well. I like Duncan because I did feel sorry for him but a few times I wanted to shake him and tell him to get over himself and just love Todd.

The storyline is good. I enjoyed it and was eager to see what happened next as we went along. The end was satisfying there were a few questions left in my mind. If you like a slow burn, friends to lovers, Olympic sports, physically challenged men and a sweet romance you will love this.

Excerpt...

DUNCAN MASTERS was bored out of his mind and going stir-crazy.
“Mom,” he called again, then waited, hoping she heard him this time.
Helpless. Everything else paled in comparison to being totally helpless and completely useless to anyone and everyone, including himself.
“Mom!” he yelled at the top of his lungs.
A door closed outside his room and she came in, a slip of toilet paper under her shoe. “What is it, honey?” she asked, ignoring the fact that Duncan had just yelled at her while she was in the bathroom taking a few minutes for herself. Once again, a wave of total helplessness washed over him.
“I need help getting in the chair so I can go.” Somehow the chair had gotten moved away from the bed overnight, and that meant he was stuck where he was until someone came to help him get out of bed before he wet himself.
“I’m sorry. I came in during the night because you were talking in your sleep again and I wanted to make sure you were okay.” She went to the chair, brought it back, and locked it next to the bed. “I must have forgotten to move it back.”
Duncan sat up and worked his legs off the bed, using his arms and the bar overhead to maneuver into the chair. His mother itched to help, he could tell, but he had to learn to do things like this for himself.
With a sigh, he settled into his chair and wheeled himself out of the room and toward the bathroom. His chair barely fit through the door, but he had learned to maneuver it. His mother was already talking about remodeling the house for him, but Duncan knew that was a pipe dream. She didn’t have the funds for that, and Duncan wasn’t going to be making money anytime soon. His dreams had been dashed all to hell, and so had his chances of rising to the top and standing on that podium in front of the world with a gold medal around his neck. But he still had all the debt that came with the pursuit of that dream, and he’d spent a lot of long nights staring at the ceiling—first in the hospital, then at the rehab center, and now in his old bedroom—wondering how he was ever going to be able to make things right.
He managed to make it onto the toilet and was able to relieve himself. What once had been so simple…. Guys could pee anywhere. Not him, not anymore. Now even going to the bathroom was a huge production. His mom kept a bottle for him in his room, but using that only made him feel even more self-conscious and like an invalid.
He got back into the chair, flushed the toilet, and washed his hands before turning in the limited space and exiting the bathroom.
“You’re doing so well,” his mother said when he came out. She pushed him down the hall and into the kitchen, right to the table.
“Mom, I can do it myself.” He knew she was trying to help, but her pushing him when she hadn’t asked if it was all right was her way of taking control and getting him exactly where she wanted him, which only added to his sense of uselessness.
“I know you can.” She brought over his laptop for him, and Duncan shifted it into position. At least through the computer he could pretend he had some semblance of his own life.
He opened his email and answered the ones that were new. He checked a few news sites and then Facebook, where he stared openmouthed. “Did you know about this?” he asked, turning the computer so his mom could see it. “Todd created a GoFundMe campaign for me.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Basically he’s asking people to donate money to help me with medical bills and other expenses.” Duncan wasn’t sure if he was insulted or not.
“Is that what has been donated?” his mother asked, leaning over his shoulder, pointing to the screen. The campaign said it had a goal of ten thousand dollars, and now the goal read fifty thousand, with almost forty thousand pledged in just a week. Duncan was floored.
Olympic skeleton racer Duncan Masters was injured just three months ago while on a training run. We are all hopeful that Duncan will eventually be able to walk again, but with hospital stays and months of rehabilitation ahead, he needs everyone’s help. Duncan gave everything he had to the sport so he could represent our country in the Olympics. We miss our friend out on the runs just as much as we’re sure he misses us. Please donate to someone who has already given so much to fulfill the dream of representing our country.
There was a picture of him with his skeleton at the top of a run, taken a short time before the fateful run that had left him in a chair.

Andrew Grey is the author of nearly 100 works of Contemporary Gay Romantic fiction. After twenty-seven 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 is a recipient of the RWA Centennial Award, 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.