A Hearts Entwined Novel
Car restorer Dean Milford
knows how to make damaged things beautiful again. Only, after a bad breakup, he
loses sight of who he is, playing the field and distracting himself with any
man he comes across. But now there’s only one guy who really matters to him.
And maybe with his latest restoration job—a vintage Cobra—he’ll get the chance
to let him know.
Losing his sight wasn’t
the worst thing to happen to Lee Studer—losing his independence was. It’s taken
a while, but he’s finally found his place in the world—in a garage. Funny
enough, his acute hearing allows him to pinpoint engine problems just by
listening. And even better, he’s going to have a chance to help his long-time
crush, Dean, rebuild his fantasy car.
As the restoration comes
together, so do Lee and Dean, building a friendship that quickly turns into so
much more. But before they can think about a future together, they have to deal
with the past. Only that turns out to be more dangerous than either one ever
dreamed….
Buy links: Dreamspinner Amazon
Cat gives this one 5
Meows with a 3 Purr heat index...
This is part of the Hearts
Entwined series and I do think you should read some of the others since many of
the other characters, especially James and Scott are prominent in this book.
This is Lee and Dean’s story.
Dean is Travis and Brent’s
friend and feeling like a third wheel since they both have significant others
in their lives. He has gone a bit wild since his boyfriend dumped him and feels
no self-worth. He made a big purchase of a Cobra, though a once in a lifetime
find it pretty much took his reserves, so now his business is low too. He has
always looked at Lee the mechanic at Travis’ shop, but he is young and he feels
wouldn’t want anything to do with him.
Lee lost his sight in an
accident and his teacher James brought him to the shop to show him he could
still use his skills. He has worked there and loves his job but is feeling like
a burden on his friends and family. His mom overprotects him and he longs for
a boyfriend and things a young man his age should have.
This is such a sweet story
about two men that are feeling low on themselves for very different reasons.
There is a good storyline there, a sweet, budding romance then the author
throws in a monkey wrench (pun intended) Someone drugs Lee and there are more
threats at work and home. Who is after Lee and why?
There is a lot going on
and if you are already a fan of Andrew Grey you know how great his stories are
and how they keep you wanting more.
If you love a big age gap,
second chance on life, men with physical challenges, car restorers, mechanics
and an allover sweet romance this is for you!
Excerpt…
DEAN MILFORD sat at a
table against the wall of Club Marquee in Milwaukee’s Third Ward bar district,
waiting for his best friends, Brent and Trevor. His foot tapped to the constant
drumming of the music, not because he particularly liked it but because it had
been months since he’d had a night out with the guys. Over the last couple of
years, both Trevor and Brent had found guys who made their hearts go
pitter-pat, so Dean had been the odd man out more and more frequently.
He lifted his beer and
took a drink, then sighed softly. Dean lifted his gaze to the largely
unoccupied dance floor, where four guys moved to the music, one of them a hot,
lithe little number in jeans that left absolutely nothing to the imagination.
If this were a cartoon, Dean’s eyes would have beat back and forth like a
metronome attuned to the gyrations of his perfect globed butt. The guy he was
with couldn’t seem to find the beat no matter how hard he tried, and Dean
thought about getting up and showing him how it was done. A guy who couldn’t
move on the dance floor probably couldn’t move in the bedroom either, Dean
thought, his lip curling. Hot Stuff shuffled closer to his companion, slowing
him down as he placed his hands on his hips, moving his lips closer to the
guy’s ear. And then their heads rested on each other’s shoulders and the
dissonance between them disappeared.
Dean turned away with a
growly huff under his breath. The two of them were in lurve, and it was all
Dean could do not to roll his eyes and stomp out of the damned place. Love was
the bane of his existence. And hell, it probably didn’t fucking exist. Not
really. Dean thought he had found love, the big kind with a bright future and a
happily-ever-after. But it had been just an illusion, and reality, at least for
him, was just a gut ball of hurt.
He drank some more beer
and turned toward the door, checking the time on his phone before allowing his
gaze to wander to the bartender, who was hot as hell in a completely different
way from the guy on the dance floor. The bartender’s black T-shirt was so
tight, it looked like it might split apart at the seams any second. Dean had
talked to Marvin a few times. He used to be one of the bouncers here, but it
looked like he’d moved up in the world and was now tending bar. Dean tried to
remember how long that had been and couldn’t. The weeks and months ran
together.
Brent entered the front
door of the club, looked around, and then nodded, coming right over to the
table. Dean stood and hugged him. “Trevor is out front trying to find place to
park his car,” Brent explained as he gave the club a cursory look and then sat
down. “God, this place hasn’t changed at all.” There was something in the way
Brent said it that rubbed Dean the wrong way, making him feel out of place.
Brent and Trevor were some of his closest friends, but now it was as if he had
less of a connection with them. It sucked to realize that he was an outsider
with the people he considered family.
“I like it here,” Dean
countered. At least he belonged here.
Brent shook his head and
shrugged, but didn’t say anything more. Dean wanted to press Brent about his
statement and the condescension in his voice, but he was saved by Trevor’s
appearance in the doorway and the resulting ripple through the people inside.
Trevor turned heads wherever he went, and tonight was no different. A few guys
actually made their way over toward the door, circling Trevor like birds of
prey, wondering how to make their move.
Dean and Trevor hugged,
and Trevor sat at the table, seemingly oblivious to the minor stir that he’d
just caused. “It’s been a while. What have you been doing?” Trevor asked.
Trevor and Brent saw each other all the time now that Brent was working for
Trevor, managing one of his auto repair garages. But Dean wasn’t really a part
of their lives anymore. The three of them used to be as close as brothers, but
in the last few years, things had changed. Trevor had met James, the love of
his life, and Brent had finally made his move with Scott, after an accident had
cost Scott his hearing. That had left Dean as the only one of them unattached.
Not that Dean had any intention of going down that road again. He was still
dealing with the fallout from his last romantic relationship, even after three
years. He wasn’t sure his heart or his sanity could take it again.
“Let me see.” Dean smiled.
“A couple months ago, I got a line on a ’63 Cobra. It was just a nibble, but I
followed it up. The car was in a barn outside Port Washington and had probably
been there for close to thirty years. The rubber on the tires had turned to goo
and stuff like that.” He leaned closer to the guys now that he had their
undivided attention. “The owner’s name is Helen, and it was her husband’s car.
He bought it new, and after he died, she didn’t know what to do with it. Helen
wasn’t going to drive it, but she didn’t feel right selling it either, so it
just sat in the garage, all those years, under a cover.”
Trevor and Brent shared a
look. “Did you buy it?” Trevor asked.
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.
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great excerpt
ReplyDeleteThank you for the review! It sounds like a fun time.
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