Author Name: Becca Seymour
Publisher: Rainbow Tree Publishing
Release Date: Tuesday, July 2 2019
Format: Paperback, eBook
Is This Book Romance?: Yes
ISBN: 978-1-925853-65-0
ASN: B07RCWJJ7Y
Price: 3.99
Story Type: Novel >50k
Word Count: 69k
Cover Artist: Booksmith Design
Genres: contemporary, romance, small town
Pairings: M/M
Tropes: single dad romance, coming out
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Book Blurb
When a single dad and a newly outed veterinarian meet by chance, it takes red-cheeked conversations, a tentative friendship, and the willingness to put their hearts on the line to show these men they’re made for each other.
Single dad Davis Jackson is busy balancing his coffee shop and being the best dad he can be. That doesn’t mean he’s not lonely. After a fumbling encounter with a man who looks as gorgeous as he does unhappy, Davis is left wondering who the mystery man is.
All Davis knows is that he has never felt such an instant attraction to anyone before, but when he discovers the brown-eyed man’s identity, it’s clear the recently out-of-the-closet veterinarian is lost and quite possibly broken.
A swoon-worthy low-angst stand-alone contemporary M/M romance featuring characters from LET ME SHOW YOU.
Excerpt
I was thirty-three years old and still had no clue who I was.
Just two steps and I’d be able to breathe again.
One.
I clutched the handle and yanked the door open. Fresh air greeted me. I stepped into the darkness and pulled the door quietly closed behind me, then looked around the fenced backyard, only seeing the side panels and nothing beyond the darkness. My gaze settled on a couple of chairs. While it wasn’t complete escape, it gave me time to catch my breath and get my head straight.
Easing into the wooden chair, I leaned back, stretching out my neck and glancing up at the star-filled sky. With no lights on in the yard and just the faint glow filtering out from the busy kitchen, I was able to focus on the tiny specks overhead. I released a heavy exhale, pulling the calmness of the outside into me. I shouldn’t have come. Damn, I should have been at least two thousand miles away by now, away from this tiny town that threatened to split apart my whole world.
Claws on the wooden deck, a not-so-soft grunt and sigh, and I glanced to my right to see Carter and Tanner’s monster dog, Rex, ambling over to me. The first couple of times I’d met Rex at the veterinary clinic, it was no surprise to Carter or me that the Ridgeback had taken an instant dislike to me. Hell, I didn’t even like myself most of the time. But as he walked toward me, I no longer tensed in fear. This was the third visit I’d made to Carter’s, and it seemed Rex had had a change of heart.
He huffed as he sat next to me, his large head immediately landing on my thighs. My first real smile of the night spread across my lips, and I reached out both hands and rubbed behind Rex’s ears. “Hey there, mutt.” I rubbed a bit harder, and he moaned happily. I snorted. “You like that, huh?” Rex tilted his head and leaned his right ear into my palm. “You know, bud, I think you’ve got the right idea.” He blew heavily out of his snout, and I laughed, the sound filling the quiet space. “Life’s a hell of a lot easier if you’ve got no balls at all to lead you around and confuse the heck out of you.”
A snort-laugh from out of the darkness had me tensing. I squinted, looking toward the end of the yard. After a moment, my eyes adjusted and I saw a man looming, his figure moving closer until he stepped into the faint light.
Damn. So much for alone.
Rex’s head flipped to the side to look at the guy coming toward me. He grunted again and then thumped his head back down onto my thighs before nudging my hand for me to continue.
I started to rub, not as invested, nor as relaxed. With my jaw locked, I risked a glance at the guy. Light spilled onto the stranger’s face, highlighting his strong jawline. While I couldn’t see the color of his eyes, I did see the creases surrounding them. It immediately made him seem approachable and friendly. As he moved closer, a small smile lifted his mouth. My gaze landed on the slight curve of his lips before traveling back to his eyes. They were brown, but in the dull light, I couldn’t tell the exact shade or depth.
Friendly, he most definitely was, if his smile and the “Hey” he offered me were anything to go by. But he also looked tired as hell.
I cleared my throat, suddenly aware I’d stayed quiet for a few seconds too long. “Hey.” My voice was gravelly and sounded unnaturally deep.
The guy paused in front of me, his hands dipping into his jeans pockets. He was quiet for a beat, seeming to contemplate what to say.
“You know Rex then?”
I nodded and then took a glance at the large head resting on my lap. With a small nod, I smiled. “Yeah. He finally likes me, so I’m taking it as a win that we’re friends.”
The brown-eyed man’s head tilted slightly, his gaze scanning my face a moment before his eyes returned to mine. “So you’re a friend of Carter’s?”
A humorless snort burst free, not enough to startle Rex, but enough for the guy to raise his brows. I cleared my throat again, not especially liking the fact that it seemed to be closing up and becoming uncomfortably dry in front of this guy. “Well, sort of. We used to work together.”
“Not anymore?”
I bit back the bitter retort dancing on my tongue, tempted to ask if that wasn’t what “used to” explicitly meant. There was no need for me to be so defensive or any bigger of an asshole than I already had a reputation for being.
“Nope. Just trying to figure out my next move.” I clamped my mouth shut, wondering why I’d shared so much. He sat on the lounger beside me, stopping my analysis. “Please, take a seat.” Damn, I really needed to learn to keep my mouth shut and stop being a dickhead. “Sorry.” I threw him a small grimace, noticing both of his perfectly arched brows were lifted, his attention solely on me. There was also a small smile on his lips. I was positive I saw it twitch.
“Hey, I can leave.”
Though, he stayed put, making no indication he planned on moving. He didn’t even shrug or twitch as he spoke.
While solitude had been what I’d craved, I was smart enough to recognize that just maybe not being alone was a good thing. Being alone, I was discovering, was not helpful at all. All it did was give me too much time with my thoughts. And that had a habit of screwing with my head. While I’d sought the quiet, especially since my blowout with Carter a while back, I recognized how dangerous isolation could be. Loneliness was a slippery slope.
4.5 of 5 Stars
Wow…I was surprised with this one. Book one left me wanting a bit…it was short and felt a bit rushed. The pacing of this book was much better, the story more developed and just better IMHO. There is very little angst – more internal struggle than anything, which is organic and well-written – and what little is there is resolved quickly and handled very well.
I suppose this could be read as a standalone but to fully understand the animosity toward Scott and the reason for it, I recommend reading Let Me Show You first.
Scott is still coming to grips with his sexuality, getting out from underneath his father’s heavy hand and deciding what he wants to do with his life. Davis befriending him is the best thing for Scott. Because Davis is a father he can’t rush into a relationship so their friends-to-lovers, slow burn connection is perfect for both.
Tanner and Carter play big parts in this book which may be another reason to read their book first.
I would be on board with seeing more of these characters or revisiting characters in this town if the books are as good as this one. Definite thumbs up from me on this one!
Read Book One
Author Bio
Becca Seymour lives and breathes all things book related. Usually with at least three books being read and two WiPs being written at the same time, life is merrily hectic. She tends to do nothing by halves so happily seeks the craziness and busyness life offers.
Living on her small property in Queensland with her human family as well as her animal family of cows, chooks, and dogs, Becca appreciates the beauty of the world around her and is a believer that love truly is love.
Giveaway
Becca is giving away a $20 Amazon gift card to one lucky winner. For a chance to win, enter via Rafflecopter: