Despite the curve balls thrown at him throughout his childhood, Barrett Kenner is now a successful musician. The only thing missing is romance.
Ivan Romanov killed a man to save his sister’s life. Although he has served his time, Ivan’s past left him with baggage far heavier than the meager belongings he carries out of prison.
Barrett clings to the memory of a fervent kiss, a kiss that Ivan tries to pretend meant nothing. When the two men finally accept their feelings for each other, life should be smooth sailing, but the past still lurks in the shadows.
Can Barrett and Ivan protect their love and their lives, or will dangers from long ago be more than they can withstand?
**This is a male/male romance meant for ages 18+ due to adult language and adult situations.**
I received this book from the author for an honest review.
I loved how this book begins!! An “innocent” kiss turn both Barrett and Ivan’s worlds upside down. Then we see the couple plus Ivan’s sister, Lexi, corresponding for the next 10 years while Ivan is in jail for murder.
When the story starts, Ivan is dealing with life out of prison, his feelings for Barrett, his need to provide and protect his sister and can he survive outside of prison. We see Barrett wondering if Ivan will even remember THAT kiss or did it mean nothing to him. We see Lexi hoping to keep her best friend and brother in the house together through this new change in the living dynamic.
I loved Ivan. He is really confused because he shouldn’t feel the way he does about Barrett because he isn’t gay. However, he can’t hide his natural attraction to him either. He also can’t wait to revisit that kiss that help him through 10 years of prison.
Barrett and Ivan have chemistry. Initially it seems a little bit awkward because they BOTH want the other but fear a bit of rejection. When they finally admit their want and desire, Lexi says she is worried that Barrett will regret choosing Ivan since he has never experienced life or dating others. I was cracking up at the dates that they forced Barrett to go on just to prove that Ivan is HIS SOUL MATE. I also loved how Barrett made Ivan suffer through 5 dates of his own to prove to Barrett that Ivan did want him as well. Those chapters were great reading. The jealousy from Ivan cracked me up soooo much!!
As life is settling in for the 3, Ivan’s past resurfaces and there is a major plot twist and a big WHAT moment in the story. It helped Ivan realize that he will do anything for his family and his love Barrett. The epilogue was awesome and I love seeing the endings for the guys and for Lexi as well.
A.D. Ellis spends the majority of her days loving and wrangling two school-aged children and a husband before heading to the inner city of Indiana to teach a challenging group of alternative education students in grades third through sixth. Most days she hits the gym after school in hopes of running and lifting away the stress and headaches of the day before picking up her children and squeezing a whole day’s worth of loving and living into the too-short hours before bed. It’s no wonder Ms. Ellis lives for the slower, easier days she gets to enjoy on breaks from school.
Growing up in a small farming town in southern Indiana, A.D. is grateful to her mother for passing along the love of reading. With her nose constantly stuck in a book, Ms. Ellis became accustomed to friends and acquaintances snickering and shaking their heads at her love of reading.
A.D. never dreamed of being anything but a teacher, although there are certain times of the year when she laments her career choice. Ms. Ellis had a story idea floating in her head for about a year. After persistent prodding from a friend, A.D. put pen to paper and began writing her first story in October 2013. From that moment on, she was hooked. Taking the people and stories from her head and sharing them with readers is a scary, exhausting, rewarding, and fulfilling experience which A.D. plans to continue until there are no more stories banging around in her mind.
A.D. Ellis’ work can be found on both iBooks and Amazon. Please contact her on Facebook, Twitter, or her website.