AotM ~ The Wrong Man by Lane Hayes (Review + Giveaway)

The Wrong Man

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Successful owner of an upscale boutique in fabulous West Hollywood, Brandon Good swears by his personal edict to “live in the present.” After a bad breakup, he agrees to dog-sit to keep his mind off his ex. Never did he expect the dog to belong to a man from his past, the only man to ever truly break his heart.

When Jake Westley relocates to join the WeHo fire department, the last thing he anticipates is reuniting with his secret high school love. Thrilled with the prospect of reconnecting with Bran, Jake feels no guilt in using his charming old dog as an unwitting matchmaker. As he and Bran rekindle their friendship, it becomes clear the intense attraction they once felt is stronger than ever. But as hard as they try to leave the past behind, painful memories resurface. Bran will have to confront his fears and consider the possibility that the man he swore was absolutely the wrong one might be perfect after all.

5 Stars

We met Brandon, Luke's best friend in "The Right Words". Brandon owns a boutique, where he sells home goods in West Hollywood to the rich and sometimes famous. When Brandon is asked by his employee Liz to help her out by dog-sitting Mack, her neighbor's, a hunky fire fighter, dog, well to say Brandon is less than pleased is an understatement. 

When said hunky fire fighter shows up to get his dog, Brandon is shocked to discover Jake is none other than his old high school love. His first love. The person that hurt Brandon 12 years ago, the person that broke his heart so badly, Brandon hasn't tried to offer it to anyone since. 

Brandon tries to keep Jake at arm's length. Bran has rules. You never revisit old boyfriends. You move forward, not back. His efforts are futile. He can't resist Mack, and eventually he can't resist Jake anymore. The two establish a friendship that goes on to eventually rekindle the romance they had in high school. 

I didn't care for Brandon's character in "The Right Words". I thought he was too over the top, so I was extremely pleased when I picked this book up and saw how much Lane toned him down. He seemed so shallow in book one, but she shows us just how deep a person Brandon really is. He is sweet, funny, a loyal friend, and employer. He is tough, maybe not in the physical sense, but he has been through some tough times and come out a stronger man. Funny thing is, I loved this book so much more that the first one. I liked the characters, and I fell in love with Mack. He was magical. He literally brought two people together and let them find the love they thought they lost so many years ago. 

These characters had chemistry and passion. The book flowed well and at a realistic rate. It felt like something that you would see in real life. Lane kept me on the edge of my seat waiting for the other shoe to drop. THEN she tried to give me a heart attack, but in the end she succeeded in writing a beautifully woven tale of getting a second chance with a first love! 

I have never actually met Lane, but we have conversed quite a bit on Twitter over the last year, and I never realized how much I knew about her, until I picked up this book. I got to see not only the characters, but bits and pieces of Lane show through as well. She is one of my favorite m/m authors and I can't wait for more in the future!

*This book was provided to me by the author/publisher via Pride Promotions in exchange for an honest review*

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