PLAYING LIFE
GRAVES BROTHERS BOOK 2
V.M. SANFORD
M/M ROMANCE
RELEASE DATE: 07.22.18
COVER ARTIST: ANGSTY G
AMAZON US: https://amzn.to/2uIlZBN
AMAZON UK: https://amzn.to/2OaABSK
BLURB
Sometimes you have to let go of your fears and start playing life.
When Ryan decided to spend his summer vacation in the tiny town of Augusta rather than in Sacramento, he expected to work on the house he inherited from his grandmother, go to the gym and train, and not much else.
He should have known better.
His grandmother’s house is a mess, and there’s no way Ryan can get it back to its past splendor on his own. He calls the Graves Brothers, a renovation company in town, and hires them to do the work.
When Kenny is offered the job on the house he’s been wanting to put his hands on since he was a kid, he jumps on the occasion. He doesn’t even care that Ryan, the new owner, is a player for the Sacramento Pelicans, his favorite hockey team.
Kenny offers Ryan his guest room until the house is ready, and they become friends, then more. But Ryan is in the closet and he’s not ready to come out and risk his career, while Kenny is still hurt over breaking up with his closeted ex-boyfriend.
Can they make things between them work even with all the obstacles and their own personal hang-ups? Or will their relationship be nothing more than a summer fling?
EXCERPT
Kenny knew how lucky he’d been, how lucky he was to have the family he had. Neither of his parents cared one bit that he and his brothers weren’t straight and that they might end up having only sons-in-law. So yes, Kenny was lucky, and he was going to make sure he never fell in love with a closeted man again. It just wasn’t worth it.
“Is this okay?”
Kenny turned toward Ryan. “What?”
Ryan gestured at himself. “My clothes.”
He was wearing shorts, canvas shoes, and a short-sleeved button-up shirt he’d left open at the throat. His hair was still damp, and his cheeks were flushed as if he’d gotten too much sun. He was tanned, and he looked happy and relaxed, so much more than it been when it first arrived in Augusta. He was exactly Kenny’s type—tall, muscled, and he loved hockey.
Well, fuck. How was Kenny supposed to keep his promise not to fall for closeted or straight guys when Ryan looked like this?
“You look perfect,” he said. He sounded breathless even to his own ears. He cleared his throat. “Besides, it’s just barbecue with the family. You could wear your pajamas and no one would care.”
Ryan laughed. “I think I’ll pass on the pajamas. Do you need help with anything?”
“Nope. Grab a beer and sit down. Relax. This place will be a zoo soon enough.”
Family barbecues always were. It wasn’t only Kenny’s parents and his brothers. Spencer always came, of course, as well as Orlando’s best friend Kathy. Kenny also invited his friends and their family, including their dogs. It made for a lot of noise, but also a lot of fun and laughter.
Kenny’s parents arrived first. They brought more food, and Kenny laughed when his mother latched onto Ryan. Ryan’s panicked gaze made Kenny want to save him, but he knew his mom wouldn’t say anything to hurt Ryan and that she wouldn’t be dissuaded from mothering him. She’d asked about Ryan’s family that first night at dinner, and while Ryan hadn’t gone into details, it was obvious he and his mother weren’t close. Kenny’s mom and apparently taking it on to himself to make sure Ryan felt it was part of the family—their family.
Kenny didn’t mind. He liked Ryan, and welcoming Kenny’s family and his friends with him today almost felt like there were together. It was something he’d longed to do with Anthony, and it made his chest ached.
He and Ryan were friends. Nothing more. He might think Ryan was cute and smart, passionate and focused, but nothing would come out of it, and the sooner he realized that, the better it would be for everyone. Especially for him.
“Everything okay?” Kenny’s father asked. He peeked into the barbecue, checking like usual that Kenny had lit it the right way. Kenny knew he had, but this was a ritual they went through every time.
“Yep.”
3 Stars!
Ryan Widner is a Professional Hockey Player for the Pelicans. Ten years prior, he’d inherited an old Victorian home his grandmother had left him in Augusta, California. Deciding to finally do some overdue work on it and turn it into a summer home, Ryan packs up some boxes and pulls sets out to make the house livable again. However, when he arrives and gets a good look at it, it’s obvious it's unlivable and in need of more work than he’d thought. It’s time to call in professionals.
Ryan consults with Graves Brothers Renovations where Kenny Graves is more than excited to finally get the chance to work on the home he’s been coveting for as long as he can remember. He’s also excited to know that the owner, Ryan, happens to be one of his favorite Hockey players, a sport he and his brothers love. The two men soon find themselves going from working together to becoming friends to becoming more.
This is a quick, easy, sweet read. Both characters are likable and I found myself easily connecting with both. They were good together and I liked the interactions between Kenny, his family and Ryan. Ryan who was not used to such a big, open and caring family, especially one so accepting (all the boys are somewhere on the “rainbow spectrum” according to Kenny). I like seeing someone finally find a place where they are loved.
Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable afternoon read with very little angst and or drama and I’d recommend it.
***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author/publisher for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.***
V.M Sanford has been writing about the paranormal since he was a child but decided to give publishing a try only in his thirties.
He found out he likes writing about more than wolf shifters and already has several plot bunnies lined up, waiting for him to write their books.
He’s lived all over Europe and enjoys cats, ice hockey and reading biographies of kings and queens. He’s still confused about what and who he is even though he’s in his mid-thirties, but he finally decided to come out as a transgender man, at least to his readers.
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