With a Twist
The Speakeasy Series
K. Evan Coles & Brigham Vaughn
Contemporary M/M Romance
Book Length (word count): 95,822
RELEASE DATE: 09.25.18
BLURB
Nursing a broken heart, Will Martin throws himself into teaching classes at NYU and writing. An invite from his ex-boyfriend to an uptown speakeasy called Under surprises Will by beginning to heal his bruised spirit, and he finds himself enjoying both the drinks and the company.
Soon after, Will is shaken by news that his father, Republican New York State Senator Bill Martin, has been diagnosed with cancer. Will and his father have been estranged since Will’s coming out, but he reluctantly returns to the family’s home in Garden City, Long Island, to support his family as Bill recovers from surgery.
Senator David Mori is a colleague and mentee of Bill Martin’s. Bill’s conservative views sometimes conflict with David’s more moderate politics and his status as both mixed race and openly gay, but each respects and likes each other, and the men have built a friendship.
Sparks fly when Will and David meet, though Will’s liberal views lead to clashes with David. Will is looking for a no-strings-attached fling and David is leery of getting involved with his mentor’s son, so they keep their affair a secret, in spite of their deepening feelings.
As Senator Martin’s health worsens, Will elects to remain in Garden City where he finds solace with David and continued trips to Under to seek the support of his friends. After David finally admits his feelings have grown beyond a casual sexual encounter, both men must decide how to bridge the divide to create a future together.
Reader Advisory:
This book contains expressions of homophobia and racism by multiple secondary characters, references to disownment, and descriptions of terminal illness and death of secondary characters.
EXCERPT
“Senator Mori, please, come in.”
Greta sounded very pleased as she welcomed David into the house. Will stifled a sigh and set his tablet on the side table in the sunroom. The man was handsome, but, with the exception of LGBTQ issues, he frequently voted like a typical moderate Republican robot. Will hadn’t worked out exactly how he’d been roped into having dinner with his father’s colleague, but, unfortunately, he couldn’t back out now.
Actually, Will mused, I know exactly how I was roped into this. Agnes Martin had said they were having a small dinner and insinuated it would be rude of him not to join them. By the time Will realized his mother had invited David, he couldn’t refuse. Even if Will had had been able to, he owed David an apology. He had been rude to David the first time they’d met.
Will had also googled him and been relieved to learn David wasn’t ultra-conservative but he still couldn’t wrap his head around a gay man aligning himself with a political party actively trying to damage their community. If Will was being honest, David’s relationship with Will’s father bothered him more. He was envious and resentful of the closeness they had. And hurt. Why did his father appear so much more accepting of David’s sexuality than Will’s? The rejection stung bitterly and made Will want to lash out and make David feel as terrible as he did.
But no matter how he felt, it didn’t excuse his behavior. He stood and headed for the foyer.
Will caught a glimpse of David, who stood talking with Greta. If only the man weren’t so infuriatingly good-looking. Will couldn’t think of the last time he’d found a man so attractive, even Riley.
To Will’s surprise, David wasn’t alone. A medium-sized black and white dog with fawn- colored stripes on its legs and a tail that curled up onto its back stood by David’s side. He held the leash loosely in one hand.
“Hello, David.” Will stuck out a hand for him to shake. David’s expression was friendly and his hands were large and strong around Will’s long, narrow fingers.
“Nice to see you, Will.”
“You as well.” Ignoring how good David’s skin felt against his, Will dropped his hand.
Greta patted his arm. “I’m going to go help your mother get food on the table.”
“Thanks, Greta. I’ll walk David back to the patio in a moment.” After Greta disappeared down the hallway, Will turned his attention to the animal sitting calmly at David’s feet.
“I see you brought a date,” Will said with a small smile. He was such a sucker for dogs. Not to mention hot men with dogs. He crouched and held out a hand. “Hello there, gorgeous.”
“Her name’s Mabel.”
She sniffed him delicately before pushing her snout into his hand in greeting. He laughed and looked up at David as he scratched Mabel behind the ears. David stared down at them with an expression both perplexed and amused.
“She’s beautiful,” Will murmured. “Husky mix?”
David nodded. “Husky and Shiba-Inu mix. Or so said the guy I got her from. She’s mixed like me.”
Will blinked at him and David laughed softly. “Sorry. I’m Japanese on my father’s side, and a whole range of European countries on my mom’s. My brother-in-law is always on me about the jokes my sister and I make about being mixed race. The jokes make him uncomfortable.”
“Your candor took me by surprise.” Will cleared his throat. “How old is Mabel?”
“Two—no, two and a half. I’ve had her since she was a pup.”
Mabel let out a whine and licked Will’s forearm as if pointing out he’d stopped petting her. Will chuckled and resumed.
“Do you have any pets, Will?”
He shook his head and gave Mabel a final pat before he stood. “I live in Manhattan and my building doesn’t allow it.”
David nodded. “I think she’s enjoying the move from Queens to Long Island. She seems to like the beaches and canals quite a bit.”
“When did you move from Queens?”
“A few years ago. On your father’s recommendation, actually.”
“Hmm.” Will made a noncommittal noise. He wasn’t sure what to make of the relationship his father and David had. David’s race wasn’t an issue. Neither of his parents had ever shown themselves to be racially intolerant, although Will had a vivid memory from high school of arguing with his parents about why using the term ‘Oriental’ was really, really inappropriate. At worst, they were occasionally clueless, but even then, they’d listened to his argument and made an effort to change.
Sexuality was a different story, however. How could Bill be vehemently against his own son’s sexual orientation but have no problem working side-by-side with a gay man? And inviting him to his house for meals? Will bristled, but he forced himself to tamp down the irritation. That reminded him, he still needed to apologize to David.
Will cleared his throat. “Uh, before we head back to the patio, I wanted to say I’m sorry about the way I behaved when you were here earlier this week. My temper got the better of me, and I hope you can forgive me.”
“Of course. No hard feelings.” David gave him a warm, open smile.
“Thank you.”
Will’s mother appeared before he could say anything else. “What on earth are you two still doing in the foyer? Let David in, Will.”
“I was getting to know his dog, Mabel,” Will said, feeling slightly abashed. Apparently, all of his manners did go out of the window when he encountered David.
Agnes regarded the dog with a soft sound of delight. “Oh, she is lovely. Even prettier than the pictures you sent me. I am so glad you asked to bring her. You probably felt like you needed a guard dog to fend off the cats. I am so embarrassed Fluffers used your shoe as a litter box.”
A laugh escaped Will before he could stop it. “That old thing is still alive? I haven’t seen him around outside and I assumed he’d died.”
Agnes frowned at him. “Fluffers is very much alive. Just getting a bit senile these days. Thankfully, David was very gracious about it.”
David chuckled. “One should always expect the unexpected when it comes to pets and kids.”
“You are correct.” Agnes smiled at him. “Now, I want both of you to come back to the patio. Appetizers are on the table.”
5 Stars
Truthfully, I didn’t like Will when I met him in the Tidal series, in fact, I consulted my review of Calm, and yes, I said he had the personality of a wet mop, and truthfully, well, it was true, but a big portion of why I disliked Will so much was because he was in the way of Riley and Carter, so I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book, because, well..Will, but I have to admit Will quickly won me over once I learned his backstory. He seemed much more likable in this story, and I loved really getting to know him. He was a bit stiff in the beginning, but as the story progressed, I found he began to loosen up somewhat.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about David at first. I mean, the man is gay and a Republican... I didn’t think those two things went together, but I can see how you could lean to the more moderate side of things, because, while I’m a Democrat, but I definitely don’t agree with all the policies of the party. Still, while it was hard to wrap my head around this at times, I think getting to know David opened my eyes a bit and made me really think, something that’s always good when reading.
Together David and Will were like oil and water at first. They definitely didn’t mix. Frenemies at best in the beginning, their relationship quickly progresses to sorta friends with benefits then to more. The progression of their relationship was natural and paced well. They had amazing chemistry, not Riley and Carter chemistry, but they were still great together.
I loved getting to watch Will heal his broken relationship with his family, as well, and I felt a connection with him here and my heart broke for him in the end, but I’m glad he got the chance to right some past wrongs.
As much as I wasn’t sure I’d like Will’s story, I have to say it drew me in and held me captive until the very end. It’s well-written and the collaboration between the authors is seamless. This is book one in a new series, but it’s a spinoff of another series, Tidal, and while it can be read as a standalone, I think it’ll flow better if you read Wake and Calm first. Besides, you don’t want to miss out on reading Riley and Carter’s story, it’s simply amazing. Plus, Carter and Riley, as well as Jesse and Kyle, who we also met in the previous books, feature prominently throughout this story. I loved getting to catch up with all the guys and of course, see how Riley and Carter’s lives are progressing and I can’t wait to see whose story is next *cough* Jesse *cough*
This was an amazing start to a new series that I can’t recommend enough. It was enjoyable and filled with so much emotion. So just go one-click it, and don’t forget Wake and Calm if you don’t already own them. You won’t regret it, I promise!
*copy provided by author or publisher in exchange for an honest review*
K. Evan Coles is a mother and tech pirate by day and a writer by night. She is a dreamer who, with a little hard work and a lot of good coffee, coaxes words out of her head and onto paper.
K. lives in the northeast United States, where she complains bitterly about the winters, but truly loves the region and its diverse, tenacious and deceptively compassionate people. You’ll usually find K. nerding out over books, movies and television with friends and family. She’s especially proud to be raising her son as part of a new generation of unabashed geeks.
K.’s books explore LGBTQ+ romance in contemporary settings.
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Brigham Vaughn is on the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time writer. She devours books at an alarming rate and hasn’t let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga. She makes a killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can’t wait to discover everything else life has to offer her.
Her books range from short stories to novellas. They explore gay, lesbian, and polyamorous romance in contemporary settings.
Email: brighamvaughn@gmail.com
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Tidal Series
Wake - https://amzn.to/2xKpY1w
Calm - https://amzn.to/2zp6PE8
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