Title:
You Had Me at Hero
Author:
Michael P. Thomas
Genre:
Gay Romance, Contemporary, Interracial
Length:
Novella
Publisher:
JMS Books
Synopsis
When
seventeen-year-old Mark Potts fell from a balcony, he lost both the
use of his legs and any faith in heroes. Now twenty-nine, he’s
long-since come to terms with his injury. His job provides more
opportunities for eye-rolling than for riding to anybody’s rescue,
but with two kids to bring up, he barely has time for his husband,
much less for heroics. Besides, Starr Bradford is a policeman — how
many heroes does one family need?
Mark and
Starr love each other madly, but stress management is a load-bearing
pillar of their happiness. When Mark’s coping skills fail him at
exactly the wrong moment, he’s left hanging by a thread of words he
should’ve kept in his mouth. He has the power to repair their
relationship, but when Starr’s workday suddenly goes south, will he
get to wield it? Keeping it together long enough to find out is a job
worthy of any superhero!
Review: 3.5
stars
A very sweet
novella, told from Mark’s POV. I would have love to get a better
insight into his husband, Starr, though the story is entertaining
without it too. The chemistry between them is obvious throughout the
book. While there isn’t much in the terms of plot, I loved the
insights into the dispatch work and the mixed race marriages’
problems. I hope to see more of Mark and Starr in the future.
Buy Links
JMS Books:
http://www.jms-books.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29_94&products_id=2008
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6XBBMF/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N6XBBMF/
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01N6XBBMF/
Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B01N6XBBMF/
Excerpt
The 911 call center was tucked into a park in the middle of town. Mark and Starr lived in a neighborhood of post-World War II brick ranch houses east of the park, barely a five-minute drive at three in the morning. Even after being corralled by Coretta, Mark was out of his clothes, out of his chair, and into the bed by three-thirty, with his arms around his husband at three-thirty and about two seconds. Geeze but it felt good to cuddle up next to Starr. Any trace of a world that might exist outside their bed fizzled away as soon as they were in it together. Even if he tried, which he had long given up doing, he couldn’t focus on a worry, couldn’t retain the residue from even the most stressful call. With Starr in his arms, there was no room left for fear, no way to also hold on to doubt. With Starr in a patrol car and two sons careening through life in America while being black, these things were easy enough to find during the day, but in the quiet dark, Starr’s body throwing heat like rocks in a sauna, Mark’s defenses—which Starr assured him were more finely tuned than most people’s—melted away.
When Starr
rolled over with the whoosh of a contented sigh
to take Mark in his own arms, Mark knew he was safe. He knew he was
loved. And when his hand followed a hunch along the ridge of Starr’s
muscled belly, he knew he was desired. He took a great handful of
Starr’s warm, heavy balls and watched a sleepy grin spread across
his face.
“Marky?”
This
mumbled verification always made Mark laugh. As opposed
to…? “No. It’s a jewel thief,”
he said, gathering Starr’s balls and giving his sac a tug. “I
just struck it rich.”
The grin
grew and Starr rolled onto his back. “Take whatever you want, just
please don’t hurt me.”
“We’ll
see.”
Giveaway
Prize:
$20 Amazon Gift Card
About the author
Michael P.
Thomas is a flight attendant whose writing is continually inspired by
his work with the flying public, who flatly refuse to be boring. The
author of three novel-length gay romances and a number of romantic
and erotic shorts, he writes gay fiction because when he was coming
out he sure was glad to have it to read. After misspending his youth
in San Francisco, he now lives in his native Colorado with his
husband.
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