Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Documentary producer Simon and ex-footballer Declan are taking some big steps toward a lasting life together. They’ve bought a house, and they’ll need it for the family they plan to start. Their friend, Nyssa, has made the generous offer to be their surrogate, and Declan couldn’t be more excited about the idea of a baby.

Simon knows fatherhood is a huge commitment, and though it’s daunting, he sees how much Dec wants it, and he’s sure that together, they can succeed in anything—despite the worries nagging at him.

But just as their new life is taking shape, a health scare disrupts their plans at the worst possible moment. With time running short, Simon and Dec will have to bare their fears and doubts to each other so they can face them before their world changes forever.

It might mean a literal leap of faith.

Book Review

As far as I am concerned, there can never be enough stories about Simon, the snarky documentary producer, and Declan, the hunky ex-AFL player, not to mention all their friends and quirky family. I’ve said it before and it is still true, so the publication of this fourth book made me very happy. While their relationship is pretty secure, except for the occasional wobble that every couple goes through, I couldn’t help but worry about issues caused by a serious health scare. I mean, how do you deal with that as a couple? The author’s perspective was completely true to Simon and Declan’s characters, very realistic, and by the time Simon got to actually be understanding about Declan’s reactions, I was really worried. True to the essence of this series, one major crisis is not all Simon and Declan have to deal with, and the result is an emotional roller coaster of the first degree.

Simon is back in full force, as snarky and delightfully sneaky as ever. He uses bravado as a cover much of the time, but there are always a few glimpses of vulnerability that make him all the more lovable. His other main modus operandi is ignoring the facts by vehemently denying them, but of course it doesn’t work in the long run, nor for anyone else. All his friends and family have tried to teach him this before, but I guess that some things have to be repeated a few times when you’re as stubborn as Simon.

There is much more to this novel though: buying a house with a possible ghost, a psychic who keeps walking up to Simon and Declan at the local supermarket and making predictions, not to mention their plans to have kids by accepting their friend Nyssa’s offer to be their surrogate. Fatherhood is as scary as anything they have contemplated, and dealing with everything that comes with it for a gay couple is somewhat of an ordeal. The story is set in 2016, a time at which marriage equality was still not a legal reality in Australia… though Simon promises a wedding in his “Note from the Sponsor” at the beginning of the novel. I, for one, can’t wait!

If you want to know what’s next in Simon and Declan’s lives, if a sometimes questionable but mostly hilarious sense of humor is your thing, and if you’re looking for an emotionally exhausting read that will have you laughing, crying, and possibly shouting with joy, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. It’s a fantastic addition to the series – and I really hope not the final word!

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 236 pages/70413 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	01-January-2019
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/tigers-on-the-way-by-sean-kennedy-10072-b