Book Reviews

Book Blurb

“I might have been part of my makeshift family, but I’ve always felt separate from them.” ~ Evan

On the outside it looks like I have it all. I own a successful business where my staff has become my family, and I’m able to give back to my community the way I’ve always wanted to. What people don’t see is how lonely my life is, or how much I yearn for a real connection.

At forty-four, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’ll never have my own family and am happy playing uncle to my best friend Dex’s kids. I’ve also accepted that Dex is straight, so we’ll only ever be friends. I may have been in love with him for over thirty years, but he was never mine to have.

“I’m not sure what I’m ready for, but I know I want this.” ~ Dex

Life as a single dad isn’t easy, and losing my wife in an accident two years ago has left a hole in my heart that no woman could ever fill. Between my responsibilities as a parent and my job as a detective, I’ve got my hands full.

But, it isn’t all bad. I’ve got my best friend Evan by my side, same as he’s been since we were eleven years old. He’s always been my rock, but lately I’ve started seeing him in a new light. I don’t understand my reactions to him, or the directions my thoughts have taken. I never thought I was anything but straight, or imagined Evan would be more than my best friend, until now.

 

Book Review

This friends-to-lovers book begins with the death of Dex’s wife, Sara, in an accident. Dex has been left with an adult daughter, toddler twins, and his best friend, Evan. Dex adored his wife and Evan adored his friend, so it’s a difficult road but they have each other. Evan supports Dex and family, as well as the chosen family he has in his bar employees. Evan is a giving, loving person who has been in love with his best friend for decades with no hope of that love being returned.

Except… lately Dex has been having non-best friend thoughts about his best friend. What I loved most about this was – Dex and Evan were truly best friends, they know everything about each other. Having those feelings change to something more is scary for Dex, but he trusts Evan. And Evan is patient with him. He understands that Dex has spent his whole life thinking he was completely straight and in addition has only ever been with his wife. “It’s a big deal because you spend twenty-four years with your wife. You never expected to ever with another person.” The best friend part is so solid with these two. And I loved their banter, “What are you giggling at?” Evan asked as he turned on the water. “I’m not giggling. I’m laughing in a very manly fashion…””

Dex struggles, to be sure. “There was no doubt in my mind that Evan was the one for me, and this was it. But knowing it and embracing it were turning out to be very different animals, and I was struggling.” He is a detective and homophobes at work are fairly common. Add in that most of his friends are work friends, plus he is afraid of what his young twins will go through with two dads, and it really weighs on him.

I want to mention how Theo, one of Dex’s young twins, is genderfluid and Dex completely embraces every part of that child, including making sure the school is inclusive. “I’d never expected my boy/girl twins to share clothes, but I barely even noticed anymore.” He is always ready to stand up for his children as well. “I would do everything to make sure he was able to live his authentic life and be the amazing kid he was.” Dex is a wonderful father, and especially in the case of his oldest child, Cass, it shows. They all love Uncle Evan, so coming out to the children isn’t hard. Throw in there that the children in this book actually act and talk like children. No twenty-five-year-olds in five-year-old bodies here. And Frozen on repeat is a little too real for many parents!

For his part, Evan not only had a terrible time when he came out to his family, but also had a very traumatic incident happen in college. One that he never told Dex about because Dex and Sara got pregnant right before high school graduation and they had a lot going on. “I’d spent my entire childhood and adolescence hearing about how gay people were the devil, how AIDS was sent by God to kill off people like me.” That is why his bar, the Den, is so important to him, giving a safe space to people.

Things aren’t perfect for them, of course. While coming out to the kids isn’t so bad, Dex has a hard time coming out to anyone else, even though he loves Evan. When accidentally running into coworkers of Dex, “This is Evan. He’s a good friend of mine” and then Dex proceeds to ignore Evan while talking to them. “Before we’d starting dating, Dex would have included me in the conversation because that’s who he was. But now, it was a though he was so hyperaware of what people might think if he looked at me too long that he barely even glanced my way.” Then it turns out Dex was invited to the coworker’s wedding and lets Evan know, he was going alone. “The look of panic that had come over his face at the thought that I might be asking to go with him cut deep. Again, I understood where the fear was coming from, but it still hurt.” I felt so bad for Evan. He went through a lot to be out and proud of who he is and now he’s being thrust back in the closet. Dex knows he is doing it to Evan but seems unable to get past it.

Trust in Dex to get where he needs to go and his fear was so realistic to me that while I felt so bad for Evan, I couldn’t get worked up about Dex. Especially when the man he loves understands, even while he hurts about it.

This is the seventh book in the series and I hadn’t read any of the others. This can definitely stand-alone – I didn’t feel lost or that I had missed anything at all. Side characters were so interesting, particularly the chosen family working at the Den. I loved Evan’s protective side with those he loves and I so appreciated that while these two are now together there is never, ever a slight on Sara. “I’d been lucky enough to find both of my soulmates before I’d even been old enough to vote.” Nothing they do now tarnishes the memory of Sara and I loved that. I would recommend this book and I will have to now go back and read the series to see how everyone got to this point.

 

 

 

 

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

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 200 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	16-June-2020
Price	$3.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Worth-Den-Boys-Book-7-ebook/dp/B089GQ7DVC