They call me the Charmer. My best friend Wade tells me it’s because I’m suave and mysterious. But he doesn’t know my secret. The one I’ve kept hidden from him for twelve years. The one I will never reveal to him — Rhys
They call me The Brute. Probably because of my physique. And, let’s face it, because I’m a total dick at times. So Rhys likes to tell me anyway. Thing is, there’s something Rhys isn’t telling me. Something I’m dying to hear from his lips. His sinful confession. You see, I know Rhys’s secret — Wade
Rhys Damon has spent most of his adult life watching Wade Tucker bed woman after woman, his dark desire for his best friend and business partner a secret he is determined to take to his grave, since he knows it will never be reciprocated. With their design firm thriving across two continents, Rhys finds himself content burying his heartache in a string of meaningless, casual sex arrangements. Until the night everything changes.
When Wade Tucker stumbles upon his best friend calling out his name as he pleasures himself, he knows his relationship with Rhys will never be the same again. A year later, the memory of what Wade saw is still branded in his mind and his feelings for Rhys have evolved into something he never anticipated. As tension mounts and the relationship between the two business partners becomes increasingly strained, things finally come to a head the night Wade follows Rhys and discovers him with another man.
After an explosive confrontation, Wade makes Rhys a proposition he can’t refuse: that they try things out for six weeks. Six weeks of exploring a side of each other they never knew before. Six weeks of torrid kisses and sultry touches. Six weeks of screamingly good, scorching hot sex. Six weeks of utterly losing themselves to one another.
But as the end of their proposition looms in sight, can Wade persuade Rhys that he wants more? Or will Rhys’s deep-seated fears stop him from fully surrendering his heart and soul to the one man he thought he could never have?
EXCERPT:
Rhys opened the door of his condo and felt a draft of air on the back of his neck as Wade came in behind him. Rhys shrugged out of his coat, dropped it on a hook on the stand in the foyer, and turned to glare at the hulking figure standing silently a few feet from him.
Rhys folded his arms across his chest. “Well? What do you have to say for yourself?” he said coldly.
Wade took his coat off, threw it on the stand, and stormed past Rhys, his gorgeous face set in grim lines. Rhys ground his teeth together and turned to follow him into the lounge. Wade strode to the bar next to the floor-to-ceiling glass wall overlooking the terrace that wrapped around the condo, poured himself a Scotch, and downed it.
Despite the maelstrom of emotions that had been roaring through Rhys since the moment he’d seen Wade in Saron’s restroom, he couldn’t help but admire the way Wade’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed angrily.
Why couldn’t he just look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame for one goddamn second?
Rhys still couldn’t believe Wade had been there tonight. That Wade had seen him kissing Michael. That Wade had pulled Michael off him as if he had prior claim to Rhys himself, a claim Wade openly asserted when he said he was Rhys’s partner.
Rhys closed his eyes briefly before tugging at his necktie.
Well, that cat is well and truly out of the bag now. He knows I’m gay.
On the tail end of that thought came an unsettling realization.
And he doesn’t seem in the least bit bothered by it.
Not that Rhys thought for one minute Wade would act like a homophobe. It was just that admitting his sexuality to him would have put Wade a step closer to one day realizing that Rhys had feelings for him.
Another wave of guilt washed over Rhys when he recalled Michael’s expression while he’d been trying to convince the lawyer that he was going to be okay. As Michael finally left the club’s restroom, Rhys couldn’t miss the hurt look in his eyes when he’d cast a final glance at Wade. It had to be obvious to Michael that he bore a striking resemblance to the man who had barged in on the two of them and who stood glaring at the lawyer as if he were a child killer.
A heavy silence had fallen between Rhys and Wade after the door swung close behind Michael. Rhys had hesitated before heading for the exit. A hand had closed around his wrist in an iron grip before he could reach it, halting him in his tracks.
“Where are you going?” Wade said silkily.
Rhys’s heart pounded erratically as he looked from where Wade’s fingers lay against his skin, to the stormy blue eyes boring into him. He knew Wade could feel his racing pulse where he was touching him.
“Back to my apartment,” Rhys said in as stony a voice as he could muster.
“I’m coming with you,” Wade said gruffly.
“I didn’t expect anything less,” Rhys retorted.
To Rhys’s shock, Wade had kept a firm grip on his hand as they headed back into the club, as if he were afraid Rhys would run off and disappear into the night. And he didn’t let go even after they got in a cab and headed over to Rhys’s place. In fact, it wasn’t until they entered the lift that would take them up to the apartment that Wade finally relinquished his deadly hold on Rhys’s arm, the strained hush between them since they’d left the club’s restroom still in place.
Wade finished his drink, wiped his lips with the back of his hand, and turned to stare at Rhys.
“Why did you never tell me you were gay?”
Rhys swallowed a sigh. Here we go. “Because it’s none of your business.”
A muscle jumped in Wade’s cheek. “I’m your best friend.”
Rhys shrugged. “So? That doesn’t give you the right to know about my sex life.”
“It does when I’m the subject of your fuck fantasies!” Wade roared.
“It does when I’m the subject of your fuck fantasies!” Wade roared.
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BUY LINKS: AMAZON (US) | AMAZON (UK) | AMAZON (CA) | AMAZON (AU)
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
Readers looking for a bit of afternoon delight will get just that with this m/m-fueled friends to lovers romance. Teeming with eroticism readers will be left parched and blushing, courtesy of the numerous erotic encounters driving this story to its satisfying conclusion, while enjoying the friendship between two men caught off guard by new and unexpected feelings. From the first page to the last readers will be caught up in a sensual haze that makes this an enjoyable addition to the Nights series.
Rhys and Wade have been friends for years, sharing a business and supporting each other unconditionally. Something’s changed within the last year though, feelings and secrets come to light that are slowly changing everything. Will their friendship survive or will giving in to temptation mean the end of their closeness? It’s an important question that gives both of them pause, but not enough to keep them from scorching up the sheets in one encounter after another. This is a story full of endless foreplay that had a lot of style but only a bit of substance. Readers don’t get too deep of a glimpse into either of these men. We get the most basic of facts while enjoying their fun and flirty banter. There’s only a moment of angst in a story that’s otherwise all about their changing friendship and their time spent between the sheets. While I love stories that give a lot of bang for my buck, I would’ve loved to have gotten to know more about these characters on their own. While the glimpses of them from earlier books in this series intrigued me, I felt a bit cheated here as we still don’t know much more about them than before. That’s not to say that they’re not likable though, because they definitely are. Their interactions brought a smile to my face as they were full of charm and playfulness. They’re different in looks and demeanor but these differences carried into the bedroom to make their interludes even hotter in scenes that left me exhausted.
On a whole this was an entertaining read, a carefree one that didn’t require me to think. I merely sat back and became captivated by the numerous erotic encounters. I enjoyed the main characters and was rooting for them every step of the way as their friendship evolved into something more intense. While this novella is a nice addition to Ms. Salinger’s series it’s not an earth-shattering one. It’s the kind of story you read for pure escapism and at that it succeeds beautifully and it’s one I recommend to readers looking for a bit of steamy fun.
Rhys and Wade have been friends for years, sharing a business and supporting each other unconditionally. Something’s changed within the last year though, feelings and secrets come to light that are slowly changing everything. Will their friendship survive or will giving in to temptation mean the end of their closeness? It’s an important question that gives both of them pause, but not enough to keep them from scorching up the sheets in one encounter after another. This is a story full of endless foreplay that had a lot of style but only a bit of substance. Readers don’t get too deep of a glimpse into either of these men. We get the most basic of facts while enjoying their fun and flirty banter. There’s only a moment of angst in a story that’s otherwise all about their changing friendship and their time spent between the sheets. While I love stories that give a lot of bang for my buck, I would’ve loved to have gotten to know more about these characters on their own. While the glimpses of them from earlier books in this series intrigued me, I felt a bit cheated here as we still don’t know much more about them than before. That’s not to say that they’re not likable though, because they definitely are. Their interactions brought a smile to my face as they were full of charm and playfulness. They’re different in looks and demeanor but these differences carried into the bedroom to make their interludes even hotter in scenes that left me exhausted.
On a whole this was an entertaining read, a carefree one that didn’t require me to think. I merely sat back and became captivated by the numerous erotic encounters. I enjoyed the main characters and was rooting for them every step of the way as their friendship evolved into something more intense. While this novella is a nice addition to Ms. Salinger’s series it’s not an earth-shattering one. It’s the kind of story you read for pure escapism and at that it succeeds beautifully and it’s one I recommend to readers looking for a bit of steamy fun.
My rating for this is a C+
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
AUTHOR INFO:
Ava Marie Salinger is the pen name of an Amazon bestselling thriller author who has always wanted to write scorching hot contemporary and erotic romance. In 2017, she finally decided to venture to the steamy side. NIGHTS is the first of several sizzling series featuring sweet, sexy men and women with dark pasts and a whole lot of love to give to the ones brave enough to fight for their hearts. When she’s not dreaming up hotties to write about, you’ll find Ava creating kickass music playlists to write to, spying on the wildlife in her garden, drooling over gadgets, and eating Chinese.
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