REVIEW BY: Christie

TITLE: Lord of a Thousand Steps

SERIES: Love in Laguna, Book 4

AUTHOR: Tara Lain

NARRATOR: K. C. Kelly

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 7h 42m

RELEASE DATE: December 12, 2016

BLURB:

To architecture student Ian Carney, family means everything. Taken in by his brother, Jim, when his father threw him out at 18 for being gay, Ian yearns to create his own family with his boyfriend, Rico. But Rico’s in Mexico caring for a sick father, Ian hasn’t had sex in a month and a half, and his gorgeous boss, Braden Lord, CEO of the architectural firm Ian interns for, is looking better and better. Braden’s life is chaos. Just out of the closet and going through an ugly divorce from his wife of 15 years who’s trying to take custody of his two children, he desperately resolves not to succumb to a completely inappropriate attraction to Ian – even though his kids adore both the man and his crazy cat. When Rico proves to be a snake in the grass and Ian exercises his powers of seduction, what starts as a friends with benefits fling turns into real life real fast. Can Ian give up his romantic dreams for an old guy who didn’t come out until he carried a mountain of baggage?

REVIEW:

Having read and listened to three Love in Laguna books by Tara Lain, I simply *had* to get my hands on this audiobook. This time, however, I waited to read the book until after listening to the audio (much like I did with book 3, Prince of the Playhouse). What a great story! I absolutely loved it.

Ian Carney basically has it all at the moment: A loving and devoted boyfriend, full ride to college care of his older brother Jim and fiance Ken, and even a great internship at one of the best architecture firms in California. Such a long way from his life 3 years ago when he was kicked out after coming out to his dad. But as I said, life has been going wonderfully for Ian lately. So, what could possibly go wrong, right? Well, a whole lot, in fact.

Rico is suddenly called to Mexico in order to take care of his gravely ill father, with no return date in sight. To make matters worse, Rico barely talks to Ian while helping his father. Even his texts are infrequent, and when they do come, a bit terse. Poor Ian hasn’t had sex in weeks and is going stir crazy both from hard core missing Rico and longing for his return.

One of the architecture firm’s most important clients has taken a shine to Ian and asks that he work with the CEO of the firm on a new development project she wants done. Which is absolutely a huge honor, but makes things really hard for Ian (literally *winks*) because Braden Lord (aka the firm’s CEO) is out of this world gorgeous. And super nice to boot. Tho his life is essentially in shambles at the moment since he finally realized he was gay after many years of marriage to a (psychotic) woman which resulted in two children, and is now going thru one very contentious divorce.

In a chance meeting at the beach, Braden and his children run into Ian and his sweet but huge cat and the kids instantly take to both feline and man. Adding to the fray the fact that Braden is hopelessly attracted to Ian, and you have a recipe either for destruction or lifelong love. The only hitch is Rico. But, when Rico ends up being a cowardly snake in the grass, all bets are off, so to speak.

Can Braden navigate thru his extremely messy divorce, with minimal damage? What about Braden and Ian? Can an intern and CEO at the same company begin and cultivate a lasting relationship? What about Braden’s kids? How do they feel about their dad having a relationship with a man, especially Ian?

Please do yourself a favor and get this book, whether it be ebook, paperback, or audiobook. It will be totally worth it. The relationship between Ian and Braden, from simply coworkers to more is wonderful. The interaction between Braden’s kids and Ian gets me in the feels so hard! Ian really does have a way with children, and the way he cares for them is simply breathtaking.

It’s even better in the audio version, because K. C. Kelly perfectly captures the emotion behind Tara’s words. And, son of a gun if Tara didn’t make me cry yet again during one of her books. Lady, you are a beast in the best, most talented way possible. Well done, yet again.

RATING:

BUY LINKS:

Audible

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press