Reviewed by Roberta
TITLE: Family Ties
AUTHOR: Lisa Gray
PUBLISHER: JMS books, LLC
LENGTH: 81,606 Words
BLURB:
Danny Carmody has lived life privileged but lonely. He has always sacrificed his own needs to meet the demands of his family. Now he is faced with an arranged marriage intended to reunite the Carmodys and the Dwyers, the city’s two most powerful families. Out of his sense of duty, he agrees. But always a romantic at heart, he secretly nurtures hopes of finding love within this sterile business arrangement. Once he meets his intended groom, Evan — a talented, attractive architect — those hopes soar.
Evan Dwyer has grown up reviled by his family. Before he was even born, his mother was blamed for breaking up a planned marriage between the Carmodys and the Dwyers. As a result, both Evan and his mother have lived their lives in virtual exile. But now he has suddenly been deemed of use to the families, and they are blackmailing him into participating in the arranged marriage.
Furious, he reaches out to the FBI for help and finds only more complications. Too many people want to use him to advance their own agendas. By the time Evan realizes Danny might just be the safe harbor he’s looked for all his life, it may well be too late. Evan has set in motion forces that threaten to destroy any hope they have for a future together.
REVIEW:
Well, this book sounded so interesting to me, that I had to pick it up and see why I was so intrigued by it. I’m glad that I did.
Evan Dwyer is the “illegitimate” son of Jamison Dwyer and Simone-a French, ex-pat who fell in love and left France to be with the one she loved. Evan has always been made to feel and to be known that the Dwyer family hated him and his mother. That they weren’t good enough for the Dwyer family. Evan has survived his entire life without the help of the Dwyer family and he’s made a pretty good life for himself. He’s an architect who has started his own business and has the opportunity to put him on the map. Evan is this really great guy who is kind and so lovable. Evan is so sweet and just wants to live his life. He wants to take care of his mother and maybe find a guy who’ll love him.
Danny Carmody is the heir apparent to the Carmody fortune. He is an openly gay man who is trying to live his life as best as possible. He owns his own publishing firm and just wants to be left alone. Instead, he’s pulled into the family business by his mother, Nessa. An arrange marriage that will unite the Carmody and Dwyer families. Danny is such sweet guy. He just wants to live a life of pure authenticity. To have someone who loves him and he loves in return. Danny has this family that he loves and yet, he can’t be on his own the way he’d like. So many responsibilities that being a Carmody brings with it.
The cast of characters in this book are something else. Nessa Carmody, Danny’s mother is a business woman who’s mind is as sharp as a steel trap. She will do whatever it takes to make sure that her family comes out on top of every situation. Katie Carmody, is the 13 year old sister of Danny. Katie is a sweet young woman who just wants her big brother to be happy and to also have some fun. To be a young lady. Colin Dwyer is Evan’s grandfather and he’s a thug. A mean-spirited and very hateful man. He has no redeeming qualities at all. Sean Dwyer is about the same as Colin, however, he’s the bully of Evan’s childhood. He’s also a jerk who feels that he’s going to bring the Dwyer family into the future by making a business dealings with a Russian crime family. Jerk!! Sharon and Mellie Dwyer are bit characters that are Evan’s cousins as well. Just as mean spirited as the men in their family. Lacey is Evan’s assistant and best friend. Such a sweet woman who loves Evan and has his back. Agent Jablonski is a FBI agent with a vengeance against the Carmody family and will use Evan to get what he wants. Simone is Evan’s mother and she’s a sweet woman. She has early onset Alzheimer’s. She thinks that Evan is his father, Jamison. There’s also Vadim and Valentina are in the Russian Crime Family who wants a deal with the Dwyer’s, yet of course, it’s going to be a double cross. Never trust the Russian Mob!!
There is small amount of sex in this book. It’s not very explicit and it is actually really sweet. The sex that they do have is sweet and intimate. It was beautiful to watch as the relationship grows between these two men. The way they came together was sweet and it took time. A slow burn to get them there.
I had an issue with Evan and Agent Jablonski. Agent Jablonski was a jerk the entire time to Evan and yet, he still helped him-ish. Everything about Agent Jablonski SCREAMED Don’t Trust Him and Evan kept going back to him and didn’t ask to speak to someone higher up on the food chain. That bothered me that he didn’t get any real assurances from Jablonski. Even when things seemed to be wrong, he trusted him. Maybe that was just me, but that storyline bothered me in the worst way.
This book was a fun read. I really enjoyed reading about these two men who should be broken and yet, they weren’t. They may have been bent, but they stood strong and followed their own paths. They have such wonderful people in their corners that only wanted the best for them. This story was sweet and really took you into the lives of Danny and Evan. You wanted these guys to get their HEA and they really did have to earn it.
RATING: 
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