Lord of a Thousand Steps(Love in Laguna #4)
By Tara LainBlurb:
To architecture student Ian Carney, family means everything. Taken in by his brother, Jim, when his father threw him out at eighteen 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 fifteen 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? It’ll only take a thousand steps.
Loving All Books the Best – And A Couple a Little Bit More
Hi. I’m Tara Lain. I write the Beautiful Boys of Romance and today I’m delighted to share my new release, Lord of a Thousand Steps. This is the fourth book in my most popular series, Love in Laguna. It’s a standalone story, but does share some characters with previous books for those who love the series.
I’ve happily told people that this book is a favorite of mine, but what does that mean to an author? I say books are like kids. We love them all the best. So how can a few stand out? I think readers can relate. Think of your favorite books. That’s probably a long list, but even then, there may be a small handful that really leap into your mind because they touched something personal. Maybe something you especially love – or hate. That’s how it is with books you write. Sometimes an author’s favorite books are the same as her readers – like I adore Knight of Ocean Avenue and Fire Balls, which are two of my most popular stories with readers. But I really love Tackling the Tight End, which wasn’t as successful with readers. I love the Native American mysticism and the concept of the Two Spirit that truly captivated me because it doesn’t just appreciate the androgyny of a person – it celebrates it. I adored writing that story.
And that brings me to Lord of a Thousand Steps. I really love this book. So why? Well, the hero (Ian Carney who we first met as the kid brother in Knave of Broken Hearts) is a sassy, confident young architecture student who has his insecurities, but rises above them. My other hero, Braden Lord, is a successful architect and my honey in real life is also an architect. Braden took a long time to come out – a lot of men do – and is now struggling to keep his kids in a bitter divorce. I LOVE those kids, especially his little girl. She leaps off the page. Also, Ian owns one of my all-time fave cats – Anderson Cooper – who plays a big role in the story. I love cats – all animals really – and adored writing about Anderson. Plus, this book takes place at Thousand Steps Beach, a real place in South Laguna, California. My honey proposed to me on that beach! So what’s not to like? I hope you love Lord of a Thousand Steps.
“Yeah. Well, maybe it’ll help me grow up and stop looking for romance on every street corner, you know? Just about the time I moved in with my brother, he fell for Ken, and I think that warped my perspective. They’re so happy. But I guess I haven’t kissed enough frogs yet.”
Braden sucked wine up his nose and gargled. “Mmft, I shall cherish my new amphibian category.” Although it kind of stung.
“Oh, hell no. That’s not what I meant.” He shook his head wildly. “Actually, you’re the antiamphibian.”
Braden laughed. “Okay, explain.”
“I mean, you’re the shoot-for-the-moon guy. The prince’s prince. But you’re so far out of my league, you won’t tempt me to hope.” He grinned. “I can be your secret blowjob guy, your fuck buddy, while you’re getting yourself out of your marriage. You won’t have to worry about some random spy photographer catching you in the throes with me. Hell, if they see us together, you have a perfect reason to be with me. Combination design mentee and babysitter.”
Braden’s head spun. This made weird sense—and gave him a bellyache. “What do you get out of it?”
“Are you kidding? Sex with the hottest dude on two feet—and a break from fairy-tale romance.”
His mouth opened—and closed. Try again. “Uh, are you sure about this?”
Ian’s grin faded. “Okay, I’m more beat-up than I’m letting on. But I really like you. If we go into this with eyes open and solemnly promise that when one of us finds a realistic boyfriend we can still work together, then I’m in. But seriously, I don’t want to jeopardize my job. I love working for Lord and Kendrick. If you think I’m kidding myself, say so.”
Kidding? Fuck, they’d both lost their minds.
Love in Laguna Series
Thanks for sharing what makes your favorite books special to you & thanks for the excerpt!
Thank you so much for welcoming me and my guys! Delighted to be here. : )
I haven’t read this series but adding to list.
I have not read this series but it does look interesting!
I really liked ‘Love You So Hard’ so I’m really looking forward to reading this new series.
I have only read the 1st book in this series which was excellent!
Congrats on your next book in the series. I loved Knight of the Ocean and look forward to continuing in the series.
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