Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Second Place

SERIES: Matchmakers #3

AUTHOR: G.R. Lyons

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 306 pages

RELEASE DATE:  July 24, 2016

BLURB:

*Also available as part of Matchmakers: A Shifting Isles Trilogy (ISBN 978-1534740860)***
Danny Berringer lives up to the name of his nightclub. Ever since he cheated on Bryan, the love of his life, he’s been making up for it by helping others find love. He even matched up Bryan with Eric Grant, except Bryan’s perfect marriage seems to have fallen apart, and Danny is dying to know why. He doesn’t get couples wrong. Ever.
Bryan Landry had his heart broken by Danny, then had it put back together by Eric, but he can’t have Eric anymore, and it’s all his fault. He spends his nights at Matchmakers having random tricks and trying to avoid Danny, but the meddlesome matchmaker won’t leave him be.
Thrown together through guilt, death, and temptation, Bryan denies his feelings while Danny clings to dreams of Bryan’s forgiveness. Will Danny always lose, or can he win second place in Bryan’s heart?

REVIEW:

Gah this book GUTTED me! Holy shit! But it was soooo good! The way the author weaves you into these stories. I was excited to see that Danny was going to get his story in this book. I was hoping for a happily ever after, but wasn’t sure how it was going to happen when the one love of his life he lost and he set him up with another man. Man, what a story.

Matchmakers owner Danyel, Danny, to everyone, has been fixing people up for years. And those he throws together usually marry or stay in committed relationships. They are always so happy. But Danny can’t seem to do that for himself. He had his happily ever after once, but he screwed it up when he cheated. So he gave Bryan to another man who would be perfect for him. And Danny has had to watch from afar as they lived their happily ever after. But Danny has been noticing that Bryan has been coming in by himself and always hooking up with someone different each night. And that’s not like Bryan. Bryan wasn’t a cheater and his love for Eric has left Danny confused as to what he’s doing. But Bryan doesn’t want to talk about it. All Bryan wants is to forget, but he feels so guilty at what he’s doing. He loves Eric with all his heart, but he knows Eric won’t be with him anymore and it’s killing him. Danny keeps pushing to find out what’s going on and he finally finds out. And it shocks him to his core. He feels as lost as Bryan looks but does everything he can to help. No matter what it’s costing him to be around them both.

I have been hoping for Danny to get his happy since book 1. I’ve watched him as he’s watched Bryan from a distance with Eric and being so torn up. Even though he pushed them together, he’s still so in love with Bryan he’s just kept to himself. He doesn’t date or anything. Of course the bar keeps him busy too, but still. And it kills me because Danny is such an amazing man. Yes he goofed. He cheated. But dang you can’t help but forgive him even though you want to choke him for it. He’s such a second father to so many of his boys, he’s there for so many people. He gives and gives and gives of himself to the point there’s almost nothing left. And he still keeps giving. He just wishes he wouldn’t have screwed up with Bryan.

Bryan is…phew. I feel for the poor man. He’s still in love with Danny. Despite being very much in love with his husband Eric, there’s still love there for Danny. It never went away. But Danny hurt him so bad. So when he was pushed together with Eric, it was a whirlwind. But he was so happy. He pushed what Danny did on the back burner and enjoyed his life with Eric. Until one disastrous night, and his world fell apart. He’s trying to keep going by pushing himself with tricks every night, but the guilt is killing him. He doesn’t want to be with anyone but Eric, but he can’t have that anymore. Eric won’t let him. And Danny persisting to know what is going on is pushing him to the brink. Between his love for both men, he’s had all he can take. He’s had to let Danny back into his life and as Danny sees what’s going on, everything finally comes out in the open. And I cried like a big ol’ baby. Holy crap, with what that boy is dealing with and trying to keep going, it will gut you like a fish. It gives you a new respect for Bryan. And I long for him to have a happy ending as well. Even if it’s with someone else.

These two. I want them to just be together and never have had to break apart. But then Bryan wouldn’t have had all those happy years with Eric. And yet Danny has been miserable without Bryan. So it has just sucked. Because it’s a catch 22 with them. It seem like no matter which way they turn, SOMEONE is going to get screwed. And it happens. And it is horrifying. But sometimes life has to happen in a different way we planned in order to put us back to where we belong. It has to put us through the wringer most times. But to get to the next place, the second place, we have to wade through the crap. And hopefully come out better in the end. This book will rip you apart in so many ways, but it is so worth it. Please read this series. I hope you get the enjoyment out of it I did. I know this is a series I will be rereading over the years.

RATING: 

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