How Not To Sin
LOVESTRONG Series, Book 3
Susan Hawke
M/M Romance
Release Date: 02.20.19
BLURB
One regular guy who happens to be a preacher…
Reverend Dr. Gabe Samson doesn’t think he’s better than any of the people in his church, so please don’t put him on a pedestal. While he’s never hidden the fact that he identifies as bisexual, he’s never acted on it either. Gabe isn’t happy to learn that the sole reason he was hired to pastor the LGBT-friendly church was that the ruling elders wanted a safe poster child for inclusivity—in other words, they wanted the rainbow flag without letting it fly.
Plus one easygoing, new age kinda guy…
Seth Thomas owns Holistic Healing, a metaphysical shop and yoga studio. He’s never really been a relationship kinda guy, but only because he hasn’t met the right man yet. Seth is laid back and goes with the flow. When fate drops a hot preacher in his lap, why wouldn’t he accept the gift?
Equals a pair of men who click from the start.
The two men find it almost too easy to get together, especially Gabe, who is fully embracing his bi side for the first time. Nothing in life is simple though. While Gabe and Seth are busy falling in love, they face an anti-gay hate group, a divided church, and a ruling elder who is hell-bent on sowing discord. Between Gabe’s patient wisdom and Seth’s snark, the pair fight the growing drama with the strongest weapons in their arsenal: love and humor.
This is the third book in the LOVESTRONG series about finding love and being yourself in a small town, and the third in series. Intended only for 18+ readers, this is an mm romance full of all the fun, fluff, and feels you’d want from an S. Hawke book.
Note: This isn’t a trigger warning, but please be prepared for a few instances of ignorance and hate speech, and mentions of violence. This is a romance, not a sermon—but please keep in mind that the main character is a pastor dealing with real-life issues in his church and these truths are reflected in Gabe.
Leaning forward, I pressed my lips to his and rolled him onto his back, moving with him until I was stretched over his body. When I broke the kiss, I sat up and straddled his hips as I caught his hands in mine. Gazing into his eyes, I knew that I’d meant every word of my flippant proposal.
“Gabriel H. Samson—wait, hold on a sec… what does the H stand for? I feel like I should know this, shouldn’t I?”
Gabe rolled his eyes. “Oh, no. We are so not going there. It’s bad enough that both my first name and my surname can be found in the Bible, I’m not giving you the ammunition that my mother’s apparent fondness of bodice-ripping romances at the time of my birth would provide.”
“Now see, you can’t just say that and not tell me. I really have to know now—so we can do this the easy way or the hard way. And by that I mean, either you can tell me, or I’ll tie you to the bed while I go and read your driver’s license.” I was laughing as I spoke, which completely took the sting out of my threat. I was laughing so hard, I totally missed what Gabe said as he mumbled something. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that? This time I’ll shut up so I can actually hear you.”
“You’re so lucky that I love you. Promise you’ll never use this against me?”
“I promise nothing of the sort. After all, I can’t very well make a promise when I don’t know what’s at stake. Now come on, time’s a wastin’.”
Gabe closed his eyes, wincing as he spoke. “Heathcliff. My complete name is Gabriel Heathcliff Samson.”
I stared at him for several seconds before I erupted in laughter. “That is both the best and worst name I’ve ever heard—almost. Why in the world would you keep that a secret? Heathcliff, dahling… might we take a walk along the moor?” When I started laughing again, Gabe tried to get his hands free of my grip, but I held on tight. When he then tried to either buck me off him or roll me over, I dug in with my knees and fought to stay in place while I caught my breath.
“Sorry about that. If it makes you feel better, I’ll tell you my own dirty little secret.” I was still so breathless from laughing that my words were coming out in a rush. “Seth is my middle name. My actual first name is Winston. Winston Seth Thomas, at your service. I’d love to know what my mother was thinking, but she died when I was too young to care what my name was.”
Gabe snickered, whether because my name was that funny or because he needed payback, I couldn’t say. He frowned thoughtfully and spoke with all seriousness as he began questioning me. “Wait, so is that Winston as in Churchill? Or Winston as in Winston-Salem?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle along with him. “Neither. It’s Winston as in you Winston, you lose some.”
“Come on, you can do better than that. That ridiculous pun was beneath you, angel.” Gabe groaned, rolling his eyes dramatically.
“Really? Well, if you’d prefer, I’m sure I can come up with some Jane Eyre puns if you want, Heathcliff.” I bent to steal a kiss before he could say anything else.
As an avid reader and big romance fan myself, I love sharing the stories of the different people who live in my imagination. My stories are filled with humor, a few tears, and the underlying message to not give up hope, even in the darkest of times, because life can change on a dime when you least expect it. This theme comes from a lifetime of lessons learned on my own hard journey through the pains of poverty, the loss of more loved ones than I’d care to count, and the struggles of living through chronic illnesses. Life can be hard, but it can also be good! Through it all I’ve found that love, laughter, and family can make all the difference, and that’s what I try to bring to every tale I tell.
I’m a happily married mom with one snarky teenage boy, and three grown “kids of my heart.” I’m more widely known for my mpreg writings as Susi Hawke; this new name is a departure from that. Whether written by Susan or Susi, the books are filled with that all-important love, laughter, and family I mentioned; the only difference is that this name has no male pregnancy. I look forward to sharing my stories with you, and to bringing more romance and laughter into this world that needs it so very badly.
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