Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Realize

SERIES: Men of Hidden Creek season 4 #2

AUTHOR: Susan Hawke

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 269 pages 

RELEASE DATE: August 23, 2019

BLURB:

“What we have can’t be faked.”

Max Jackson’s life is pretty close to perfect—except that he’s secretly in love with his straight best friend and roommate. He’s got his dream job and a family he secretly pretends are his own. But they aren’t… no matter how much he might wish it were true.

After the tragic death of his wife, Parker Wilson didn’t have time to wallow in grief—not when he had two young children to raise. He’s not looking for romance or a new partner. He doesn’t need one anyway… he has his life-long buddy Max to help him through every struggle.

When Parker loses his job and can’t afford his daughter’s pricey insulin, Max suggests fake marriage for insurance coverage. Since he’s already a second parent to Parker’s cute kids, it should be easy… until the marriage becomes a little too real.

Welcome to Hidden Creek, Texas, where the heart knows what it wants, and where true love lives happily ever after. Every Men of Hidden Creek novel can be read on its own, but keep an eye out for familiar faces around town! This book contains dad jokes, a pair of kids that will steal your heart, and more heat than a Texas summer.

REVIEW:

Oh this book made me so happy happy. Don’t get me wrong, there are some very sad moments. The whole first chapter knocks you for a loop. But one of the main characters ends up realizing he’s demisexual and I relate to that. I’m I guess Demi/ace. For me it’s all about the intimacy, the bonds, and I was so happy to see that in this book. Sure the sex is a good thing. But it’s what’s built in everyday life. Even if there’s fighting or disagreements, the underlying foundation and bond helps to work past that. And that’s what we had in this book. And I loved every page.

Parker loses almost everything the night of the big fire. He and his wife had gotten everyone out safely but she had to go back in for the cat. Neither made it back out. And if it wasn’t for his best friend, Max, he wouldn’t have been able to go on and be a parent for his two kids. He and Max had been best friends since they were little and they always had each other’s backs. Max didn’t hesitate to bring them home and Max’s family was Parker’s family as well. They took him in as one of their own and his babies too. But his wife’s death wasn’t the only problem. His daughter was now diabetic and he lost his job. How was he supposed to take care of his babies now? He was so tired of feeling like he was relying on Max for everything. When his daughter had to go to the hospital for high sugar levels, the nurse recommended they get married. Everyone thought they were together anyway. And Max’s insurance would cover everything his daughter needed. But could Parker do it? The gender wasn’t a question. He didn’t care about that or about what others thought. But could he be in a FAKE marriage to Max? Could he even get married again? He decides yes, but as their relationship grows, Max brings up a point about Parker that made Parker realize a lot about himself. And that may have changed everything.

Oh my gah, I love all these guys. Max and Parker are just *sigh*. Yeah, just perfect. Max is a goofball. Parker thinks too much and they balance each other out. The kids are pistols and I think my favorite side character is Max’s sister DJ. Well, it’s a tossup between her and his mom. Oh mam, those two. They pull no punches and razz those two like you would not believe and it’s the funniest damn thing. This is seriously one of the best friends-to-lovers stories I’ve read in awhile. I hung on every page waiting to see what would happen. And Max is full of the dad jokes, let me tell you. 

There are moments of tears. As I said, the first chapter is a killer. There are moments later on, not so bad, but still and definitely moments of happy tears. Especially the end. It’s another great installment in this series and I’m happy I’ve gotten to read it.

RATING: 

BUY LINK: 

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