Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Damage Control 
SERIES: North Shore Stories
AUTHOR: Lynn Van Dorn
NARRATOR: Michael Ferraiuolo
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 18 hours and 58 minutes
RELEASE DATE: June 19, 2019
BLURB:
Everything to lose.
Tyler’s worked hard to kick the dust of the Chicago suburbs off his heels and move on with his life as Hollywood’s newest up-and-comer, burying his demons and hiding his scars from the world. Just as everything seems to be going his way, a scandal from his past threatens everything he’s worked for. Now, he’s stuck back home, where his family of lawyers can maybe help sink the scandal and find out who’s behind it.
Afraid to love.
Josh doesn’t know what to think when his ex’s little brother falls into his arms, other than that Tyler is trouble with a capital T. But when Tyler’s publicist suggests that an adoring fake boyfriend might be just the ticket to saving Tyler’s acting career, Josh doesn’t mind playing along. It’s not like he has anything else going on, and faking a relationship with someone you’ve known your entire life can’t possibly be that difficult.
A second chance for two damaged hearts.
Now, they’re stuck together for the foreseeable future, and neither can deny their mounting attraction. Why should they? They’re supposed to be in love, at least out in public. But in private, when no one is watching, Tyler and Josh grow closer in a way that has nothing to do with their agreed upon arrangement. What do they do when make-believe becomes real, and how can two men with such different lives have a shared future?
Damage Control is a steamy, stand-alone gay romance with no cliffhanger and an HEA.
REVIEW:
Note: There are discussions and descriptions of self-harm, prior rape, suicide attempt, abuse and domestic violence in this story.
Tyler is an up and coming actor, but his career is about to be derailed by the leaking of a video of him being spit-roasted by two football players while he was a cheerleader in high school. Never mind that all three guys were underage and thus technically this is kiddie porn. Tyler has a movie coming out soon that he’s supposed to do press for, but now this little problem is causing problems. He’s escaped to his family’s lake house in Wisconsin when he’s startled by someone. He falls into the lake, cuts his arm and is rescued by the person who startles him – none other than his oldest brother’s former best friend and secret lover, Dr. Josh Rosen. When Tyler comes to, Josh is concerned about the cut on his arm and wants to take him to the hospital, but he’s lost his glasses, his phone and he’s a bit drunk. Tyler does not want to go to the hospital because of the aforementioned scandal. So they agree to call Tyler’s brother Brad – who is a surgeon and marrying Josh’s sister soon.
Brad patches Tyler up and Tyler’s team is called in to help him decide how to proceed. They decide he needs a fake boyfriend to give him some stability/credibility and Josh seems the most likely candidate. Josh is Ok with it although Rachel, his sister is not keen on the idea. She hasn’t been a fan of Tyler, although she admits that she hasn’t had all the facts until quite recently, but she’s still worried about her brother who was jerked around by the third Chadwick brother, Ryan, for years. Josh is finally seeming to get over Ryan, but this will just pull him back into the Chadwick orbit, which she doesn’t think is a good idea. There’s also the little tiny secret of Josh being Tyler’s teenage crush/fantasy.
Tyler and Josh have their own ideas, though and the “fake” and real lines of their relationship get blurred pretty quickly. Josh finds that Tyler is really nothing like he originally thought. While he might look like a slender blue-haired elf, he’s got a strong will. And he’s experienced things and overcome things that leave Josh a bit in awe. He’s worried that the stress of the situation will drive Tyler back to self-destructive behaviors. He’s got a few good friends though, including his PA Purvee and his ex Ethan who help keep him steady. He’s got Brad and to some degree Ryan – although Ryan proves to be somewhat problematic as well.
Things seem to be going according to plan, but then there is an incident at Tyler’s California house. And the paparazzi harass Josh as well back in Evanston. And there is also the issue of an abusive ex and a huge family secret that affects Tyler as well. It all kind of comes to a head at Rachel and Brad’s wedding and the lid gets blown off of a lot of things. The question is can Tyler and Josh weather the storm and find a way through together, or will they have to go their separate ways?
This is the first book I’ve read by Lynn Van Dorn and I really liked it. It kind of had a lot going on, but it was really well done. Tyler has gone through so much and to be honest, I loved that even with how screwed up his adolescence was that he was able to develop into a pretty well functioning adult. He had a lot to work through and some bad relationships, but he is able to open up with Josh in a way he hasn’t with many people. I won’t say he exorcised his demons, because I don’t think they really ever go away, but he’s able to handle them and develop healthier habits and the ability to communicate more honestly which is more than half the battle. Josh hasn’t had the same kind of battles as Tyler, but he has let an unrequited past desire rule and taint his relationships. When he is finally able to see that what he thought he had never really existed except in his head and that it wasn’t at all healthy for him, he’s able to let go of that desire and see what’s right in front of him. The great thing is that while they butt heads, they also each bring out the better man in each other. There were plenty of people to be mad at in this story as well and there are also a LOT of busybodies trying to tell both Josh and Tyler what they should and should not do. Thankfully it seems Tyler and Josh have their own ideas 🙂 I love how they each loved and protected and defended the other 😀 As usual, Michael Ferraiuolo does and amazing job. There are a LOT of characters in this one – both male and female. The voice choices were varied and interesting. He always provides humor and pathos in his narration and this is no exception. I am really interested to listen to book 2, because Ryan really needs to figure his life out too! Highly recommended and I can’t wait for the next book!
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