REVIEWED by Jen B.
TITLE: Falling Together
SERIES: The Den Boys
AUTHOR: A.T. Brennan
PUBLISHER: A.T. Brennan
LENGTH: 319 Pages
RELEASE DATE: April 14, 2020
BLURB:
I’ve been in a fog for the past year. Haven’t really felt like myself in the last six. ~ Tristan
Losing my best friend in a war I hadn’t understood, fighting for a military that had cast me out when I’d outlived my usefulness, had sent me on a path of self-destruction. Now, four years later, I had my life back on track. Or so it would seem. I had a job I liked at a bar where my coworkers had become my family, but there was always something missing that kept me from ever feeling true happiness. A trip back to my hometown to try and find closure was supposed to have been a promise I kept to a friend, but it turned into so much more the moment I met my best friend’s brother.
Max is the opposite of what I’d pictured and exactly what I’ve always wanted. I know I needed to keep my distance to keep him safe, but when he offers me a job at his family’s inn, I’m powerless to do anything other than agree.
It didn’t matter how hard I worked or how much I tried, I was always second best. ~ Max
After spending the last eighteen years living and working as a chef in New York City, I was back in my tiny hometown trying to restore and reopen my family’s inn. It was supposed to be a new chapter for me, a way to finally realize my dream of having my own kitchen, but coming back to the place I’d fled at seventeen wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Especially after I ran into my little brother’s best friend and impulsively asked him to help me with the renovations while he was still in town.
It’s obvious Tristan is grappling with demons few people could understand, but there’s something about the handsome and enigmatic man that makes me want to know what those demons are, and to help him chase them away
REVIEW:
This is another solid installment to this series. Two guys who, with their respective issues, end up being perfect for each other and exactly what the other needs. Tristan is leaving the Den Boys family to head home to face his past, his family members who abused and turned on him when he was younger. He is older now, a disabled veteran who has been having trouble facing life and in desperate need of some closure and something good to come along. Luckily, he runs into Max who has returned home to renovate his family’s inn. Max has never fit in, with his family or the town he left behind for a career in NYC. Both Tristan and Max realize neither is like the family members they each had known and been traumatized by, and Max offers Tristan a place to stay in exchange for his help with the inn.
Tristan’s problems are compounded by his HIV+ status. He has remained celibate and closed off from other ever since his diagnosis. Thankfully, not only does Max not let that deter him from a relationship with Tristan, but he takes steps to make it possible. They have obvious chemistry, but they have a few other hurdles as well. Max is a bit body conscious being on the hefty side, and Tristan has what they realize may be bi-polar disorder. There is also the underlying issue of Tristan’s grief over the loss of his best friend who he lost in combat who also happens to be Max’s brother. As you can expect, they both have issues to deal with in that regard.
Sounds like a smorgasbord of issues to turn into an edible meal, and this author does just that. Nothing drags out too long, and while nothing is made light of, they face them and find ways around or over them in order to move forward. I enjoyed this aspect of the story. It flowed well and was satisfying in the end. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next in this extremely enjoyable series.
RATING:
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