Book Title: Love Him/Hate Him
Author: Chris Bedell
Publisher: Between the Lines Publishing
Release Date: February 16, 2021
Genre: YA LGBTQ Thriller
Length: 185 print pages
It is a standalone story.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited and Paperback
Connor is out. Liam is the secretly gay football player. Together they must navigate a hush-hush relationship while working together to solve the murder of Liam’s sister.
Blurb
17-year-old Connor doesn’t believe his best friend’s death was an accident. Falling down the stairs was random, and Connor can’t help but wonder if someone might’ve pushed her…
Determined to find out the truth, Connor starts his own investigation. Along the way, he discovers Evelyn’s affair with a married man and thought she was pregnant before she died. Connor thinks he’s found her killer, but an airtight alibi forces him to look in a new direction. Perhaps closer to home.
Complicating the situation more is Connor’s own secret – an unexpected hook up with Evelyn’s twin brother, Liam, at a party the previous spring. Afterward, Liam goes on a homophobic rant and punches Connor, leaving him confused. His confusion deepens when, after Evelyn’s death, Liam apologizes and they start to hook up secretly.
Liam is trapped between his attraction to Connor and his abusive father. Connor struggles with his growing attraction for Liam. Their secret rendezvous are fun, but if Connor is going to have more with Liam, he’ll have to be honest about his feelings and his suspicions on who killed Evelyn. Will either survive the truth coming out?
Violet was gone in a matter of seconds, growing smaller and smaller in the distance until she’d disappeared through the football field’s metal gate into the parking lot.
Liam jogged over to me, a smirk twisting his mouth. “What are you doing here, man?”
“Had a question for Violet.” I put my hands on my hips. “Anyway, you’re taking a big risk being seen with me in public—wouldn’t want anyone getting the wrong idea about you.”
“I wanted to apologize.”
I shouldn’t have felt shocked again after his apology to me outside the salon, but I couldn’t help myself. It really seemed like Liam cared about being a better person. The old Liam—the one who’d had no problem with homophobic outbursts—probably wouldn’t have apologized if someone had offered him all the money in the world. No fabricating that kind of rage.
“For what?” I asked.
“For not stopping by your house after the funeral. I wasn’t trying to be a dick.”
My eyebrows knitted together. “You’re not my boyfriend, Liam. You don’t have to like, account for your whereabouts to me.”
“Didn’t want you to think I was avoiding you. My dad can just be a handful sometimes.”
I leaned forward and let my lips graze his ear. “Afraid I’m gonna start sleeping with someone else?”
Liam didn’t frown, kick his feet, shove me, or have any kind of outburst. And it almost made my jaw drop to the ground. Someone with Liam’s demeanor should’ve worried about how a guy invading their personal space would look to others. Instead, Liam cackled.
“Why? Got a better offer?” he asked.
My mouth remained near his right ear. “If you want something from me, then you’re gonna have to ask nicely.”
“Mom still out of town? Was hoping we could hang again.”
“She got back yesterday afternoon, but she’ll leave for her next trip tomorrow morning.”
“Perfect. I’ll come by your house tomorrow night.”
“Admit it—you want me?” I demanded.
“Yeah,” Liam said under his breath, the response so soft it was almost inaudible.
I nearly bit my tongue—in a literal sense, not a figurative one. Gavin’s gaze was glued to me from where he stood at the opposite end of the football field.
I’d be fine, though. It wasn’t like Gavin could tell Liam and I were sleeping together just from how close we were to each other. Close enough that my heart couldn’t stop fluttering. Because I wanted nothing more than to kiss Liam. But I couldn’t. Not in public.
My arrangement with Liam was something I’d ultimately orchestrated for myself. Something that helped me escape the pain both of losing my father early in life and of Evelyn dying. And if nobody else knew about my dynamic with Liam, then variables couldn’t ruin it. Like Gavin babbling his concern to Natalie and Mona, and them deciding to stage an “intervention.” As if they were perfect. I still hadn’t forgotten about how they’d shown more feeling for the school district canceling February Break last year than for Evelyn’s death.
Chris Bedell’s previous publishing credits include Thought Catalog, Entropy Magazine, Chicago Literati, and Foliate Oak Literary Magazine, among others. His debut YA Fantasy novel IN THE NAME OF MAGIC was published by NineStar Press in 2018. His 2019 books include his NA Thriller BURNING BRIDGES (BLKDOG Publishing) and his YA Paranormal Romance novel DEATHLY DESIRES (Deep Hearts YA). In addition to his YA Thriller BETWEEN LOVE AND MURDER, Chris had several other books released in 2020, including his YA Contemporary I’LL SEE YOU AGAIN (Deep Hearts YA). Furthermore, Chris graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2016.
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