Book Title: Finishing Last
Author: Rob Browatzke
Publisher: Sisyphus Press
Cover Artist: Alexandria Corza
Release Date: Halloween
Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance
Trope. Friends to lovers
Themes: Found family
Length: 70 000 words/ 245 pages
It is a standalone story within a series
Goodreads – River City Romances Series
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Mitch Morris is a nice guy – and you know what they say about them.
Blurb
Mitch Morris is starting over in a new apartment when he meets a handsome new neighbor. Dan Murphy is starting over in a new city when he meets a handsome new neighbor.
They DON’T hook up.
Instead, they become friends, and slowly, more than friends. But when they both start dating other people, it’s increasingly obvious there’s something between them. Nice guys don’t cheat though, and besides, who would risk a friendship on the chance of something more?
It was everything he’d ever imagined, but it was so much more. Thecolours! The sounds! Everywhere, people packed together, laughing and
cheering and kissing, all dressed in or painted with rainbows. Kids with balloons running and laughing. Drag queens sparkling all over. Even people’s dogs were done up in rainbows.
And best of all, he was here with his people. There, Kent and Dylan, Dylan’s arm around Kent’s shoulder as he leaned in to give him a peck on
the cheek.
There, Jay, “on the prowl for Pride dick” as Luc put it.
There, Mitch and Ellis… did Mitch seem off? Maybe a bit, but it barely registered. There was so much to look at.
Once the parade started, Dan saw immediately what Mitch and Kent had meant. Airlines, banks, media companies, all marching in rainbow-clad corporate solidarity. It was almost a bit disappointing. Yes, those corporate dollars paid for it all, and yes, it was great those giant companies were standing up and being there for their queer employees, but like, where was the heart?
And then came The Torch’s float. DJ Lucy Lewd, in a rainbow flapper dress, worked the decks, pumping out tracks that had the thousands of
people lining the streets singing, no screaming along. The float itself was a rainbow wave that led up a staircase lined with peeps of all genders and races waving and winding up the crowd. And the piece de
resistance? A giant torch at the top of the stairs, paper flames blowing.
“Ann!” Kent screamed out, attracting the attention of one of the queens who marched alongside the float. Dan remembered meeting her at the club, just barely, but he wouldn’t forget her now. She was in a gorgeous pride flag two-piece and had on a red wig she slowly shook from side to side as she walked over to them.
Where did it go, Dan couldn’t help but wonder. The concept of tucking just baffled him.
“Happy Pride, boys!” Ann yelled. “You’ll be at the club tonight?”
“Of course,” Kent said. “You performing?”
“Of course, with a surprise guest you might recognize from TV.”
“Who? Who?” Ellis asked.
Ann just smiled. “A minty fresh surprise. You’ll need to be there.”
“Girl. Do NOT be toying with me,” Ellis said, obviously guessing the surprise, whatever and whoever it was. Probably something Drag Race, Dan assumed based on what he knew about Ellis. Drag Race wasn’t Dan’s thing, but it was something he would clearly have to get up to speed on fast, with this crew.
“Gotta go,” Ann said, as her float started to pass them by.
The Torch float had just rolled by when it had to pause, and that gave Lucy the opportunity to get on the mic, and soon, the crowd, all thousands upon thousands of them, was chanting for The Torch’s Queen of Hearts as she vogued down the street, before being carried back to the float by two shirtless hunks.
“Enjoying yourself?” Mitch asked.
“Hell yes!” Dan said. “So glad I met you all. Who knows who I would be here with, otherwise?”
“You’re one of us now, buddy,” Mitch said, throwing his arm around Dan.
“You’re drunk already.”
“Correction. I’m drunk still. It’s mi-MO-sa, not mimo-SA after all.”
Suddenly Luc grabbed Dan’s hand and yanked him forward. “Oh look,” he said. “My favorite float.”
Luc pointed towards an approaching float. Dan was about to snap at him for being rude and interrupting but then realized something. The guy who wasn’t his boyfriend was holding his hand, in public, at a pride parade, and more, he wasn’t letting go.
That was pretty incredible.
Luc’s favorite float happened to be the least family friendly part of the whole event, that’s for sure. It was all screened off and backlit so that everyone could see nothing but silhouettes of men in positions of escalating sensuality.
“What is that?” Dan asked.
“Menz. It’s the bathhouse,” Jay explained.
“You’d know,” Luc joked.
“Don’t play coy and pretend you don’t, just because you’re coupled off now,” Jay joked back.
Dan braced himself for immediate denial, like had happened at Gay Day, but instead, Luc just shrugged. “Been to one White Night, been to them all.”
“White Night’s the circuit party they have there. DJs right outside the steam room, and you don’t know if it’s a rave or an orgy or both,” Jay explained to Dan, but Dan was barely listening.
Luc hadn’t pulled away, and Luc hadn’t said they weren’t a couple. Maybe Pride really did bring little gay miracles!
Rob Browatzke doesn’t believe in writing what he knows – that’s why he delivers gay romance with happy endings! Equal parts sarcasm and kindness, he has been writing as long as he can remember. When not writing, he can be found actively involved in local queer nightlife, where he has made a career since the late 1900s. He lives in Edmonton Alberta, but don’t hold that against him. Feel free to stalk him on social media.
Author Links
Website | Facebook | Twitter @robbrowatzke | Instagram @robbrowatzke
