Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Straight Battle
SERIES: Heroes at Home
AUTHOR: Willow Dixon
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 272 pages
RELEASE DATE: February 24, 2022
BLURB:
“I’ve always been interested in women, so why can’t I stop thinking about Tyler?” – Gage
Buying a house was supposed to be a good investment. Too bad I bit off more than I can chew. Between my job at the bank and my utter lack of home improvement skills, I’m in way over my head. Then a friend suggests I hire a handyman. Enter Tyler.
Tyler is down on his luck after a recent divorce, and we strike a deal that he fixes my house while I give him room and board as part of his pay. He’s the perfect roommate, amazing at his job, and he quickly becomes one of my closest friends. But there’s something there, something I’ve never felt for another man before.
Tyler and I both thought we were straight, but that doesn’t stop the attraction that grows between us. Is it possible I found the person who could finally show me what love is?
***Straight Battle is double bi-awakening, opposites attract, hurt/comfort story featuring a former soldier with trust issues, a divorced handyman looking for a connection, a found family, and accidental feels. It is Book 1 in the Heroes at Home series, but can be read as a standalone.
REVIEW:
Gage has bought a house that needs a lot of work and he’s a bit over his head trying to do the work himself. He needs someone knowledgeable and capable to work on the house, but his budget doesn’t really allow for that. He’s got a good job at a bank, but it’s still a lot for him to take on.
Tyler has had a round time. His ex-wife cheated on him and he lost pretty much everything in the divorce. He’s back living with his parents at 38 and while he’s grateful, it’s also tough to be back living in his childhood room. His twin brother Trevor is friends with a guy named Keaton, aka Doc, who just happens to be Gage’s best friend and more like older brother. Doc gets it in his head that maybe he can help out Tyler and Gage at the same time. If Tyler can do the work for Gage and live at the house while he’s doing it as part of the deal, Gage can save money on the reno and Tyler can get some referenceable work as well as get his feet back under him.
It takes a minute, but eventually Tyler and Gage get used to each other. Pretty soon Tyler is cooking dinner for the both of them. They spend their evenings doing their own thing. They go out on Fridays under the pretense of hooking Tyler up. But some how they seem to just focus on each other and never get around to finding dates.
Eventually they both realize that what they are feeling is more than friendship, but neither has ever been into another guy before. They are both confused. They reach out to friends to help then sort through their feelings. But it’s pretty clear that something is happening. The question is are they going to let it happen and go with it or are they going to retreat. Of course the answer is a little bit of both 😉
While sorting out their feelings, they try to give each other space. But it seems like that’s the last thing they want after all. Neither really has a game plan for what they are doing. They agree to communicate and not speed ahead, but take things as they come and at a pace that feels natural. The exploration of their sexual relationship is something that they are keeping to themselves, but they aren’t hiding it. Meanwhile, Gage is also game to help Tyler with a plan for his future career goals.
While friends and family are supportive once Gage and Tyler share their new relationship, not everyone is as happy about it. Dealing with the fallout is something that they will have to deal with because there will always be somebody who has something to say and since neither have ever been on the receiving end of that kind of discrimination or harassment, it’s a new world for them. Luckily once again they are lucky to have guidance and support to navigate these new waters and of course, they have each other 🙂
This is the first book I’ve read from this author – and indeed appears to be the first book under this pen name for an already established mm author. I enjoyed this story of two men finding their way together. One of the things I really liked about this story was the supportive friends both men have. As they are each struggling trying to figure out what is happening, the advice they received from friends and found family is sound I think – which is not to focus so much on the label but on the relationship. Because both men have friends and family that aren’t straight, I got the impression that while they were surprised and more that a little apprehensive because of the newness of the feelings, they didn’t feel negatively about themselves for having the feelings and then exploring them. I liked how Tyler and Gage progressed from friendship to something more and a sort of organic way. The pacing in a couple places was a little slower than I would have liked, but overall, this is a really sweet, fairly low angst story that has some nice moments of growth and realization and acceptance and self-acceptance that made me smile. Now if more people could learn to do this 😉 Recommended particularly for fans of bi-awakening, out for you stories. I will be looking to see what happens in the next book in this story – hopefully for one of Gage’s found family of his army brothers.
RATING:
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