Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Devin’s Boys

All American Boy Series

Layla Dorine

Self Published

165 Pages

RELEASE DATE: April 11, 2022

BLURB:

Coming home was supposed to be the end of something, until Mikal barreled into his life….and he wasn’t alone.

For Devin McKay, music has been his lover, his drug, and his best friend for as long as he can remember, but there was always something he denied himself while he pursued it. Now that his band has broken up and he’s returned to his hometown of Stoney Brook, he’s settled into a new, somewhat drunken routine, while he tries to get accustomed to this new phase in his life. The last thing he expected was an old friend to send a troubled young musician his way.

Mikal needs help, or rather, his best friend, Moon, needs help getting over the blinding bouts of stage fright that have been plaguing him for the last year. He’ll do anything to get to the root of Moon’s issues, even follow along with the unorthodox methods Devin prescribes for them. After all, Devin was a success in the industry, while Mikal and Moon have been struggling to get a foot in the door.

They aren’t the only ones struggling. Moon’s longtime friend with benefits, Derrick, spends most days rudderless and pretending to be okay. There are things he needs that Moon tries desperately to give him, but Moon has needs too. All their pieces have jagged edges, but with a little twisting and turning, and a lot of songs, they might discover a way they can all fit.

REVIEW:

All I can say is wow! How so much could be packed in this one book amazes me!

Mikal just wants his best friend Moon to be able to share his incredible gift of music. Moon is beyond talented but his crippling anxiety is ruining any chance of people getting to hear and enjoy his talent. So, when he destroys his beloved guitar on stage before running off into the crowd Mikal has to do something. Moon’s Uncle Linus suggests he visit his friend, former rock star Devin McKay, for help. Devon has broken up with his highly successful band and is finding his life in Stoney Brook, his childhood home town, in the bottom of a bottle. When Mikal shows up and rescues Devin from a strange bird incident he is beholding to listen to his request. Especially when he finds out Linus sent him. What he never suspected was that helping Mikal, Moon and Moon’s Friends with Benefits friend Derrick that he would find the relationship he needs and desired. Can four musically diverse men with a bundle of energy and anxiety issues make a go of it in a small lobster town on the coast of Maine?

This book was jam packed with multiple men with multiple issues that discovered that they formed their own bond better together. Each man was a complex piece of the puzzle that when joined together made them all whole and strong. Where none of them truly worked as a couple, when joined in this unique polyamorous relationship they learned what made each of them tick and what caused them crippling anxiety. I found it intriguing that they all contributed a necessary piece to make love and a relationship work where it had never worked before.

This has been a truly enjoyable series and this book, although the a bit complex in the beginning trying to figure out all the men’s dynamics, simply worked for me by the end. I would love to see author Layla Dorine build on this world she has constructed and move forward with Devin’s Boys going out on tour and how they fare in the big world of music. It is obvious that all these men are extremely talented and have a lot to contribute to their success. I would love to explore more about what happens on the future and how that impacts each man. I can’t recommend this complex and intriguing book enough!

RATING:

BUY LINK:

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