Reviewed by Valerie 

TITLE: Foxed

AUTHOR: Jay Hogan

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 321 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 12, 2023

BLURB:

FOXED: To be thrown into a state of uncertainty—flustered, bamboozled, bewildered, puzzled, vexed.

AKA, me. Jed Marshall. 55-year-old successful classic car mechanic; divorced, mostly closeted, and whose wholly inexperienced bisexuality has suddenly awakened after one smouldering look and said, ‘Damn, who’s the hottie?’ Or words to that effect.

Cue, Nash Collingwood. 53-year-old scarily smart high school principal; out, gay, confident, and sexy as hell. He’s also my daughter’s boss. So, not complicated at all, right? Nash could ignite a bonfire with a single sultry look, comes fully accessorised with a charm offensive Churchill would be proud of, an easy-going flattery that thrills my heart far too effortlessly, and an impressive track record with men many decades my junior.

In short, Nash is everything I’m not, and everything I’ve avoided for roughly my entire life. He’s the hot rod to my sensible family car, that is if you like your family cars with a few dents, creaky suspension, unexpected backfires, and a dodgy stick.

The last thing I need is a relationship—especially with a man. I buried that pipe dream a long time ago and a little loneliness is a small price to pay. The festive season and long summer vacation are on our doorstep. I’m finally getting things right with my family who mean everything to me, and I don’t want to mess that up.

But Nash doesn’t care about my awkward inexperience, or clumsy excuses, or any of my insecurities. Nash only sees me. He wants me. For the first time in years, I feel alive and sexy and a whole lot more than just a good father and grandfather.

I should walk away, but the closer Nash and I become, the more he fills my grey world with colour, and the promise of a second chance at love I never thought possible.

REVIEW:   

I’ll start by repeating what others are saying: holy cow, not one sexy silver fox, but two! *swoon* These men are hot. The MM world definitely needs more “mature” leading men to do the silver fox trot. Foxed is a lovely book about the romance between older (not old) men in their fifties. It is refreshing to read about middle aged men already established in their lives with lots of life experience. They are believable and relatable.

Jed is a custom and classic car mechanic with his own garage, amiable divorced for eight years. He and his ex wife have two adult children and a young sweetie-pie granddaughter. He’s a unassuming, funny, caring, and closeted bisexual man who hasn’t been attracted to a man in forty years. Until he meets Nash, the high school principal at the school where his daughter teaches.

Nash is charming and sophisticated and very much attracted to Jed. He’s been happily living life as a single man, content with hook ups at gay bars. But now, he’d like to pursue a more lasting relationship. Jed is committed to staying closeted, however, and turns down Nash’s advances and suggestions to explore their mutual attraction. Jed is hesitant to upset the apple cart, especially because he can’t imagine why Nash would be interested in him – specifically his complete lack of sexual experience with men.

One of Jay Hogan’s themes is about Jed allowing himself to let the people he loves the most know all of him, to love him fully without him keeping such an integral part of himself a secret. It’s not all smooth sailing. There’s also an interesting sub plot about politics at the school regarding bullying and homophobia.

There are plentiful sexy times and strong chemistry between Jed and Nash. Jed’s first time experiencing penetrative sex is smoking hot.

Overall, this is a wonderful story, perhaps my favorite of Hogan’s. I love how Nash purses Jed, confidently, not obnoxiously. He takes the time to learn about Jed’s career, his family, his hobbies and interests. He encourages Jed to live his truth. He’s enormously kind, caring, and thoughtful. There is some angst, not much, but enough to make me tear up in one chapter. The story feels realistic and romantic. I highly recommended it for any contemporary readers; it would serve as a great gateway book to Hogan’s library.

RATING: 

BUY LINK: 

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