Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  The Financier and the Sweetheart

SERIES:  Campo Royale

AUTHOR:  V.L. Locey

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  203 pages

RELEASE DATE:  February 17, 2022

BLURB:

Will the love they once shared reignite or will this goodbye truly be the last?

Leroy Marx has been performing as Clarice Patel Coco for years. Ever since that fateful summer when he was a young and foolish man touring Europe before heading to a religious college in the Deep South. That trip proved to be a time of great joy as well as crushing sorrow. He found love on that grand tour in the arms of an arrogant, beautiful young man who was sowing his wild oats amid the lavender fields of France. That great passion was not to last for many reasons, one being the untimely death of Leroy’s parents in a car crash. The same crash that put his twin sister in a wheelchair for life. Leaving that young lover behind, he divided his time between his job and caring for his sibling. Leroy never dreamed that he’d be face-to-face with the man who had won, then trampled his heart all those years ago. The years have been incredibly kind to Nate Abrams but no matter how sweet that voice or how alluring those eyes are, Leroy is not about to offer up his heart again.

Nathan Abrams has it all, or so people say. Nate himself would say that as well and has numerous times. He’s a proud and out gay man who has an uncanny knack for knowing when to buy and when to sell. Anything. Stocks, houses, artwork, bonds. Nate has a keen sense of when to walk and when to hold tight. The only time he’d ever been wrong about his instincts was that glorious summer when he’d been eighteen and had met a reserved sweetheart of a man named Leroy Marx. He’d fallen hard for Leroy, the wild and impetuous headiness of first love overwhelming him. To the point that he’d feared the deep emotions ablaze in his chest. He’d run from that romance and into the arms of countless lovers, but he’d never been able to purge the tender memories of that love from his heart. Now here he was fifteen years older, and it seems none the wiser because he cannot seem to win back the man who has haunted his dreams no matter what he tries. He’s at his wit’s end but is too stubborn to give up and lose Leroy for a second time. Nate is ready to do whatever it takes to fix the biggest mistake of his life if he could just figure out what exactly he has to do and how to go about doing it…

The Financier and the Sweetheart is a second chance romance with a rich banker, a proud and independent queen, a past that both prayed would never be seen or heard from again, go-go boots, world travel, loving sisters, bell bottom love, and a glitteringly gorgeous happy ending.

REVIEW:

Note:  This is the fourth book in this series and contains spoilers for the previous stories.  Although it can be read as a standalone, I think it fits in nicely with the series and is best read in order – at least reading book three, the Barkeep and the Bookseller, where we are introduced to Nate and Leroy.

Leroy Marx, aka Clarice Patel Coco, a drag queen at the Campo Royale club in Wilmington, DE, is having a hard time.  Financially, he’s robbing Peter to pay Paul.  His disabled sister is in college and doing well and he’d doing everything in his power to keep them afloat, but he’s really drowning.  His sister wants to help but he refuses to let her get a job.  He sees an opportunity to get ahead in an international drag queen competition, but he doesn’t have the funds to enter.  Oh and he’s also dodging the attentions of his first love the insanely gorgeous and wealthy Nathan Abrams, who tries to woo him with all sorts of gifts at the Campo.  But Leroy is still angry and bitter about the way Nate left him and then his parents were killed and his sister injured and he’s been on that train for the last 15 years.

Nate has never gotten over Leroy Marx.  But he foolishly left him because of his father’s demands.  He knew it was a mistake, but he was young and scared and didn’t know what to do.  He’s done his best in the ensuing years to try to be an out and proud gay man and to make things better for those who have come after him, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t regret what he with to Leroy.  And he still loves Leroy and wants his forgiveness and another chance.  Leroy has been a solid NO for so long.

When the drag contest comes up, Nate sees his opportunity and he entices Leroy to accept his sponsorship.  It takes some doing and frankly Leroy’s sister Laila is big help to Nate 😉  She knows that Leroy has put his whole life into her and that despite what he says, Leroy never stopped loving Nate – which is why he’s so afraid to let Nate be near him.  He doesn’t think he can survive if Nate breaks his heart and leaves him again.  Nate to has to agree to a bunch of rules but eventually Leroy agrees 🙂

The drag queen contest takes place in multiple cities, but first they have to get ready.  Nate flies Laila and Leroy to get new outfits and wigs, etc.  The first contest in is New York.  Then they are off to London.  The finals are in Tokyo so Leroy and Laila get to see the world 🙂  As they spent more time together and Nate doesn’t push Leroy, they get closer.  And Leroy remembers all the things he loved about Nate.  And he’s only human, right?  He can only resist that kind of love and devotion for so long.

This was such a sweet story bringing thee two back together after 15 years and much heartache.  It’s clear that Nathan regretted what he did and he just wants another chance.  Leroy suffered too much trauma in a short amount of time losing almost everything overnight and then being responsible for his sister as a teenager changed his life irrevocably.  He held on to his bitterness towards Nate, even though eventually he can see that Nathan was stuck between a rock and a hard place.  He recognizes that Nate is a good man, but he has so much fear of getting his heart broken again, that he holds Nate at arm length, even though he knows that he has never gotten over his feelings for him.  Nate has done his best in his life to do the right thing and make change from the inside.  He’s actually done a really good job and it’s clear that he will stop at nothing to win Leroy back and convince him that he’s not that same shallow boy he was before.  Leroy does make him work for it though 😉

The other queens and their men from the Campo are along for the ride in some cameo appearances here 🙂  Leroy’s sister Laila is a breath of fresh air.  She’s a confident young lady who wants Leroy to be happy and stop living his life for her.  She really does her best to help Leroy get over the past and see what’s right in front of him – I just adored her.  I enjoyed the international settings of the pageants and also Leroy’s evolution and eventual acceptance that he can have the life he always wanted with Nate if he’ll just get out of his own way.  This couple is sweet and sexy and so deserving of their HEA.  Recommended!

RATING:

BUY LINK:

Amazon