Reviewed by Lesley
TITLE: Will
SERIES: Almstead Island – Newcomer’s Club, book 1
AUTHOR: Kerry Kilpatrick
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 320 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 12, 2024
BLURB:
What could go right with a social worker Daddy and an injured boy?
Will
As a social worker on Almstead Island, I’ve come to understand the hidden battles people face. But seeing Beckett injured shook me. Behind his tough exterior, there’s a vulnerability that tugs at my heartstrings. I want to be his daddy, not just to fulfill a fantasy, but to provide the comfort and security he so desperately needs.
Beckett
The injury didn’t just hurt my body; it exposed the emotional bruises my family has inflicted on me since childhood. Their constant criticisms and jokes have worn me down even more than my job as a cop in our small town. Will’s kindness and understanding offer a reprieve from the suffocating weight of their judgment. I want to be his boy for longer than a fling.
Beckett needs to drop his guard and Will needs to find the line between nurturing and smothering. Both of these men want what the other is offering, but they’ll have to get out of their own way to make it happen.
This is Book One of the Almstead Island: Newcomer’s Club. The series is interconnecting, but each story can be read as a standalone. This novel involves a Daddy/boy dynamic, but no age play. Please know that there are instances of emotional abuse in this story. You can find more information in the forward matter. There is a HEA for this couple and no cliffhanger, but some character redemptions will take longer than others.
REVIEW:
One of the things that I like about writing reviews for this site is that it introduces me to new authors and to also pick and finish books I might not otherwise. I am very glad I did pick and finish this book.
This book is titled Will because he is the newcomer to almstead Island but really Beckett is the more main character for me.
Beckett is a policeman on Almstead Island and comes from a family of policeman and first responders. He is a large muscley guy, very in control and decisive on the job. He is not known for being friendly at all. We first meet him as he is investigating a series of break ins and is investigating a empty property where the door is open. As you can probably guess from the blurb he gets attacked and is injured.
Will is Becketts next door neighbour and also the social worker covering ER the day Beckett is injured. When Cameron, Becketts police partner and cousin he is closest too can’t stay to look after so that he can be released from hospital (see plea at the end of the review) , Cameron asks Will to look after Beckett.
Will and Beckett are very different people and despite being neighbours do not really know each other, especially after the cinnamon roll incident. But Will is intrigued by his big burly quiet neighbour and agrees to look after him.
Add in a very large family of cousins who like to joke around with each other, a set of truly horrible parents that constantly belittle him and Beckett really does need some to look after him and not just because he is injured.
I enjoyed getting to know Beckett and Will. I especially liked the way that Will gradually got Beckett to open up , which in turn made Beckett more comfortable in his own skin , happier and more confident in all areas of his life..
A plea to Kerry Kilpatrick, please , please can Laken and Cameron’ have a book soon. I need to know Laken ends up ok with a happy ever after even if it’s not with Cameron.
RATING: 
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