Family Man by Heidi Cullinan & Marie Sexton

Why I read it:  I had this one pre-ordered.  Cullinan and Sexton are two of my favourite m/m romance authors.

What it's about: (from Goodreads)  Sometimes family chooses you.

How does a man get to be forty without knowing whether he’s gay? That’s a question Vince Fierro is almost afraid to answer. If he is gay, it’ll be a problem for his big, fat Italian family. Still, after three failed marriages, he can’t help but wonder if he’s been playing for the wrong team.

There’s only one way to settle it, once and for all—head for Chicago’s Boystown bars, far from anyone who knows him. Naturally, he runs smack into someone from the neighborhood.

Between working two jobs, going to school, taking care of his grandmother, and dealing with his mother’s ongoing substance abuse, Trey Giles has little time for fun, let alone dating someone who swears he’s straight. Yet after one night of dancing cheek-to-cheek to the sultry strains of Coltrane, Trey finds himself wanting to help Vinnie figure things out—no promises, and no sex.

It seems like a simple plan, until their “no-sex” night turns into the best date of their lives and forges a connection that complicates everything.

What worked for me (and what didn't): Vince Fierro has long had an attraction to men but his strict Catholic upbringing meant that he pushed those desires firmly away. He was so deep in the closet he didn't even realise he was in it.  But, after three divorces, he decides maybe it's time to explore his attraction to men and see where that takes him.   

Second Hand by Marie Sexton & Heidi Cullinan

Why I read it:  Marie Sexton and Heidi Cullinan are two of my favourite m/m romance authors.  I'd been saving this one but after reading and loving Dirty Laundry (Tucker Springs #3 Heidi Cullinan) recently, I decided I definitely needed more Tucker Springs.

What it's about: (from Goodreads)  Paul Hannon moved to Tucker Springs for his girlfriend, but she's left him with a house he can't afford and a pantry full of useless gadgets. All Paul wants is to get back to normal, even if he's not sure what that is anymore. When he wanders into Tucker Pawn for a gift to win her back, he meets El Rozal, pawn shop owner and all-around cynic. El Rozal doesn't do relationships, especially not with clueless straight boys still pining for their ex. El may make his living dealing in castoffs, but that doesn't apply to men. Still, when Paul starts clearing out his old life, pawning kitchen equipment he never wanted in the first place, El is drawn to Paul in spite of himself. Paul and El have nothing in common except a past full of disappointments. There's no reason to believe the two of them could fit, but in El's line of work, one man's junk is another man's treasure. When it comes to love, El and Paul may learn that secondhand doesn't mean second best.

What worked for me (and what didn't): I loved the slow build of the romance in this story.  Told in alternating POV (first for Paul and third for El), I enjoyed getting inside the minds of both men.  El was smitten right from the start and his methods of making sure Paul returned to the pawn shop amused - Paul was so oblivious to what was going on around him but El didn't take advantage. El tells Paul late in the book that he was happy to be the one to wait around long enough for Paul to notice and I liked that El didn't make Paul suffer for it - it was part and parcel of who Paul is and El loved him.  This is very much juxtaposed with Stacey's treatment of Paul which is ALL ABOUT HER.

Dirty Laundry by Heidi Cullinan

Why I read it:  I picked up a copy from NetGalley.

What it's about:  (from Goodreads)  The course of true love doesn’t always run clean. But sometimes getting dirty is half the fun.

Entomology grad student Adam Ellery meets Denver Rogers, a muscle-bound hunk of sexy, when Denver effortlessly dispatches the drunken frat boys harassing Adam at the Tucker Springs laundromat. Thanking him turns into flirting, and then, much to Adam’s delight, hot sex over the laundry table.

Though Denver’s job as a bouncer at a gay bar means he gets his pick of geek-sexy college twinks, he can’t get Adam out of his head. Adam seems to need the same rough play Denver does, and it’s damn hard to say no to such a perfect fit.

Trouble is, Adam isn’t just shy: he has obsessive compulsive disorder and clinical anxiety, conditions which have ruined past relationships. And while Denver might be able to bench-press a pile of grad students, he comes from a history of abuse and is terrified of getting his GED. Neither Denver nor Adam want to face their dirty laundry, but to stay together, they’re going to have to come clean.

What worked for me (and what didn't): Ever have the experience of slowing down and re-reading paragraphs as you come to the end of a book just so you can make it last longer?  That's what I did with Dirty Laundry.  It was sooooo good.  I did not want it to end.