inches of trustRating: 3.75 stars
Buy Links: 
 Amazon | All Romance
Length: Novel


Brian Townsend met and had a satisfying hookup with Zorro at a co-worker’s Halloween party. But before Brian could get his number or even his name, the man received a phone call and ran out of the party. After asking around, Brian discovers his Zorro is NYPD Homicide Detective Tristan Blake. After asking Tristan out, Brian finds that he wants to get to know the detective better, but Tristan is holding something back.

Tristan is married to his job. He comes from a family of old money that has all but disowned him for his love of police work. And his past relationship affects his stance on any future relationships. Then he meets Brian.

As months pass, the events in Brian and Tristan’s lives and relationship—ex-boyfriends, families, friends, and careers—serve to help them open up to one another and bring them closer together.

Inches of Trust Volume 1 is a collection of short stories by A.R. Moler written as Sips for Torquere Press. Separately each story is a glimpse in the ongoing relationship between Brian and Tristan, mostly seen from Brian’s POV. It’s a sweet and believable view on a slow building relationship. And though I have a couple quibbles, I enjoyed the stories.

I like Brian and Tristan, although I didn’t feel a great connection to them. I like Brian’s persistence and patience. And I adore Tristan’s dedication and perseverance. These two are a good match, each complementing the weakness of the other. I just wasn’t feeling them individually. They’re decent enough characters, but there was something missing.

The downfall of this collection is the many holes. What happens after Tristan’s mother promises that it wasn’t over? What about Eric and the encounter in the bathroom? Did the guys just forget about that? When and if you read the stories, you’ll understand. Yes, the events and drama that occurred during the shorts serve to strengthen the relationship between Brian and Tristan, but what about a resolution for the storylines that aren’t quite complete?

So, yeah. I like the happy feeling that comes from this group of stories, the lack of angst, and the sweet ending, but it was also lacking in a few areas, which was disappointing. I will say, had I read the stories individually, in their separate contexts, it probably would have been different. But grouped together, it felt like these stories should have been part of a much more detailed tale, lacking holes and questions.

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