Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novella
Eight years. Eight years of marriage down the drain and Derek does not know what’s next.
Fortunately for Derek, he decides to stop at The Shepherd’s Bean for a cup of coffee where he is approached by the barista, Poindexter, who coaxes Derek’s story out of him. Admitting he is gay is just the first step when dealing with Poindexter, who quickly invites Derek to a party where he meets Marshall, tall, gorgeous Marshall, who for reasons unknown to Derek asks him out. Once the invitation has been extended, Marshall is reminded that he has a birthday party and asks Derek to join him.
Derek is understandably nervous, coming out for the second time, going on a date with a man, especially if the date is actually a birthday party for Marshall’s good friend. On the drive to the party, Marshall opens up about his past and hopes for the future. Marshall and Derek share more of their pasts, and when the topic of wasted years come up, Marshall shares stories that could either scare Derek away, or help Derek to accept the events from his past, and Marshall hopes it is the latter.
Derek is a beautifully crafted story of a man coming out a bit later in life, and it was a touching and emotional story for me. I was thrilled that H.D., Bean, and Poindexter from Hound Dog and Bean were included as secondary characters because it added so much depth to Derek’s world without requiring any additional words, provided you have read that book.
I must say that even with Marshall’s stories, I still felt like I was missing something, like he was just lacking a little something extra. Derek, on the other hand, was as fully formed as I was hoping for and I felt such empathy for him.
I highly recommend Derek and think that you too will fall in love with him just like I did.
A review copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press.
