Wayward SonRating: 4.5 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


Mikey O’Malley has been living in Atlanta for just about a month. He’s moved there at the urging of his best friend, he’s got a job he’s just started, and he’s taking a couple of classes at college to start working toward his degree in animation. Mikey’s also sort of been dating Jimmy Black and Cory Lassiter, two slightly older guys who have been a couple for years. And then Mikey gets called into HR and told he’s been suspended because his background check showed something that makes him unable to work with children pending further investigation.

Mikey calls Cory, who calls Jimmy, and between the three of them they make a plan when they find out Mikey is being sued. With the help of a friend’s father, who is a lawyer, Mikey begins to piece together what’s happened. When he finally gets served, he finds out he’s being accused of molesting a young girl. Mikey would never do that, and he doesn’t even remember the girl that he was supposed to have touched. Mikey has a huge support system in his friends and his lovers, but he’s determined to handle things on his own. He’s twenty-five years old after all, and he should be able to take care of things.

Jimmy and Cory have other ideas. They’ve been seducing Mikey into their bed since they first met him. They love each other very much, but they spend most of the week living apart. Both men have huge personalities, and the separation allows them to love and live happily. They’ve occasionally brought in a third man to play, but never before have they actively sought to add to their partnership. They both want Mikey to be their third, and they’re willing to take the time to do it right. Mikey cares for them both, and appreciates their support, but he has to wonder if the three of them can ever make anything real between them.

Jimmy and Cory make it their mission to give Mikey everything their lover needs while his life is in such shambles, and that means both distractions and support. Together they start building a life, but with the allegations coming to a head, Mikey has some tough decisions to make. He need to face this lawsuit down and he needs to figure out if he can be with Jimmy and Cory for the long haul.

This is the second book in Connor’s Sons series, and it can definitely be read as a standalone. But I admit that I’ve been waiting for it ever since I knew it was coming out. Having met Jimmy, Cory, and Mikey in the previous book ramped up my desire to read their story. And it didn’t disappoint. Especially not the romance aspects of this book. There were a couple of other plot points that left me just a little bit wanting, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I need to start by saying that I’m a huge fan of this author. Her writing is tight, sharp, and clever. The pacing is fantastic, and I never felt rushed or bogged down. Everything happened at the right time, with the right about of buildup. While there were a couple of plot points toward the end that felt a little over the top to me, overall, everything fit together well. And that is quite a challenge when there are three main characters who all need to fit together.

That being said, this is Mikey’s story. He’s our narrator, and we are following along as his life crashes down around him. For Mikey, his life finally seems to be coming together and going well, when the unthinkable happens and he’s accused of the worst kind of crime. Here’s where I’ll add the disclaimer that child abuse is talked about in this story, and even described in the barest of details. It’s significant to the plot, and needs to be there, but if it’s a trigger for you, be warned that it’s there. For Mikey, it’s devastating to be accused of something so heinous, and he’s determined to handle it like the adult he is. But Mikey’s on a journey he doesn’t even know he’s on; he needs to learn to lean on the people who care about him and that asking for help doesn’t make him weak.

Enter Jimmy and Cory. These two guys have been together for years, and it’s clear that they love each other. They also care for Mikey a great deal, and are willing to do whatever it takes to help him through this. On top of that, they want to show him exactly how much he means to them. I loved the way these two guys were crafted. They are both larger than life, and have similar personalities. And yet they are so distinct that it’s never hard to tell who is who. I loved the way their relationship is portrayed, and I loved the way they bring Mikey into it. These three men were meant to be together, and Mikey’s situation is just an obstacle they need to navigate through. It brings them all the closer, and I truly loved the way they all showed their affection and caring for one another through this trying time.

So Connor has no problem make a threeway relationship work here, and these three guys are definitely meant to be together. The sex scenes were smoking hot, and they were placed at just the right times to further the plot. The romance of this book was the primary storyline, and I loved watching these three guys grow together. But there’s also this lawsuit looming. Now, I thought it was well handled, and I was interested and invested in that storyline as well. I thought there was a good mix of emotions and the legalese to make these scenes work perfectly. But I did think the resolution to the whole thing seemed unrealistic and way too easy. Yes, its fiction, and I’m absolutely willing to give leeway. But after the buildup, I felt let down that it was over so quickly and easily.

All in all, this is a great installment to the series, and after having looked forward to it, I was very pleased with it. Mikey, Jimmy, and Cory work together in a real and organic way, and despite the few issues I had with it, Wayward Son is an enjoyable read.

A review copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press.

kris signature