Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel

 

Zander is elated to be graduating from college. The last four years have been difficult, but he’s finally going to be a teacher. He’s moving to Atlanta with his best friend, Ross, and Zander already has a job lined up. The job still won’t be enough to pay off his loans and help his mother and sister and Zander can get caught up in all the responsibilities he has. But the night of graduation, Zander is determined to have fun and he’s looking for a hookup. Zander hasn’t ever been attracted to older men before, but the older hottie at the bar is doing all the right things to him all night long.

It’s just Zander’s luck that the next day Ross introduces Zander to his father, Harrison, who came to town for graduation, and it’s the same man that Zander had the best sex of his life with the night before. Zander wants to pretend nothing happened, but Ross catches on quickly. Zander and Harrison have a lot in common despite their age difference, but decide it could be too awkward to continue anything despite the attraction flaring between them. But the more time they spend together, the more time they want to spend together and the men decide a no-strings-attached arrangement is exactly what they both need. Both Zander and Harrison say they don’t want a relationship, but it doesn’t take too long for them both to realize they’re both falling hard and fast and maybe being tied to each other is the best thing to happen to them both.

This is a new contemporary novel by Riley Hart and there is a lot to like about this one. I do like when characters hook up early in the book and the chemistry sparks from the start and that is what happens here with Harrison and Zander. Zander has a lot going on and his ADHD makes it difficult to focus at times, but Zander is passionate about being a teacher. But with graduating college, moving, starting a new job, and the mountain of financial responsibilities he has, Zander is sure he cannot add a relationship into that as well. Harrison used to be Zander and although he now has a successful career, he understands Zander’s financial situation more than Zander even knows.

I also liked that Zander and Harrison do not try to hide their relationship from Ross and even though Ross does not want any of the details, he is fine if the men want to continue to see each other. Zander and Harrison start what seems like an unlikely friendship given their 17-year age difference, but they laugh together, have great sex together, and genuinely like each other.

There’s not a lot of drama here and Zander and Harrison just have to realize they want a relationship, even though they kinda fall into one without either of them realizing it. Zander is reluctant to ask for help at all with anything, a product of his childhood, and he learns to trust Harrison a little at a time.

The only area I didn’t care for was the storyline with Zander’s mother and sister, and mostly absent father. Zander takes on a lot trying to help them, but the overall storyline felt wedged in and his mother’s and sister’s presence didn’t add anything to this story for me.

There is great banter and lots of warmth as Zander and Harrison fall hard and create the happy ever after they didn’t know they were looking for.