Title: Flare
Series: North Star: Book Three
Author: Posy Roberts
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novel (330 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (January 13th, 2014))
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5
Blurb: Hugo Thorson and Kevin Magnus are learning to live again after the death of Kevin’s wife, Erin. They’re doing everything they can to make a stable home for Kevin’s kids, but that stability is threatened when Kevin is served legal documents: Erin’s parents want custody of Brooke and Finn.
Meanwhile, Hugo is offered several acting jobs; to encourage him to take them, Kevin hires a nanny who is very hands-on with the kids. But Hugo feels distanced from his new family, so he makes the decision to leave his eclectic neighborhood and moves in with Kevin. He quickly finds he has a hard time fitting in with the suburbanites, and Kevin’s passive-aggressive “friends” make Hugo feel anything but welcome. Yet he keeps his concerns a secret and tries to take it all in stride.
When Brooke is bullied about having two dads, Hugo realizes his mere presence might be doing more harm than good. The stress will force him to make a choice: does he stay and fight for the family he loves, or does he walk away to let them live in peace?
Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4627
Reviewer: GiGi
Review: This book contains some very realistic scenarios of homophobia and discrimination when Hugo and the kids are bullied in many forms in this story. My heart broke for Hugo, torn between his needs, the family he loves, the man he loves, and the community he misses. People can be so narrow-minded and mean sometimes and I think the author captured that, examined it, and showed us all how to rise above it.
There are a lot of tangents in this installment, but I think it is needed to tie up loose ends for the series, but the primary focus seems to be on how this new family unit can become stronger, and how they can clear the hurdles of life more easily together than each can individually. There is also a delicate dance between the many facets of Hugo’s personality, including a close examination of what mindset he is really in with Miss Cherrie Pop!
I enjoy that the author tried to spotlight common misconceptions of why someone enjoys drag, or takes on a drag persona and what it really means for Hugo specifically. Hugo and Kevin’s love life also needed some balance, and they both found a way to get the one-on-one time they needed with a few fun kinks thrown in!
I’m in love with this series, these characters, and will miss all their adventures together. This whole series is a very worthwhile read, and a welcome addition to my permanent collection shelf!