Title: Penny Wishes
Series: N/A
Author: Lucy Hawkins
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 211 pages
Publisher: Southern Lights Publishing (June 3rd 2016)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts
Blurb: What would you do if the one who got away… came back?
“After all these years he still gets under my skin.”
Tyler Lockhart takes life one day at a time. After serving in Afghanistan, he finds safety in his routine of making furniture with his Labrador, Jess, by his side. Single again after a relationship that just didn’t work, he still holds hope that he’ll find his happily ever after one day. Even if he’s haunted by the distant memory of a fierce teenage love for his older brother’s best friend.
“I won’t let you trick me again.”
Austin St. James is washed-up. After a successful run as the front man in rock band Vision X, it’s been three years since he’s made any music he’s wanted to share. When his past comes calling, Austin knows he can’t keep running. Returning to his hometown after eight years was not part of the plan and neither was having to call in a favor with his childhood friend, Tyler. All grown and muscled-up, the boy he once swore to protect is now a man and the tether that binds them is still fiercely electric.
“What are you doing?”
“Making up for all the years I was supposed to be kissing you.”
But so much has changed for the two men who lead very different lives. Tyler struggles with change and Austin uses it to cope with his past. When the unexpected reunion reignites the flame between them that never really died, will they be able to keep it alive?
Penny Wishes is a sweet and steamy second-chance gay romance. It is a full-length novel with no cliffhanger and an HEA.
ASIN: B01GICTZB8
Product Link: http://amzn.to/1XXuCAl
Reviewer: Tams
Review: You never forget your first love.
Tyler Lockhart has known two things since he was eight years old. He’s gay and in love with Austin St. James. Despite the age difference between them, and the fact that Austin is Ty’s older brother Rory’s BFF, the two strike up a strong friendship.
Over the years through middle school then high school, the two become inseparable. They share their first kiss and so much more. But then Austin leaves town without much more than a good riddance and Tyler is devastated. Over the next eight years, both men live their separate lives… Ty joins the marines while Austin goes on to become the lead singer for the Rock band Vision X.
The one thing that never goes away is their connection, so when Austin winds up back in Oak Falls after his father dies, they are offered a second chance at happiness, if they can be honest with each other.
I was drawn to this book by both the synopsis and the cover. Specifically this excerpt here…
“What are you doing?”
“Making up for all the years I was supposed to be kissing you.”
Hawkins has created these two guys that are so perfect for each other, yet both are too stubborn to admit those feelings. At least, in the traditional sense. Ty may have been just a child when the realization of what and who he wanted hit him, but his young heart knew exactly who held it and that hasn’t changed eighteen years later. He’s convinced himself that if he doesn’t admit the way he feels about Austin out loud, then he can’t be hurt.
The problem is, not admitting how he feels is hurting him as well. Austin is still reeling over the death of his father, a man he thought hated him until he finds a box of newspaper clippings depicting his concerts and achievements in the music industry. He’s also under the mistaken impression that he can only be happy if he has Tyler and he’s playing with Vision X. He has to take a step back and look at the bigger picture, figure out which is more important.
I quite liked this book. The concept of a young man knowing exactly what he wanted at an age where adults would say he was too young to know that, and actually still feeling the same, stronger even, at twenty-eight years old as he did at eight years old. Both characters are flawed and broken, the only way for either of them to be whole or heal is if they are together.
There were a couple of times that the story didn’t flow from one part to the next, a bit choppy, but overall I really liked this book. Romance, passion, a miscommunication that lasts almost a decade and just the right amount of angst really made for a great read.
My first book by Hawkins, but it won’t be my last.