Carter Hamilton-Temple might be a successful financial consultant with more brains, sophistication, and charm than most, but he always falls for the wrong guys: closet cases or men with issues. He can’t fight his attraction to tattooed rock star Tim, but can he trust his own judgment? When the thrill of danger combined with a fierce physical connection proves too strong for either man to resist, a quiet liaison away from the public eye and curious friends seems like a safe bet. But some secrets are hard to keep. When rumors threaten to rock his world, Tim realizes it’s time to confront his fear with his own kind of honesty.
Comment: This is the third installment in the A Kind of Stories trilogy by author Lane Hayes. I really liked the first installment and the second was very enjoyable, so I was very expectant to read this final story and, thankfully, it was as amazing as I hoped for.
In this book we have Tim Chalmers's story. He is the drummer of Spiral, the band we saw starting having work and recognition in the first book.
Tim has always been a quiet boy because his family wasn't as stable as he would have wanted it to be and he coped how he could. He realized very soon he was bi but most of his relationships have been with women, including the last one, from which he is trying to distance himself after a bad breakup. One night he meets this gorgeous man and they spend the night together.
Both Tim and Carter, the stranger's name, are surprised when they meet again at a party in their friends' Zeke and Benny's house. From then on, they embark on a secret relationship that soon evolves to something very serious. Can Tim let go of his missed expectations and admit he has feelings for Carter? Can he accept they are a couple for real?
Like I said, I was very impressed with this book. I really liked all the steps taken by each main character in order to have a stronger relationship, especially because nothing was being said, but the feelings were there, to be seen. The evolution of the romantic relationship was really my favorite part, even more so when Tim proves he trusts Carter completely in a certain situation. I really enjoyed the sense of "destined love" I got from the guy's relationship. I was left feeling they were truly in love and sometimes that counts a lot.
This plot also has some interesting situations. Tim's family members have gone through hard challenges, they no longer resemble a perfect family, but the need to ensure all are minimally well is something always on Tim's mind even if he tries not to dwell too much on that.
The music industry is again a focus point when we see Tim and the guys trying to keep their passion alive while the more commercial side of things becomes a necessity as well.
Also interesting was the bad side of fame, and how some people just want to be seen at all costs. It seems incredible people really behave like this but...the pressure around fame can be huge, I guess.
If I could change something in these books would be the 1st person narrator. I really would love to have some scenes from both protagonists' POVs, especially when they are about to take a decisive step into the relationship. It was good to see how both reacted to some feelings because of previous situations or things in their lives and in this case, to have Carter's thoughts and not only what he said to Tim would have been great as well.
The writing, globally, seems pretty fluid and easy for me. I'm curious to see if this enjoyment would reflect in other books by the author.
I think this book was very solid when it came to match plot and characterization. I really liked both Tim's and Carter's personalities, all the little aspects that made them a different but interesting person, how well they were together and the HEA seemed pretty well done as well. Maybe a little bit longer scene or more details would have added to the magical side of things, after all, romance is the thing we want to see the most, but overall, I thought this worked out very well for me, personally, and it's a satisfying story in general.
Grade: 9/10
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