LOVER OF BOOKS

How Not to Break by Susan Hawke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the 2nd Lovestrong book I've read by Susan Hawke and I really enjoyed this one as much as the first I read.

I first met one of the MC's in the first Lovestrong book and I wondered about the mysterious bar owner, Nick St. Cloud, and why he was so sad. In this book I got to learn why, and wow, what a great story.

I should start by saying this is a May-November romance, (yes I said NOVEMBER). Nick St. Cloud is a 40 something (edging 50) out of the closet gay man who is living his life as he wants. A former Navy Seal, he now owns the local gay club and counts a large number of drag queens among his friends. Nick has never been involved with anyone, and many of his queens worry about him, as does his sister-in-law, Dana and his niece Becca. He's single and sad and nobody likes that. But Nick has a secret. Ten years ago he let his best friends eighteen-year-old son, Shaw, seduce him. On the night his best friends died.

Shaw's parents had taken him in when his own family had turned their backs on Nick for being gay, including his ahole brother, Dana's ahole ex-husband. Charlie and his wife had taken Nick in, gave him a family to call his own, and how did he reward their love and trust? by seducing their pride and joy, their son Shaw.

Trouble is, Shaw was the one who had done the seducing. And he didn't regret it. He'd wanted Nick forever, and he'd taken the chance. Yes it had ended in tragedy, and then he'd had to deal with Nick as the executor of his parents estate, but it didn't stop Shaw from wanting or dreaming of the gorgeous ex-SEAL. Nick had made it abundantly clear, however, that Shaw - and that night - had been a mistake. So Shaw had tried to move on. But he had a type. Older, more mature, and if he dreamed nightly about a certain hard-bodied SEAL? Maybe called out the man's name while with someone else? That didn't mean anything, right? Just because Nick St. Cloud had been Shaw's first didn't mean he was his last.

But then Shaw found himself being stalked and the police couldn't seem to stop it. His home was invaded, his _bedroom_ was invaded while he slept, gruesome warning were left and creepy gifts delivered. He wasn't safe in his own home, he wasn't safe anywhere...

Except with Nick. St. Nick riding to the rescue again. But this time Nick had his head out of his butt and his priorities on straight. This time he was letting go of the guilt and not making the same mistake he'd made a decade ago. This time Nick was going to protect and _keep_ Shaw Michaelson. This time Nick was going to tell Shaw he loved him.



**Arc provided by author through LesCourt Author Services for an honest review**


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