The Handyman Can
by Lily G. Blunt
Alex is falling in love with Michael,
one of the gorgeous handymen who maintain his property.
Can Alex trust the Fernando brothers
or are they thieves?
Heat Rating: Burning
Format: ebook
ISBN: 978-1-78651-381-6
Sexometer: 2
Word Count: 12,037
Language: English
Book Length: Short Story
Pages: 38
Genres: Contemporary, Gay, Erotic Romance
General Release Date: 1st March 2016
BLURB
After moving into his new
house, Alex Sucre employs the three good-looking Fernando brothers as handymen
to maintain his home and garden. He’s immediately attracted to Michael, the
youngest, and enjoys watching his muscle-packed body through his study window
as he works.
After a spate of
burglaries in the area, one of Alex’s neighbors accuses the brothers of the
thefts. Alex is reluctant to believe that any of them could be responsible, as
their business is thriving and they appear to be honest men. But once that seed
of doubt has been sown, Alex wonders whether they can be trusted.
Should Alex confront
Michael with his suspicions and risk destroying their newly formed
relationship?
EXCERPT
All it took was the clack
of the garden gate closing. Alex Sucre’s breath paused, his heart raced. He
shot a look from the spreadsheet on his laptop to the digital clock at the top
corner of the screen.
Mmm… He’s early today.
Alex waited in case he’d
misheard, but there it was, the gritty roll of the lawn mower on the path down
the side of his house. Warm excitement rippled through him—his breath
quickened, his heart pounded just that bit faster. He peered through the slats
of the Venetian blinds strung across the study window and out into the garden,
waiting expectantly. His cock stirred, a familiar and very welcome tingle. Alex
was already anticipating what, or who, he was about to see.
Several whirrs of the
motor’s pull cord rattled the near silence until it caught and the lawn mower
burst into life, filling the quiet of the house. Alex leaned forward, adjusting
the blinds, ready to ogle his gardener as he strode across the lawn. In his
eagerness, Alex scattered papers onto the wooden floor.
Damn it!
He scooped them up and
slapped them back down by his keyboard. Alex moved beside his desk, to one side
of the window, not wanting to be caught snooping already.
Come on. Come on. Hurry
up!
BUY
LINKS
REVIEWS
"My review of this amazing story. I received an ARC copy of
this book and OMG am I glad I did.
The Handyman Can, is gripping and sweet and thrilling and so much
more. I just couldn't put it down. You have a brilliant mix of people in the
neighbourhood where it is set from kind dears to busy bodies. My love fell to
Alex and Handyman Michael. I won't give spoilers away because I want you all to
enjoy this a fall in love with this book as much as I did. Let's just say it's
a book you will be thrilled you bought and read and you will want more.
Go buy this asap once on sale and it's for pre sale as well so
pick it up guys and gals."
"Ahhhh… A short and sweet book to zap your endorphins after
reading a long, angsty book. Or as I like to call them: Bathtub Books!
A Bathtub Book is a shorter book that is perfect to read in the
tub, before the water gets cold. The Handyman Can is the perfect length and
sweetness level to let you relax and enjoy.
Hunky handymen, sweet make out sessions and a bonus hot sex
scene make this a win for me.
Enjoy Alex and Michael and the off-the-charts
cover-hotness!"
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lily G. Blunt writes
contemporary gay erotic romance. She loves to explore the relationship between
two men and the intensity of their physical and emotional attraction. Angst
often features in her stories as she feels this demonstrates the depth of the
men's feelings for each other. Lily is forever writing imaginary scenes and
plots in her head, but only a few ever make it to the page--there never seems
to be enough hours in the day despite having left the teaching profession to
concentrate on her writing!
Lily discovered the
wonderful world of m/m romance novels five years ago via fan fiction and went
on to write stories in her spare time. With the encouragement of her friends
and readers she decided to publish some of her work. Lily subsequently
self-published several stories via Amazon. She later published short stories
with Torquere Press and Wayward Ink Publishing. Lily is excited about joining
Pride Publishing for her latest release, The Handyman Can.
Lily is an avid supporter
of GLBTQ rights and advocates equality for all. She was recently a steward for
Pride in London. She lives in central England with her rather bemused husband
and a 'mad as a bag of frogs' Shetland Sheepdog called Barney.
AUTHOR LINKS
MY
THOUGHTS:
The Handyman Can was a wonderful surprise. For a story only 38 pages long it
was surprisingly full of recognisable characters and gripping storyline. I
won’t go into the details of the story; the blurb tells you all you need to
know. I will say that I got to know both Alex and Michael rather well as the
story progressed and especially Michael charmed his way into my heart. I also
loved Alex’s neighbours. They were an interesting, varied and recognisable
bunch of people, just as you would expect in any neighbourhood.
I enjoyed the simmering heat when the story
starts and the way it slowly built up to the steaming finale after all issues
have been resolved. And I liked that this story provided more than ‘just’ a
steamy romance; we’re also given the opportunity to enjoy a mystery with an
action packed conclusion. Quite an achievement, considering the length of this
story.
Having said all of that, I did have one or two
reservations as well. Once or twice Alex came across as somewhat condescending
in the way he thought about Michael and his brothers. As much as it is clear he
is head over heals in love with his handyman, Alex’s thoughts made me a bit
uncomfortable at times and somewhat worried about their future as a couple. My
second reservation is connected to the first one; Alec was very quick to have
doubts about the three brothers even if he doesn’t voice them to Michael. These
were minor issues though. Overall the obvious and very hot attraction between
these two men took centre stage and kept me rooting for them even when it
seemed as if it might all be falling apart before it had even had a chance to
begin.
Long story short: The Handyman Can is a
hot, fast paced and well plotted story and as a result a thoroughly enjoyable
quick read. If you find yourself with a spare hour on your hands I recommend
this story whole-heartedly. J
Many thanks for reading, reviewing and hosting. I'm very happy you enjoyed my short story xx
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome. It was entirely my pleasure :)
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