Tru Smoke by Edie Danford

*** 1/2

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire… Whenever Jones touches him, flames flicker in Truitt Larkin's smoky-gray eyes. 

Growing up in Ember Peak, Colorado, Jones Hudson nurtured dreams as big as the Rockies. Why else would a flat-broke college student believe he has a shot with Truitt Larkin, the billionaire CEO of Larkin Corp? And, sure, Tru might own the fab, five-thousand-acre Ember Peak Ranch, where Jones is just the son of a ranch employee, but that doesn’t mean a future with Tru is doomed, does it? When he finally, finally convinces Tru to break his chiseled-in-rock no-sex-ever policy, Jones is sure smoke will never shroud Tru’s silver-flame eyes again.

But fire burns and dreams crash. And Jones leaves Ember Peak—and a big chunk of his heart—behind.

Tru knows he’s responsible for fracturing his valued friendship with Jones. Indulging his attraction to the younger man was selfish and destructive—something he’ll always regret. When Jones returns to Ember Peak for a family wedding, Tru wants a chance to heal their friendship and give back to Jones the comfort of coming home. But sparks fly the moment they reunite, and they scramble to douse the passion that’s burned them both before. Yet a flicker of hope glows brightly, and soon they need all their courage to see their way to a future together.

Review:

A few things drew me to this story.  First, I’ve been wanting to read a story by Edie Danford ever since reading How We Began, which she edited.  Second, there is a certain allure of the second-chance and friends-to-lovers combo that I couldn’t ignore.  Lastly, I’ve been searching for m/m cowboy/western romance and was crossing my fingers that this would finally be the one that I love.

In a many ways I found a gem in Tru North.  The writing was unbelievably rich.  So much detail on every page.  Any reader that loves to immerse themselves in a setting will love the descriptions of Ember Peak Ranch and the characters.  Anyone looking for a lot of time with their heroes will be happy with the length of this story.  Both heroes were extremely lovable.  Jones’ growth from their first try at a relationship to the next time they see each other is significant.  His certainty in what he wants out of life is extremely attractive.  As his deep affection for his friends and family.  Truitt was a little more difficult to understand.  He’s a closed book to himself and those around him.  But the more Truitt reveals to himself and the reader the deeper his attachment to Jones grows.   

My biggest struggle with this story was how their relationship began (meeting when Jones was 5 and Truitt 19 years old) and where it ended it up.  It left me feeling slightly uncomfortable.  What I like to call “Thorn Birds” uncomfortable.  Significant age differences rarely bother me.  But just like I could never quite reconcile Father Ralph and Maggie’s priest/child parishioner relationship with their romantic adult relationship, I had a very hard time accepting Truitt and Jones’ older/younger brother relationship with THEIR adult romantic relationship.   Obviously, that’s my own issue and not a big enough one to make me stop reading (I finished The Thorn Birds too).   

That struggle aside, I really enjoyed this story.  It was something different that helped me move out of a long term book funk.  If you are looking to immerse yourself in a romance that truly has everything Tru Smoke might be the book for you.  Heads up, Tru and Jones story has a Happy For Now conclusion.  Fortunately, we get to find out what happens next in Tru Burn which releases in December.

Nat 

Valor on the Move by Keira Andrews

* * * 1/2

He’d give his life to protect the president’s son. But he never expected to risk his heart.

Growing up gay in the White House hasn’t been easy for Rafael Castillo. Codenamed “Valor” by the Secret Service, Rafa feels anything but brave as he hides in the closet and tries to stay below the radar in his last year of college. His father’s presidency is almost over, and he just needs to stick to his carefully crafted plan. Once his family’s out of the spotlight, he can be honest with his conservative parents about his sexuality and his dream of being a chef. 

It’s definitely not part of Rafa’s plan to get a new Secret Service agent who’s a walking wet dream, but he’s made it this long keeping his desires to himself. Besides, it’s not like Shane Kendrick would even look at him twice if it wasn’t his job.

Shane’s worked his way up through the Secret Service ranks, and while protecting the president’s shy, boring son isn’t his dream White House assignment, it’s an easy enough task since no one pays Rafa much attention. He discovers there’s a vibrant young man beneath the timid public shell, and while he knows Rafa has a crush on him, he assures himself it’s harmless. Shane’s never had room for romance in his life, and he’d certainly never cross that line with a protectee. Keeping Rafa safe at any cost is Shane’s mission. 

But as Rafa gets under his skin, will they both put their hearts on the line?

Review: 

This ARC was received by the author and IndiGo Marketing and Design in exchange for an honest review.

Rafa Castillo is biding his time until his Republican father's presidential term is over.  When that happens he can finally come out and move to the other side of the world to pursue his dreams of becoming a chef.  Dreams that his mother has done the most to redirect into something SHE wants for him.  After his second to last semester of college, he returns to the White House for the summer.  Due to staffing changes within the Secret Service to provide protection to the new presidential candidates, Rafa is assigned two new agents in the rotating team that protects him 24/7.  The last thing he expected was to find one of his new agents to be a super hot guy a good 15-20 years older than him.  

Shane Kendrick might have received the most boring detail within the White House, BUT it is a detail that could lead to protecting the President which has been his goal since joining the Secret Service.  Rafael Castillo (code name Valor) is an easy charge.  The most dangerous thing he does is cook  in the small private kitchen available to him.  When Rafa (or Valor - can't refer to his protectee in a personal way, now can he) begs Shane to sample the dishes he has been developing, Shane finds it hard to say no to someone so earnest and in need of a little encouragement.  

Before long, Rafa's attraction to Shane has turned into a hard-core attraction.  And no matter how hard he tries to ignore it, Shane returns Rafa's interest.  But Shane is also dedicated to his job and refuses to jeopardize that.  At the first hint of physical contact, Shane shuts off all communication that isn't required in order to perform his duties as Valor's protector. 

I was more than a little curious how this story would be portrayed.  I often enjoy May-December romances.  I find the evolution of the relationships to be fascinating and Valor on the Move was no exception.  I enjoyed how the development of their feelings was based on the slow realization of mutual interests rather than instant physical involvement.  Not that the physical attraction wasn't there from the onset.  It definitely was.  I also appreciated that Keira Andrews didn't try to gloss over the ethical issues of Shane becoming involved with the person he is paid to protect.   Nor does she sugar coat the likely response a Secret Service agent would have to his position being emotionally compromised. 

My only complaint is that, as much I loved Rafa and Shane, I felt slightly removed from them as a couple.  There is a 6-month break towards the end of the story that I felt may have contained revelations for both characters.  Revelations that would have pulled me in a bit more and made me an even stronger supporter of their eventual happy ending.  But, I have to admit that my wanting more is a good thing since the author did such an amazing job of making me care about her heroes.  

If you are a fan of age-gap romances with plenty of magic time and a feel-good ending,  I highly recommend this Valor on the Move.

Nat