A Kind of Home
Series: A Kind of Stories, #4
Author: Lane Hayes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: June 23
Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 77k approximately
Genre: Romance, Bisexual, Rock star, NYC, humor, light suspense
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Synopsis
Isaac Dalton is the guitarist for Spiral, arguably the biggest rock band in the world. The band’s meteoric rise to superstardom has its perks, but fame and fortune aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Nonstop touring and performing exhaust him, and when an overzealous fan makes it imperative that Isaac travel with a clingy bodyguard, he is ready for a break from the madness. More so when his newly single first crush shows up on his doorstep. The man is strictly off-limits. He’s a memory from a place Isaac would rather leave behind. And he’s straight.Fun-loving former athlete slash construction worker Adam McBride desperately needs a new beginning. And New York City is the perfect place to start over and think about how to rebuild his life. A short stint as roommates with his brother’s best friend from high school seems like a mutually beneficial arrangement. However, when friendship gives way to fierce attraction, both men find themselves in uncharted and possibly dangerous territory. Isaac has to decide if he’s willing to take the ultimate risk for a kind of love and a kind of home he never dreamed possible.
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Excerpt
Excerpt for A Kind of Home by Lane Hayes“I’ve got it!” Adam sprang to his feet and waved his hand excitedly.
I gave him a weary sideways glance. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop.”
“No, it’s perfect. You teach me guitar and I’ll teach you how to bake something.”
“Tonight?”
“Not necessarily. When we can. The point is I’ll be here if you don’t feel like being alone. We can keep each other sane with wholesome diversions without having to ask ‘What do you feel like doing, roomie?’”
“‘Wholesome diversions’? You’ve been mainlining confectioner’s sugar again, haven’t you?” I quipped.
“Ha. Ha. Don’t overthink. I’ll keep my hands to myself. You’re safe with me. I promise. I just—we’re both adjusting to change. It might be helpful to lean on each other. That’s all.”
“Platonically?”
“Sure. Boston cream pie for a tip or two on how to play a couple Guns N’ Roses classics. What do you think?”
I lowered my eyes as I worked on the row of buttons on my navy shirt. I was touched. I couldn’t remember the last time someone stopped to notice my state of mental well-being and offered to ease my mind. I knew my friends cared, but they were going through the same things I was. All they could say was “Hang on. It’ll get easier.” Adam was offering something more—himself and his time. Platonically.
I wasn’t sure I trusted myself to keep us in the friend zone. Even now I wanted to tackle him to the bed and grind against him. He was solid, familiar, and trustworthy. Just what I needed to keep my mind off my troubles.
“Okay. You’re on.” I chuckled when he let out a whoop before I continued. “But we each get to choose what we want to learn.”
Adam mulled over my suggestion for a moment, then inclined his head. “As long as you know we aren’t making anything from a box.”
“And as long as you know I can only take so many run-throughs of ‘Sweet Child of Mine’ before I’ll strangle you.”
Adam gave me a megawatt grin and then held up his hand for a high five. I slapped his hand and then rolled my eyes when he broke into a decent impression of Axl Rose’s version of “Patience.”
“Go,” I said, shooing him out of my bedroom. “I’ve got real-life bullsh*t to deal with. No more nonsense.”
“A little nonsense is good for you, Isaac. It’s what keeps you afloat so the bad stuff doesn’t drag you under.” He reached for my wrist and pulled me against him so our chests collided.
It was a slapstick maneuver that was too rough to be taken as a sensual overture. Until he backed me against the wall and lowered his head a fraction of an inch, stopping when his nose brushed mine. I held my breath, aware of my thundering heart. My world constricted to the smallest fragment of space. I occupied a place against a wall, covered by a man I’d known most of my life. Someone I cared about and, yeah, lusted after too.
Adam lowered his head again, and this time he didn’t stop. He pressed his lips to mine and went perfectly still as though testing my response. When I didn’t protest, he melded his mouth over mine, careful to keep the connection light. I reached out and ran a tentative hand along his cheek. Adam trembled and leaned into my touch, deepening the kiss ever so slightly. Then he licked my lips in a silent request for entry. I groaned when our tongues glided together and let him pull me under.
I broke for air and pushed his chest. This was ridiculous. We were friends only, and we were destined for heartache if we tried to be something else. “We can’t do this. I told you, I—”
Adam tugged at my belt loop and drew me against him. Then he rested his forehead against mine and went still as though he was wordlessly giving me control. I should have pushed him away, but I couldn’t. I fused my lips to his and moaned into the connection. I shivered when he moved his hands up my chest, then placed them on the wall on either side of my head. He nudged my chin with his nose until I exposed my neck. He traced my jawline with the tip of his tongue and then bit my earlobe before whispering in a raspy voice, “No repeats. I’ll behave. But I gotta admit… I really want to change your mind.”
Carra's Review
The friends to lovers trope will never get old for me as long as authors like Lane Hayes write stories like A Kind of Home to keep things fresh. It has a perfect balance of sweet and sexy, drama and fun, with a slight touch of suspense to add some extra tension. And it has Adam, who I totally fell for from the moment he hit the page.
The story is told solely from Isaac’s point of view, and overall I found him to be a very likable character. He is extremely talented musically, and is adamant about not getting involved with anyone apart from one night stands. His aversion to relationships comes from his family past, but maybe…just maybe an old friend might change his mind. A friend like Adam. Adam was sweet, funny, eternally optimistic, and just someone who you can’t help but like. While on the outside it might seem like he’s directionless and unfocused, the more we learn about him the easier it is to see how wrong that assumption is.
The majority of the story concentrates on the development of Isaac and Adam’s relationship, with a side plot of a stalker-ish fan of Isaac’s getting just a bit too creepy. Honestly, the story could have gone without that part and I’d have been totally fine with it since the evolution of Isaac and Adam’s relationship would have been enough to tell a full story. But it does add that little something extra to up the drama factor, and also eventually leads to another dramatic point between Issac and Adam late in the story.
I’m not sure why, but it was really hard for me to picture the characters’ physical selves with this story…Isaac more so than Adam. This made it a bit more difficult for me to play the scenes out in my head as I was reading, but in the end it didn’t affect my rating for the story.
A Kind of Home was a solid 4-star read for me, and while it is part of a series it can definitely be read as a standalone. If you love friends to lovers, this will be a great story for you, and if you love rockstar romance you’ll get that bonus here as well. This story is for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.
Meet the Author
Lane Hayes is grateful to finally be doing what she loves best. Writing full-time! It’s no secret Lane loves a good romance novel. An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. These days she prefers the leading roles to both be men. Lane discovered the M/M genre a few years ago and was instantly hooked. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions, and were winners in the 2016 Rainbow Awards. She loves red wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband in an almost empty nest.Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
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