StrangeLove by TL Bradford


“𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡, 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝? ”
“𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭, 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭?”
“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬. 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟.”
“𝐎𝐡 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐭! 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲?”
“𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐲, 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫.”
“𝘀𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬? 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐞.”

From the StrangeLove blurb:

Archer

The year began great for me.

Became the starting quarterback for an NFL team - check.
Secured a multi-million-dollar contract - check.
Moved to LA and lived the glamorous life - check.

What could possibly cause me any issues?

Oh yeah, one more thing. I'm gay.

I was outed a couple of years ago to my former team and my family, but it hasn't been made public knowledge yet. Well, that is, until now. I'll be known as the first LGBTQ+ active player in the league's history. And if I stick to the conditions of my contract, it won't be a problem. The thing is, I'm not really a guy known for playing by the rules.

Most people think of my personality as the three B's: bold, brash, and blunt. My mouth has gotten me into more predicaments than I can count. Even my best friends have told me I'm stubborn as a mule and have the delicacy of a bull in a china shop. This presents a big problem for me because I have my eyes set on winning over the guy who stole my heart years ago, only he doesn't know it yet.

Getting his attention is going to be challenging. It's a good thing I'm tenacious.
Unfortunately, it's not great timing and could get me into a whole mess of trouble.
Why does falling for a guy need to be anyone's business but mine?

Kai

The past couple of years were a whirlwind of activity. My career took off after my guest shot appearance in Americana. I appeared in a few indie features and finally got a shot at my first major motion picture release. The work came as a great distraction from my personal life, which took a further nosedive after I found out the guy I was falling for had already fallen for someone else.

Why should I be surprised? He was another in a string of failed relationship attempts. I swore I wouldn't get involved with anyone else, choosing to stay focused on my career instead. That is, until the force of nature known as Archer McMillan came storming into my life.

To be the pursued instead of the pursuer was not in the cards. To top it off, he's everything I'm not. Yet, there's something to be said for a guy who can make you laugh when it's the last thing you want to be doing. I'll admit he's got a playful and determined spirit. Archer also has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I've ever known. Not the mention the cute way he… Hold on. What am I doing? We cannot be a thing. Nope. Not gonna happen. Ever. Right?

***

Follow Kai and Archer as they cross the lines as friends, partners-in-crime, and confidants, to discover a love beyond boundaries that needs no definition.

(StrangeLove is a funny, heartwarming, slow-burn love story. It contains a cast of fully developed characters that encounter romance, laughter, and life lessons. It contains adult language, mature themes, and is best enjoyed by those over the age of 18. It can be read as a standalone; however, if you would like to know the backstories of some characters, check out the prior books in the series.)


Amy_tbs' Review:

I had such a blast reading StrangeLove. I had so many conflicting emotions about Kai, at first I didn't think he was really good enough for Archer. I had so much love for Archer and he is definitely my favourite character from the series. He's such a sweet goofball and had such a happy go lucky personality that made it incredibly hard not to love him. He made me laugh out loud with all his outlandish behaviour but there was also an undercurrent of sadness to him. The author has an amazing ability to draw you in and build a connection with the characters.

It took me a while to warm up to Kai, I honestly didn't love him for boy Archer at first. He seemed completely hung up on Noah and seemed not interested in Archer, and let's face Archer deserves the very best. 

As with the previous books in the series. The characters in StrangLove are very developed and have varying degrees to them. What you see isn't necessarily the truth and we have to dig deep to see the real them.

By the end I was eating my words and wanted to be Kai's cheerleader. I absolutely loved their relationship. It was insanely funny, cute as hell and so heartwarming. This was a beautiful read and I can't recommend it enough.

StrangeLove can be read as a standalone; however, if you would like to know the backstories of some characters, check out the prior books in the series.

Rating: 5 Stars


Want more?  Check out the Release Blitz, Excerpt and Giveaway post:


Comments