We dive back into the Kincaid Family with The Fishermen, after reading Cole & Jaspers story, the Good Liar, you had to be curious of their dad Franklin and Coles elusive best friend Leland. So dive on in and see how these paths all interconnect more than we could have imagined.
From the blurb:
At the age of twenty-five, Leland Meadows has his whole life mapped out in front of him, with four rules to live by:
No dreams or aspirations.
No repeat hookups.
And definitely no committed relationships.
Leland’s looking for safety, not heartbreak and disappointment. Then one day he receives an offer he can’t turn down. Rent is due, and the catering company his best friend’s sister works for is suddenly one server short for the biggest event of the year. Leland accepts the job—but those rules he’s been so careful to follow? They don’t stand a chance against Franklin Kincaid.
At forty-five, the lie Franklin Kincaid has been living his entire life catches up with him.
His job no longer fulfills him—if it ever had.
His marriage is in crisis.
His heart yearns for something he can’t identify—or maybe he’s just too terrified to admit it.
And his children are clueless about all of it.
On a cold and lonely night, Franklin’s search for courage leads him to a rooftop in downtown Seattle, where he finds Leland Meadows instead.
Neither of them would ever be the same again.
The Fishermen is a best friend’s dad MM romance and Book 2 in the Infidelity series. It ends with a HEA, and can be read as a stand-alone but may be better enjoyed if read in series order. Themes include age-gap, possessiveness, hurt/comfort, and second chances. Both MCs are consenting adults. Please use the “Look Inside” feature for a full list of content warnings.
Molly Otto's Review:
We first met Leland & Franklin in the Good Liar, and you knew secrets were being held, but wow, we did not expect them to be so deep and so brutal.
Franklin has always done what's right for his family in any way he could, especially at the detriment of his own happiness until Leland. Leland has never had anyone choose him above all, partly due to his past, partly due to the life around him. Leland and Franky start their journey knowing it can't be more and are both destroyed in the process for the better good of everyone else.
But fate gives these two lost men a second chance, and souls will be barred as they always should have been. The wrongs of the past will be rectified even if others are hurt in the process because, for once, they will come first.
This is a story of pain and acceptance, and in the end, forgiveness, cause no one is perfect, but that doesn't mean they can't be perfect for their match still.
Rating: 5 Stars
Jacqueleen the Reading Queen's Review:
"๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐๐ข ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐๐ค๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐จ, ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฃ๐ค๐ช๐ง๐๐จ๐ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐. ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ซ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ข๐.
๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ซ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ค๐จ๐ ๐ข๐."
When I found out book 2 in the Infidelity series was going to be about Cole and Jasper's father, along with Cole's best friend, I was utterly shocked. I couldn't imagine how two men who seemed so different could have a story such as theirs. But that's where I got it wrong in my imagination. There may be 20 years between them, but Franky and Leland are not so different after all. In fact, it was their similarities that drew them together in the first place.
"๐๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐๐๐จ๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐๐ช๐จ๐ ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐ก๐ค๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐จ ๐ข๐. ๐ผ๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐จ, ๐๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ก๐ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ฎ ๐๐จ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ."
I loved how their relationship started off as a blooming friendship. To be honest, they both had dreams in the back of their mind of having more with one another, but it didn't stop them from becoming the other person to count on. They had a kinship these two. They saw the pain in one another's eyes that nobody else did because nobody else had bothered to really look. Or maybe it was because like recognizes like. Either way, the result is the same. Franky and Leland formed a bond that proved couldn't be broken, even after hearts were left shattered along the way.
The circumstances of their separation were brutal, even though I knew it was coming and why after having read book 1. And though I felt terrible for Franky being put in that position, it was Leland who broke my heart the most. The man who Franky affectionately called Leelee Bear and said was made of sunshine no longer shined in any way. It wasn't until Leland's friendship with Cole began that he started to dig his way out of the shadows. It made me sad because even though Cole became his best friend, Leland could never share the truth of himself. He would always have to keep the biggest part of how he came to be who he was a secret. It had to make him feel incredibly alone.
"๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ'๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐๐ข ๐๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐. ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ'๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ก๐ค๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ข ๐๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐."
It took a lot for the MCs to finally get to a place where the time was finally right. Throughout it all, they never stopped loving one another, even when they desperately wished they could. Franky was it for Leland the moment he fell in love with him and nothing he tried was ever going to change that. Franky realized he had to grow as a person before he could ever think to gain Leland's forgiveness for what he'd done to them, and I respected that about him. I also rejoiced when they jumped the last hurdle and were finally free to love one another without anything holding them back. After everything, Franky and Leland deserved that and more.
Rating: 5 Stars
The Fisherman is available to buy as an ebook, paperback, or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.
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