The Steady (Lost Boys Book 4) by Kelly Fox

An older grieving widower finding the possible spark of another love for his life in a younger man. Ren and Major never expected it, but perhaps they can find love together even after losing a shared important person in their lives in The Steady.


From the blurb:

Hot for teacher? No.
Hot for teacher's widower? Maybe a little more than I should be.

I merely meant to comfort Ren, to help him find steady ground in the middle of an ocean of pain. It was supposed to be a one-time thing.

Only… our chemistry, set ablaze by our extreme size and age differences, was something neither of us had experienced before. It was break-the-bed good and far too potent to stop at just the one time, so we didn't. And we've been hiding it from everyone—including his son—ever since.

I know this can only end one way. I’m just the stand-in. The much, much younger guy with his late husband's physique who’ll temporarily make him forget his grief.

If only he hadn't been so… sigh. Amazing. Funny. Brilliant. Beautiful.

I didn't mean to fall in love with him, but I couldn't help myself. If only he were ready to fall in love again.

Is it too much to hope that with time and a little help from the late Mr. Paige, Ren could let me be the love of the second half of his life?


SNik's review:

Fourth in series (The Lost Boys), best if read in order. Age gap. Hurt/comfort. Found family. POC representation. Dual POV.

Ren is grieving the recent loss of his husband, and he never intends that his seeking comfort from the much younger Major would lead to relief in a sexual way. Mr. Paige was Major’s teacher and mentor, but now his widower husband stirs up all kinds of feelings and attraction that Major can’t ignore.

Major and Ren have chemistry that is off the charts, their interactions are filled with comfort, caretaking and of course some shared lust. Even though he is younger, Major owns his own plumbing business and is mature in his acceptance of Ren's abiding love for Mr. Paige, and even when the lit professor asks for space. There is honest communication and all sorts of levels of guilt that both men have to deal with in order to find happiness together.

It will be hard to let this special group of men from this series go, as with every Kelly Fox series, when it ends I feel equal amounts of sorrow but also anticipation for what she will write next.

Heather's Review:

This is a 3 tissue read... and honestly, I made it further into the book than I thought... but Kelly Fox still got me... you can't help but hurt for Ren and Major as they feel their way through an almost impossible situation and find solace and more with each other.

I truly appreciated the way their relationship ebbed and flowed and really mirrored what a lot of people experiencing grief would experience.  I also love that they can experience so much of it together - keeping Mr. Paige alive in so many ways, but building new and wonderful experiences together...

This book not only made me cry copious tears, but laugh out loud, smile, empathize and more... the roller coaster was real. 

I can't wait to see what unfolds with the final two novellas in this series.


The Steady is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription