CATCHER'S LOCK is a hard earned former friends to lovers romance. Two best friends navigating the circus, relationships, family drama, and grief.
From the blurb:
Josha
Don’t fall in love with the boy next door.
Not when he’s the prodigal son of the family you’ve always wanted. Especially not when he’s straight, damaged, and hell-bent on ripping your heart out and running away. When lines get crossed and he disappears, I vow I’m done chasing an impossible dream. So why am I answering his call two years later and letting him drag me back into his games? And how can I resist when the lure he’s dangling is the one thing I’ve always wanted—him?
Gem
Don’t break your best friend’s heart.
Not when he’s the only perfect thing that’s ever loved you. Especially not when he makes you question everything you thought you knew about yourself. But all I do is drag him down with my addictions and the only way to save him is to let him go. So I run—only to realize the missing pieces of myself I’m chasing are shaped like him.
I haven’t earned another chance, but I’m begging for one anyway. It’s time to shed my shackles and swim in the sun, because becoming the man he deserves is the only way I’ll ever find my home.
Catcher's Lock is an 18+ MM childhood best friends-to-lovers romance with a medium burn, a lot of angst, and mature content. Expect 1st person present tense, dual POV, and material that some readers may find sensitive. Full content notes included in the book and on my author website.
This is the third book in a series of interconnected standalones following a group of elite aerial circus athletes through their struggles to find unconventional love in unexpected places. It can be read on its own but includes minor spoilers for book 2, Unlocked Dive. Catcher's Lock ends with a HEA.
Molly Otto's review:
If you are looking for an easy romance this is not the story for you. This is two men who need the other to survive yet have to fight for that chance every single step of the way. You see the story unfold from both sides where they need the other yet aren't ready until they will not survive without the other. Dealing with addiction is not a trope I take lightly and to be frank must be handled in the right way or I will opt out. AK shows the true depths of the pain and the fight to come out on the other side. Gemiah struggle is hard fought and yes, he does have slip ups, as most do, but in the end he comes out on the other side. With the support of Josha, he is able to concur his demons and soar to be the amazing man he was always meant to be yet couldn't quite reach. This series is raw and emotional and will tear you apart before building you back up.
Angel's review:
Josh and Gem are childhood best friends, they've grown up together, always by each others sides. Until Gem leaves Josh and the Big Top behind and starts a spiral down a very long and brutal road... Eventually though, years later, they find their way back to each other, and that's where their romance truly begins.
I want to start by saying I really enjoyed the Circus element of this story, I enjoyed how it was such a big component and was so important to the plot and story itself. I've always had love for the circus so to be able to read it in an MM romance book? I'm obsessed!
I liked this as there was definitely a lot of character building, there were tons of details describing the various circus acts, how to get ready for a show, along with it slowly building back up Gem's relationship with those close to him. I'm a sucker for the friends to lovers trope, Gem and Josh have that trope in spades! My only critique is I wish there was less steamy scenes and more scenes of these two being a couple. There were hints of them doing things, for example, "we went surfing two days in a row now." But we never actually got to witness those moments which was what I was craving.
This book discusses heavy topic matter, specifically drug and alcohol abuse and addiction. It not only shows how that affects the person who's addicted but also how it affects those around them. As someone who has addicts in my family, this book was heavy hitting but was written in a very real, very raw way. If these things can potentially be triggering please proceed with caution.
Catcher's Lock is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription
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