The Liar in Room 5 (Halo House) by Kerry Kilpatrick

Drew finds a soft spot to land at Halo House and is introduced to a younger attorney that sees right through all his lies. Henry wants to get to know the real Drew, not the man he makes up to get along with others, and when he discovers the real Drew he refuses to let go.

From the blurb:

Sometimes the hardest person to find is yourself.

Andrew Greene

I always thought I was pretty good at relationships.

Sure, they ended eventually, but people break up. You dust yourself off, meet someone new, and move on. Looking back, I suppose I should have found it a little odd that my next boyfriend almost always came from my last boyfriend's group of friends. No one seemed to mind, though, so I didn't question it.

Then I came home from vacation to discover I'd already been replaced.

Now I'm staying at Halo House while I figure out what comes next. Getting a job would probably be a good place to start. It turns out "professional boyfriend" isn't something you can exactly put on a résumé. Unfortunately, getting a real job would mean leaving my room.

And then I met Henry Mercer.

The problem with Henry is that he never seems interested in the version of me standing in front of him. Every question he asks makes me wonder if he's looking for someone I haven't met yet.

Henry Mercer

I've built a career figuring people out.

Clients lie. Studios bluff. Everyone wants something, and it's my job to figure out what that is.

Andrew should have been easy to read.

Instead, he's the first person I've met in a long time who doesn't make any sense. Andrew says he loves pickleball, but he clearly doesn't know the first thing about it. Every question I ask somehow ends with me doing all the talking, and before I realize it, I've learned almost nothing about him.

The more time I spend with Andrew, the more I'm convinced he's spent so long becoming what everyone else wanted that he never took the time to figure out what he wanted for himself.

I'd have a much easier time with that if I were interested in any version of him besides the real one.

I hope that when Andrew finally learns to want something for himself, it's me.

This low-angst hurt/comfort MM romance features found family, fresh starts, a lawyer who asks far too many questions, and a man who's finally given himself permission to have answers of his own.

Welcome to Halo House, a haven for boys who have nowhere else to go. This multi-author daddy kink MM romance series is a shared world that follows vulnerable boys finding shelter, chosen family, and protective Daddies who are ready to love them exactly as they are.


SNik's review:

Part of a multi-author series (Halo House), but can be read as a standalone. Hurt/comfort. Daddy/boy. Found family. Mature characters. Slow burn. Dual POV. 

Unexpectedly dumped with nowhere to go Drew ends up at Halo House with no idea what to do since he hasn’t had a job in years. When attorney Henry meets Drew there are several incongruities to the man and Henry is intrigued and finds himself oddly drawn to Drew. 

This story was such a sweet palate cleanser and I loved everything about it. The way Henry understands Drew and patiently draws him out to reveal the real person beneath the mask Drew has been living behind in order to get along with all of his previous boyfriends was beyond swoony. These two slowly fall in love with Henry being a supportive younger Daddy to Drew’s sweet hidden boy. I really enjoyed every minute of their blossoming relationship. Not the story I was expecting, but something I loved and felt really brought the romance.


The Liar in Room 5 is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription