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Title: Charlie’s Hero
Series: Heroes
Author: Nic Starr
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Bree Archer
Length: 200 Pages
Release Date: June 17, 2015
Blurb: Schoolteacher Charlie Matthews returns to his hometown, looking to regain a sense of community, reconnect with friends, and settle down. It looks like his dreams have come true when paramedic Josh Campbell attends an accident at the school. It’s love at first sight, and a romance begins.
But Josh’s reluctance to come out to the brother who raised him, puts pressure on their fledgling relationship. While Charlie understands Josh’s concerns, he can’t help growing impatient. After all, Charlie came out years ago.
It’s not until Charlie confronts his own parents and realizes he hasn’t come to terms with their rejection that he fully understands what Josh has to lose. But Josh is Charlie’s hero, and Josh will do anything to prove to Charlie that to be part of a family, he doesn’t need his parents.
HE WAS in love. Totally, wonderfully, head over heels in love. Love with a capital L, hell, love in full uppercase. All it took was one look, one simple glance, and he was a goner. Of course the object of his admiration was classically handsome—tall and athletic, glowing with good health. Bright eyes, wide smile, waves of shining hair tucked behind perfect ears. He was like all Charlie’s dreams come true, with golden skin hugging strong muscles that strained on long limbs. But even if Charlie hadn’t been attracted to the man’s spectacular good looks, there was no way to overlook his actions.
When Charlie first saw him, he was kneeling on the schoolyard ground, tending to a little girl who was lying prone on the soft-fall rubber surface under the play equipment. She was one of Charlie’s second graders. Her right leg, bent at a strange, unnatural angle, gave a big clue as to her injury. Charlie hoped the leg was the worst she was hurt.
An efficient auburn-haired paramedic was treating her injured leg while the gorgeous guy knelt by her head, hands on either side of her blonde curls, keeping her still. He whispered into her ear, the words obviously having a calming effect—the little girl stared intently up at him, the hitch in her breathing the only evidence of any distress. There was a gentleness to his touch, despite the large hands, and caring in his tone as he concentrated on his patient. How could Charlie not fall in love with this glorious combination of caring, masculine beauty?
“Mr. Matthews. Mr. Matthews.” The urgent high-pitched voice and persistent tugging on his hand drew his attention reluctantly away from the scene unfolding in the playground. Shit, he thought, what the hell am I doing just standing here staring when I should be taking care of the other children, who are no doubt worried and scared? Dropping to one knee and looking Jennifer in the eye, Charlie gave her his full attention. “What is it, Jenny?” he asked, knowing she was going to voice her worry about her small friend on the ground.
“Is Alison going to be all right, Mr. Matthews?” she asked in a low and quavering voice. He replied in a way he hoped would calm her fears, by keeping his voice even and low.
“She’ll be fine, Jenny. Her mummy and daddy will meet her at the hospital, and Miss Bryant is going to go stay with her until they get there. Alison is in very good hands. See those paramedics?” He pointed toward the action under the monkey bars, and she looked across at the small group on the ground and nodded gravely. “Well, they’re very good at their jobs. They’re going to take Alison to the hospital so the doctors can put a cast on her leg. I’m sure she’ll be back at school in no time.”
“But she won’t be able to play,” she whispered, obviously still worried for her friend.
“No, she won’t,” he admitted. “At least she won’t be able to run around for a while, but she will be able to draw and play board games. I know you love to draw, so maybe you can play with Alison to make her feel better. I bet you’ll be able to write your name on the cast too.”
At that, Jenny met his gaze and finally smiled. “Really!” she said with excitement. “That’d be totally cool!”
They looked up as the paramedics wheeled past with the gurney. Little Alison was tightly strapped aboard. She was lying still, no doubt in shock, and holding tightly to the hand of Charlie’s hero. He only glanced their way for a second, obviously reluctant to take his attention away from the little girl who needed him, but that was enough. Their gazes connected, his warm brown eyes seeming to look straight into Charlie’s soul. The surge of emotion that flooded through him took him by surprise. The paramedic blinked and the spell was broken. They moved swiftly past Jenny and Charlie, then loaded the gurney into the back of the ambulance.
Charlie stood frozen to the spot, still holding Jenny’s small hand in his, and watched the ambulance leave. Finally he took a deep breath, turned back to the schoolyard, and started to round up any children still in the playground.
“Come on, everyone,” he called. “It’s time to get back to class.”
As the last stragglers made their way into the single-story building that housed the small group of classrooms, he knew he would be spending the afternoon reassuring the children. He decided that making get-well cards for Alison would be the best way of distracting the group of second graders.
Charlie is a school teacher with a bit of a crush. When a small girl is hurt on the playground, she is attended to by an EMT who catches his eye. When he stumbles upon that same EMT a few weeks later, he figures now is his chance to ask for a date.
Josh is a self confident EMT but in his social life he is rather insecure. He lost his father at a young age and was raised by his brother. He is terrified of coming out to Andrew and losing the only family he has left.
Charlie knows what losing family is like so he is very patient with Josh but he is definitely chomping at the bit to meld their lives together for a happily ever after
This is not a complicated story. Boy meets boy. Boy dates boy and starts falling in love. The melding of friends and family happens slowly and eventually there will be a happily ever after. It is sweet and realistic and relatively angst free. An enjoyable read that left me smiling.
There were a few things that made me stop and scratch my head, though. I am not sure Charlie would have moved back to his home town after his parents disowned him. Literally threw him out and won’t speak a word to him but they live in the same relatively small town. It didn’t seem like a realistic choice.
I loved Josh’s sweet character but thought there was too big a difference between confident at work Josh and timid at home Josh. It is probably possible but it raised a flag in my brain.
I didn’t like Andrew at first. I thought he was cruel and lived through Josh far too much. However, you do figure out at the end why he acts like he does. I liked him much more by the end of the book.
There were time I thought the book went a bit too slowly but that is the nature of the story. It is a realistic falling in love. There is dating and life and trips to the grocery store and those aren’t always wild and crazy. There is plenty of heat between Josh and Charlie to add a little zip to the storyline and I found that I really enjoyed seeing how things played out. All in all. A very nice book!
DREAMSPINNER PRESS (Paperback)
AMAZON US (affiliate link)
BARNES & NOBLES
Nic Starr lives in Australia where she tries to squeeze as much into her busy life as possible. Balancing the demands of a corporate career with raising a family and writing can be challenging but she wouldn’t give it up for the world.
Always a reader, the lure of m/m romance was strong and she devoured hundreds of wonderful m/m romance books before eventually realizing she had some stories of her own that needed to be told!
When not writing or reading, she loves to spend time with her family-an understanding husband and two beautiful daughters-and is often found indulging in her love of cooking and planning her dream home in the country.
You can find Nic on Facebook, Twitter and her blog. She’d love it if you stopped by to say hi.
AUTHOR LINKS
Website & Blog: http://www.nicstarr.com
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Nic-Starr/e/B00MAWRRQG/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicki.nicstar
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/NicStarrAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicstar000
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/nicstar000/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8139967.Nic_Starr
Winner’s Prize: $20 Amazon/ARe Gift Card.
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Thanks for taking part in the tour and for the lovely review.
Happy to be part of it!