He Owns My Heart
by Evie Drae
(Owned Heart, Body, & Soul #1)
Publication date: August 11th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
2019 Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® Finalist in Contemporary Romance
2018 Romance Writers of America® Heart-to-Heart 1st Place Winner in Erotic Romance
2018 Romance Writers of America® Gateway to the Best 2nd Place Winner in Single Title/Contemporary Series
Blurb
Only true love can free a captive heart.
Landon Jenks, retired four-time Golden Glove-winning shortstop for the Chicago Cubs, is lonely, heartbroken, and in desperate need of simple human contact. Trapped in the sticky fine print of an ironclad contract that forbids him from revealing his very-much-single status until the season finale of his reality show airs, he calls an elite male escort service that caters to the rich and wretched.
Accustomed to servicing his often less than savory clients at more upscale locales, twenty-six-year-old Toby Carmichael is surprised when his handler sends him to a run-down motel off I-55. But “surprise” doesn’t come close to describing the shock that rocks his system when a delightful stuttering mess covered in tattoos and nearly ten years his senior stumbles into the room—and right into his heart.
For the first time since Toby was forced into the life of prostitution, a kiss sparks a desire that has nothing to do with money and everything to do with genuine chemistry and the faintest beginnings of something so much more. But Toby’s dark past and troubled present make it impossible to see a future with Landon. And when the truth comes to light, a horrified and helpless Landon is determined to save Toby at all costs.
Content Warnings: Discussion of childhood verbal abuse by an adult survivor, homophobia from a close family member, discussion of previous self-harm/cutting behaviors by an adult survivor, prostitution with dubious consent (all interactions between the main characters have full consent and there are no on-page depictions of dub-con situations), consensual and experimental Domination/submission play between mostly-novice characters, mild violence between a main character and antagonist, and human trafficking associated with illegal drugs (nothing explicit on-page, only discussions related to and psychological/mental ramifications of addressed in moderate detail).
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AUTHOR BIO
Evie Drae is a registered nurse by day and an award-winning male/male romance writer by night. She has won first place in seven Romance Writers of America® (RWA®) competitions, including the prestigious title “Best of the Best” in the 2018 Golden Opportunity Contest. She is a double finalist in the 2019 Golden Heart®, in both the Contemporary Romance and Romantic Suspense categories, and finished as a second-place runner-up in four additional RWA contests.
One of Evie’s favorite things to do is encourage her fellow writers. To that end, she started the #writeLGBTQ and #promoLGBTQ hashtags on Twitter to support and promote LGBTQ+ authors and allies while providing a safe space to connect and grow as a community. She is married to the love of her life, is the mother of three wonderful fur babies, and runs almost entirely on coffee and good vibes.
Evie loves to link up with fellow writers and readers. You can reach her directly at EvieDrae@gmail.com or find her on her social media accounts listed below. Twitter is where she’s most active but be sure to check out her blog too. She focuses on reviews for LGBTQ+ authors and allies with the occasional quirky advice/recommendation post just to toss things up.
Author links
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review*
I have to be honest and say that I've never read a book about romance between two men. not that I am homophobic, but I never had the opportunity to do so, nor have I ever read a book in which the romantic couple is composed by two women. The opportunity just never came. In fact, having received this book to read was also a mistake on my part. I didn't read the synopsis well, or when I read it, I didn't realize it was going to be a story between two men. However, it is a good thing that this happened because it also helped me to get out of my comfort zone and read something I had never read before.
In addition to thinking that the author has a simple and fluid writing, leading the reader to be gently, yet adventurous, forwarded to the end, I also thought that, despite all the "weight" of the story between Toby and Landon, and I speak of "weight" much because of the prejudices that we still face today in our society, above all it is just a story of love and desire for two people who have every right to love whomever they want and to be loved. Often the love that completes us comes from where we least expect it and in Landon's case, it appeared in Toby.
Landon is a baseball player coming from a broken relationship and a family that doesn't accept him as he is. In his desperation to be appreciated for what he is and to feel something more within him, he turns to the services of an escort. Landon is a lovely man and a little clumsy in everything about openness to anyone. Toby is a character that is impossible not to like. Every time we get to know him a little more, it is impossible not to have his heart a little sore for him when we realize how broken and frightened he is by feeling something sincere and honest for someone, especially in the situation in which he knows this person. I found it lovely and at the same time suffered the way they opened up to each other and how they removed each layer of insecurity, fear and distrust of each other. They are really sweet together, I must say.
For those who like this type of story, I think I should give this author and this series an opportunity. However, I think it didn't work out very well for me, not because it is, as I said, a relationship between two men, but because the content itself is not really my thing. I speak of BDSM and other sexual practices that in a book never worked very well for me. I'm more of an "effervescent and passionate" style than fetishes and quirks ... that's why Mr. Gray's series never conveyed anything interesting to me.
However, I advise anyone who is more focused on this type of reading.
Thanks for being on the tour, Vera! Great review!
ResponderEliminarHi Giselle,
Eliminarthank you for your visit and for your words!
:)