Rating: 4🌈⛄️
Rebecca Cohen has a new holiday romance out in He’s Behind You, third story in her Treading the Boards series about a local amateur dramatic society, the Sarky Players.
It’s an absolutely entertaining series and this one is no exception. The story takes place around the holidays and our main characters get pulled into the Sarky Players and it’s panto this season, Aladdin, by two different paths.
Dr. Craig Rosen is a cellular researcher for work and an well known Warhammer gamer in his off time. His romances have left him with a bruised heart and a poor self image, reinforced by his sad history. It’s his associate who drags him off to an audition and a new start in his romantic life.
Jason is a lawyer, divorced father to two older children, and just coming out as gay, a sexuality he’s actually inwardly known about himself for years. Now after some trying emotional times with his ex wife who he likes and respects and his kids, he’s ready to experience what’s he’s missed all these years. But his way. He wants someone to connect with, a man who’s company he enjoys and well, all the sex too.
He’s also a ex Sarky Player coming back to rejoin the ranks.
Hmmmm.
There’s a terrific meeting between them. Lots of adult communication, a great family on Jason’s side to enjoy and a lovely romance.
As a gamer I wish that Jason’s attitude towards Warhammer had undergone more of a change. While it wasn’t quite as judgmental as it started out, he never gave Craig or his son’s passion the respect it deserves. That was probably a realistic character flaw but it made me like him a bit less as a father and partner.
Overall, this was a sweet, HFN holiday romance and I really enjoyed seeing characters from the previous books so involved within this play and story again.
I would have loved to have been in the audience for this one!
Happy Holidays! Here’s another sweet romance to add to your holiday reading list.
Treading the Boards series:
✓ Overly Dramatic #1
✓ Summer Season #2
✓ He’s Behind You #3
Synopsis:
A Treading the Boards Novella
Craig Rosen thinks he’s pretty happy with his quiet geeky life working in a lab in London and playing Warhammer. But one of his colleagues has other ideas and drags Craig along to an audition at the amateur dramatic society, the Sarky Players, for their Christmas pantomime, Aladdin. Meeting Jason Carter makes Craig think that maybe he’s not as content as he thought.
Jason Carter accepted he’s gay a little later in life than most, but now with an ex-wife and in his late thirties, he’s ready to embrace who he really is. He can’t believe his luck when he meets Craig, and the cute younger man’s patience and gentleness make him the perfect guy to help Jason navigate his new life.
While there’s no denying the attraction between them, it’s not just Jason’s insecurities that might upset their best performance. Craig is convinced that someone as confident as Jason, a corporate lawyer who looks sexy in a suit, could never settle for a man like him. Together they will need to re-write the script to give themselves the happy ending they deserve
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 