Always Another Side’ by Annabelle Jacobs – Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Rating 4.5 stars out of 5

Always Another Side Eight months ago, Jack’s world was shattered when he found out his long-time lover and life partner, Simon, was cheating on him and decided he no longer wanted to live with Jack. Eight months ago, when Tyler proclaimed his love to his boyfriend, James, he found out how foolish he was when James told him he already had a partner and what he and Tyler had together wasn’t love—it was just sex.

Two men with hearts badly bruised finally agreed to their friends’ machinations to bring them together for a blind date. Both went reluctantly, but both found the seed of what could and would become a second chance to find happiness—as long as they remembered their hard-won lesson of the importance of communication in a relationship. And it seems like the baby steps they take are going to lead them somewhere special. Even though Jack doesn’t want to get into another relationship, Tyler’s heart is set on finding the man of his dreams. That’s how he got in trouble with James—he jumped into what he thought was going to be forever, but he jumped too soon.

This time, both men take it slowly and they talk about what’s important to them and how they feel about the past. There’s a bump in the road to happiness when Jack finds out Tyler was involved in the breakup of someone’s relationship, but after thinking it over, and talking to Tyler about it, he realizes that Tyler is on the other side and was likely equally hurt. Finding they have a lot in common, they keep dating, spending occasional nights with each other<spoiler>

I really enjoyed this story, my first from this author. I found the characters were very well-developed, and the relationship, which initially seemed so fragile, proved to be strong, making it a pleasure to watch the men develop as a couple. And though I thought I knew what might happen, when it did I just went with the flow and knew that the author would move them to where they needed to be. That may sound odd or awkward, but truly, I simply enjoyed the storytelling, the characters, and their situation. This book was a pleasure to read—just the right amount of angst and romance, and wonderfully hot, sexy older characters. What’s not to like? I recommend this to those who enjoy contemporary MM romance with older MCs.

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Cover art by Natasha Snow depicts a very handsome older man—the perfect depiction of Jack, one of the MCs.

Sales Links: Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 167 pages
Published June 3rd 2016 by Annabelle Jacobs
ASINB01G8T7GIU
Edition LanguageEnglish

Author: Annabelle Jacobs

Release Date: June 3 2016

Length: 60,000 words

Buy Link: myBook.to/Always_Another_Side

Price: 3.99

Blurb

Starting over at forty is hard work for landscape architect Jack Bowman. His long-term partner hurt him badly. With his self-esteem dented by the break up, trusting a new lover is going to take time.

Tyler Freeman is equally unlucky when it comes to love. Now that he’s over thirty-five, he’s tired of getting played. All he wants is someone special. How hard can it be to meet a man who’s honest, with no hidden surprises?

Being set up on a blind date might be a classic cliché, but it’s a stroke of good luck for Jack and Tyler. They have a lot in common, including previous relationships steeped in deceit, but it’s worth navigating their trust issues if it means laying those ghosts to rest.

Making it work finally seems possible—until an accidental discovery threatens their newfound happiness.

Excerpt

Everyone said their goodbyes, and Jack tried not to notice the blatant, knowing looks being passed around. He had no doubt he’d be getting some nosy texts later. On the plus side, at least he wouldn’t be the only one.

Now it was only the two of them, they wandered into the bar area and snagged a small table by the fireplace. It wasn’t lit—the late-April weather had been far too mild to warrant an open fire. The Saturday-night crowd from earlier had clearly moved on to somewhere else, and the room had quietened considerably.

“Thanks for offering me a lift.” Tyler smiled and took a sip of his drink. “I wasn’t ready to leave yet.”

“Me neither.” Jack had bought another Coke, and he ran his finger down through the condensation on the outside of the glass. “I have to admit I was a bit—a lot sceptical about whether or not this was a good idea.”

Tyler glanced up and met his gaze. “Meeting me?”

Jack’s smile was wry. “I was talking about the whole blind date thing, but yeah… I guess it was meeting you in general.” He cringed as he said it, perhaps not the best thing to say to someone whom you were hoping to go out with again. And despite Jack’s misgivings and preconceptions, he liked Tyler.

Tyler cocked his head to one side and frowned, as though he wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

Jack had probably offended him, because no one liked to hear that sort of thing. But then, he’d offered to drive Tyler home so they could spend more time together—alone—so Tyler must realise Jack wanted to get to know him better. Or maybe not. If Jack had learned one thing from his breakup with Simon, it was that communication was key. Never assume someone knew what you meant or what you were thinking.

“I know that sounds bad, and it’s nothing personal. Christ, I’m pulling out all the clichés tonight, but it really was a case of it being me and not you.” Jack laughed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Shit. Just when it was going so well. I’ve managed to fuck it up, haven’t I?”

Author Bio

Annabelle Jacobs lives in the South West of England with three rowdy children, and two cats.

An avid reader of fantasy herself for many years, Annabelle now spends her days writing her own stories. They’re usually either fantasy or paranormal fiction, because she loves building worlds filled with magical creatures, and creating stories full of action and adventure. Her characters may have a tough time of it—fighting enemies and adversity—but they always find love in the end.

Author Links