Summary:
They’re perfect for each other. But neither of them can see it.
Micah Warner has spent his whole life dreaming of pitching in the big leagues. There are no gay players in pro ball though, so signing with a minor-league team near Chicago means any involvement with men must be casual and discreet.
Justin Lamb is a bisexual physical therapist and a romantic at heart. He loves his job with the Cougars, but 140 games a year and traveling with the team puts a strain on his long-term relationships.
Micah offers Justin a no-strings-attached way to blow off some steam, and Justin reluctantly agrees. It doesn’t take long before they’re both in over their heads.
When Micah suffers a catastrophic shoulder injury, their careers and relationship hang in the balance. Both will have to choose: baseball or love?
Summary:
What happens when the past won’t let you go?
Theater student Caleb Stockwell is ready to leave college behind. Too bad his past isn’t ready to let him go.
With less than a month to go until graduation, Caleb runs into Nathan Rhodes at a house party. Nathan is a star hockey player for Western Michigan University and finally ready to step out of the closet. He’s also the guy who broke Caleb’s heart in high school.
Nathan’s determined to make amends for what he did four years ago, but Caleb isn’t willing to risk getting his heart stomped on again. With only a few weeks left before they go their separate ways, it’ll take all of Nathan’s creativity and help from some interfering friends to convince Caleb to give him a second chance.
Push & Pull #2
Summary:
When is it time to stop living in the moment and think about the future?
Brent Cameron has been dreaming about a road trip around Lake Michigan for years. When his best friend, Nathan, ditches him to spend the summer with his boyfriend, Caleb, Brent is pissed. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, he reluctantly agrees to take Caleb’s best friend, Lowell Prescott, instead.
Brent is a former hockey player and recently out of the closet. Lowell is an in-your-face gay guy who rebels against the limits people put on him. Tempers fly and sparks flare as they hit the road, which leads to a hot night they both regret in the morning. Despite the rocky start, Brent and Lowell slowly begin to realize they have a lot in common. As the miles disappear behind them so does their animosity. Casual hook-ups aren’t Brent’s thing, and Lowell doesn’t do relationships, so they agree to focus on their friendship.
By the time they make it to the shores of Lake Superior, their feelings have deepened past simple friendship, but neither of them have the guts to admit it. When the past intrudes, will it derail the trip and the possibility of a relationship?
Original Review July 2015:
I am just going to jump out of the gate by saying this story is amazing and the characters are perfect. Now, I know what you're thinking "perfect? Where is the fun in that?" Well, I guess it depends on your definition of perfect. To me perfect is not about being a "utopian" character it's about having flaws, surviving and flourishing because of those flaws. And that's exactly what Caleb and Nathan have, flaws.
You will definitely hate or at the very least despise high school Nate and you will most definitely want to shake college Caleb more than once. Plain and simple this is a story about making amends. We all did at least one stupid thing in high school that we regret, that we would love to have a chance to step into HG Well's Time Machine and set right, but life doesn't work that way. We live with those mistakes and so does Nate but now that he has "grown up" he wants to make things right.
Going back and forth from past to present gives us a rich blend of who they were and who they are. Some times not letting go can be as damaging as the event we refuse to deal with. This is one amazing story that shows what great things can come from acceptance of both, past events and who you are. The story of Nate earning and Caleb finally giving that chance is one you really don't want to miss.
Push & Pull #2
Original Review October 2019:
Brent and Nathan have been long planning on a final summer vacation after graduation but at the last minute Nathan decides he needs to spend the summer with his boyfriend, Caleb. Furious, Brent sees his summer plans and money slipping away but Nathan and Caleb have a backup plan: Lowell Prescott. Angry but unwilling to lose everything he already stuck into the trip, Brent agrees and off the two virtual strangers go. Will a road trip around Lake Michigan be what Brent was hoping or will it be a disaster? And will these two go from strangers to more or will they go their seperate ways once the summer is over?
These days I have only one daily guilty pleasure and that is to watch one soap opera, the British made Emmerdale and on there is a character who has spent years looking for someone who can make her rich quick but this past year she finally found someone who showed her more than "rich quick". I mention this because of the way I am always describing the partner: "Vanessa is the perfect blend of snark and cuddle to keep Charity on her toes". Well, that is the best way I can describe Lowell and Brent too: snark and cuddle. Neither men are looking for that something or someone special but in each other they find that blend of snark and cuddle that helps put all the pieces in place.
I won't say any more because the truth is, you really do need to experience their journey to fully appreciate the characters and the story as a whole. I will say that I found Push & Pull to be less angsty than Bully & Exit but no less entertaining. Watching both Lowell and Brent learn to give and take, was frankly just pure fun, that's not to say there is no drama because there is its just not only drama. Some might have seen Lowell as the "comic relief" in Bully and he definitely brings humor to their summer road trip but we get to learn there is more to him than he lets people see which is why I think the blend of drama, humor, friendship, and love is pretty darn near perfect.
Do you need to read Bully & Exit first? Probably not. Will you be lost if you start with Push & Pull? No. Do I personally recommend reading book one first? Yes. There are some points that are mentioned or referred to from Bully that I just felt the whole story flowed together better having known Nathan and Caleb's journey first. But as Push is Lowell and Brent's journey than no you won't be missing huge chunks that don't make sense if you start here.
I will finish by saying I am missing these intriguing fellows already. Brigham Vaughn's Midwest series may not make my annual re-read list but they won't get too dusty waiting to be revisited. I may live on the opposite side of Wisconsin but having a book with some "local flair" is always a huge treat for me and just added a little something more to connect with.
RATING:
Touch & Go #3
Micah lost himself in the rhythm of lifting weights, the burn of his muscles clearing his mind of the anger and frustration and disappointment until a familiar figure loomed over him.
“Hey, you okay?” Justin asked with a frown.
Great. The last person Micah wanted to see right now. He’d been doing his best to avoid Justin since the awkward kiss the other night. “I’m fine.” Micah kept lifting, hoping he’d go away.
“If you don’t slow down and watch your form, you’re going to hurt yourself,” Justin snapped. “I came looking for you because Mac said you didn’t ice your shoulder after you were done pitching tonight. And you know damn well, lifting after pitching six innings is about the stupidest thing you could do right now!”
Irritated, Micah slammed the bar back onto the rack, then sat up. As if the words had conjured up the pain, his shoulder throbbed. He was drenched in sweat, and when he glanced at the clock, he realized he’d been in there a lot longer than he’d planned. Shit.
“I’ll ice it now,” he muttered.
“I sent Mac and Francis home. You’ll have to put up with me doing it.”
“Whatever.”
Micah followed Justin over to the training tables. The room was nearly empty, most of the guys had left for the night already. Micah pulled off his shirt, then hopped on the table. Justin brought over the cold wrap and began fastening it around him. Compared to the ice packs, his fingers were warm as they brushed Micah’s ribs. Micah tensed at the touch.
“What were you and Wilkins getting into it over?” Justin asked quietly.
“You heard us?”
“The whole clubhouse did.”
“He gave me shit about my pitching tonight.”
“He’s a hot-head.”
“Yeah but I pitched like crap,” Micah admitted. Wilkins’ signaling had been terrible, but the shitty pitching was as much Micah’s fault as anything. “He pissed me off, but he wasn’t totally wrong. Couldn’t get my head in the game.”
“Any particular reason?”
Their gazes met and held. Micah swallowed hard. “Just had a lot on my mind.”
“What happened to all the cool, calm focus I saw in Peoria?”
“I wasn’t feeling it.”
“You can get it back.”
“I hope so,” Micah said quietly. He’d been so high on his pitching the other night he’d gotten a little too cocky. He needed to slow down and refocus.
Justin circled around behind him. “Jesus, is that from Wilkins shoving you?”
“What?” Micah craned his neck, trying to see what he was talking about.
Justin ran a gentle finger diagonally across Micah’s mid-back. Micah shuddered at the contact. “Sorry. You’ve got a mark here. It’s definitely going to bruise. Want me to ice it too?”
“Nah, it’s fine,” Micah said. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.”
Fine. He kept using that word but he wasn’t really sure what it meant anymore. No matter how much he pretended otherwise, his shoulder wasn’t fine. His game wasn’t fine. And whatever the fuck was going on with the physical therapist wasn’t fine.
He’d let himself think with his dick rather than his head, and look where it had gotten him.
Bully & Exit #1
Nathan’s voice was soft when he spoke, gentle as it’d always been. “Caleb Stockwell. I’ve been looking for you.”
Caleb cleared his throat and ignored him, tipping the bottle up for another long drink. He licked the spiciness from his lips as he debated making another run for it. There was a shrub blocking his way in one direction and a hockey player in the other. Even if he hadn’t been drinking, the odds weren’t in his favor. “Nathan Rhodes,” he managed.
“Damn, I can’t believe it’s you!” Nathan leaned in, and Caleb pulled back, uncomfortable with him being so close.
Caleb laughed bitterly. “It’s me. Now that you’ve satisfied your curiosity, you can run along.” He motioned with his hand, encouraging Nathan to leave.
“It’s really good to see you,” Nathan said, ignoring him. He took a seat on the pile of discarded construction materials, his knees brushing Caleb’s as he lowered himself down. Caleb pulled away as if scorched.
“Yeah? Too bad I can’t say the same,” he muttered, his head swimming as the alcohol began to hit him. He eyed Nathan’s long, long legs and the way he was pinned in by them, remembering the way they’d felt tangled with his as they came, panting shallowly against each other’s skin. It brought it all back: the scent of Nathan’s cologne, the taste of his skin, the way Caleb’s heart raced in his chest when Nathan held him close. It brought back the memories, the ones he’d worked so hard to run from. The good and the bad. The sharp, intense happiness of falling for Nathan. The aching, crushing hurt that paralyzed Caleb for months after Nathan was no longer in his life. Everything he’d buried four years ago and vowed never to touch again.
He caught the first glimpse of doubt on Nathan’s face. “Are you okay, Caleb?”
“Oh, I’m motherfucking peachy,” he snarked and took another long drink. “I’ve made it through four fucking years trying to ignore the fact we’re on the same campus, and with barely a month left in my senior year, I thought maybe I’d managed to pull it off. But, no, Lowell had to drag me to this goddamn party, and, of course, you showed up too. Just my luck.”
He raised the bottle again, but Nathan wrapped a hand around the neck and tugged. He was stronger than Caleb, so Caleb let go, afraid he’d end up getting pulled onto Nathan’s lap if he didn’t. Nathan took a drink and passed the bottle back, licking the taste of rum off his lips before he spoke. “You’re so angry at me.”
“Ya think?” Caleb snarled. “Didn’t it ever occur to you I would be? What the hell makes you think you can waltz in here and pretend like all the shit that went down between us didn’t happen?” He tried to stand, but Nathan’s dark denim-clad knees were on either side of his, pinning him in place. The bottle was pried from his suddenly limp fingers and set aside.
“I don’t think that,” Nathan protested. “I was just glad to see you, and I… I wanted a chance to apologize. I didn’t … I wanted …”
Caleb’s lips parted in surprise as cool fingers framed his face, and for the first time in four long years, Nathan’s lips were pressed to his again. Involuntarily, Caleb’s eyes closed, feeling a rush of heat wash over him, taking him right back to the first time. Before Nathan broke his heart.
Flustered and irritated by the reaction, Brent pushed Lowell’s hand away and crossed his arms. "You're nuts if you think I'm taking you with me on this road trip."
Lowell's lips curved upward in a playful smile. "Oh, sweetheart, that's what you think."
The smile and words only served to make Brent angrier. He looked back at Nathan, feeling used. “Have you all just been cooking up this plan while I’ve been gone?”
“We’ve been talking about it for a couple of weeks, yeah,” Nathan said softly. “Trying to figure out the best solution.”
“What the FUCK? You couldn’t be bothered to mention this when we talked?”
Nathan’s uneasy look deepened. “I thought it might be better if we could discuss it in person.”
“You could have fucking called me and said, ‘Hey, can we meet in person? I need to talk about the trip with you.’ Don’t I at least get a say in what happens with the next two months of my life? Jesus, you guys are unbelievable.”
Nathan opened his mouth but Lowell spoke first. “Look, Brent, I get that you’re pissed, but you don’t have a lot of options at the moment. Frankly, you’re between a rock and a hard place right now, and I’m your only solution. Either you cancel your trip and lose money, which sucks. Or you change your plans and go by yourself, which also sucks. Or you take me. I also suck, but in much more enjoyable ways.” Lowell winked.
Brent gaped at him for a moment. Lowell stepped forward and put his finger under Brent's chin. "Unless you’re offering to do something useful with that gorgeous mouth, I suggest you close it."
Brent snapped his mouth shut fast enough to rattle his teeth. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
Lowell's eyes twinkled. "Well, there's this thing gay boys do, it's called—"
"I know what sucking cock is," Brent yelled, confused and annoyed by the pretty twink with the big eyes who always made him feel off-kilter and out of control.
"Good to know, sweets, good to know."
“And make all the jokes you want, but this isn’t fucking funny. My whole summer is ruined.” Brent turned to Nathan. “And you. You’re a complete traitor. You’re right though, I have no choice but to put up with him.” He jerked a thumb to indicate Lowell. “So fuck you, Nathan. If you think I am going to forgive you for saddling me with that cock-hungry twink for two months you have another thing coming!”
Nathan made a sound of protest. Brent scowled and held out his hand to Lowell, ignoring Nathan completely. “If I’m stuck with you, then we’re taking your car. And hand over the damn keys. I’m driving.”
Micah lost himself in the rhythm of lifting weights, the burn of his muscles clearing his mind of the anger and frustration and disappointment until a familiar figure loomed over him.
“Hey, you okay?” Justin asked with a frown.
Great. The last person Micah wanted to see right now. He’d been doing his best to avoid Justin since the awkward kiss the other night. “I’m fine.” Micah kept lifting, hoping he’d go away.
“If you don’t slow down and watch your form, you’re going to hurt yourself,” Justin snapped. “I came looking for you because Mac said you didn’t ice your shoulder after you were done pitching tonight. And you know damn well, lifting after pitching six innings is about the stupidest thing you could do right now!”
Irritated, Micah slammed the bar back onto the rack, then sat up. As if the words had conjured up the pain, his shoulder throbbed. He was drenched in sweat, and when he glanced at the clock, he realized he’d been in there a lot longer than he’d planned. Shit.
“I’ll ice it now,” he muttered.
“I sent Mac and Francis home. You’ll have to put up with me doing it.”
“Whatever.”
Micah followed Justin over to the training tables. The room was nearly empty, most of the guys had left for the night already. Micah pulled off his shirt, then hopped on the table. Justin brought over the cold wrap and began fastening it around him. Compared to the ice packs, his fingers were warm as they brushed Micah’s ribs. Micah tensed at the touch.
“What were you and Wilkins getting into it over?” Justin asked quietly.
“You heard us?”
“The whole clubhouse did.”
“He gave me shit about my pitching tonight.”
“He’s a hot-head.”
“Yeah but I pitched like crap,” Micah admitted. Wilkins’ signaling had been terrible, but the shitty pitching was as much Micah’s fault as anything. “He pissed me off, but he wasn’t totally wrong. Couldn’t get my head in the game.”
“Any particular reason?”
Their gazes met and held. Micah swallowed hard. “Just had a lot on my mind.”
“What happened to all the cool, calm focus I saw in Peoria?”
“I wasn’t feeling it.”
“You can get it back.”
“I hope so,” Micah said quietly. He’d been so high on his pitching the other night he’d gotten a little too cocky. He needed to slow down and refocus.
Justin circled around behind him. “Jesus, is that from Wilkins shoving you?”
“What?” Micah craned his neck, trying to see what he was talking about.
Justin ran a gentle finger diagonally across Micah’s mid-back. Micah shuddered at the contact. “Sorry. You’ve got a mark here. It’s definitely going to bruise. Want me to ice it too?”
“Nah, it’s fine,” Micah said. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.”
Fine. He kept using that word but he wasn’t really sure what it meant anymore. No matter how much he pretended otherwise, his shoulder wasn’t fine. His game wasn’t fine. And whatever the fuck was going on with the physical therapist wasn’t fine.
He’d let himself think with his dick rather than his head, and look where it had gotten him.
Bully & Exit #1
Nathan’s voice was soft when he spoke, gentle as it’d always been. “Caleb Stockwell. I’ve been looking for you.”
Caleb cleared his throat and ignored him, tipping the bottle up for another long drink. He licked the spiciness from his lips as he debated making another run for it. There was a shrub blocking his way in one direction and a hockey player in the other. Even if he hadn’t been drinking, the odds weren’t in his favor. “Nathan Rhodes,” he managed.
“Damn, I can’t believe it’s you!” Nathan leaned in, and Caleb pulled back, uncomfortable with him being so close.
Caleb laughed bitterly. “It’s me. Now that you’ve satisfied your curiosity, you can run along.” He motioned with his hand, encouraging Nathan to leave.
“It’s really good to see you,” Nathan said, ignoring him. He took a seat on the pile of discarded construction materials, his knees brushing Caleb’s as he lowered himself down. Caleb pulled away as if scorched.
“Yeah? Too bad I can’t say the same,” he muttered, his head swimming as the alcohol began to hit him. He eyed Nathan’s long, long legs and the way he was pinned in by them, remembering the way they’d felt tangled with his as they came, panting shallowly against each other’s skin. It brought it all back: the scent of Nathan’s cologne, the taste of his skin, the way Caleb’s heart raced in his chest when Nathan held him close. It brought back the memories, the ones he’d worked so hard to run from. The good and the bad. The sharp, intense happiness of falling for Nathan. The aching, crushing hurt that paralyzed Caleb for months after Nathan was no longer in his life. Everything he’d buried four years ago and vowed never to touch again.
He caught the first glimpse of doubt on Nathan’s face. “Are you okay, Caleb?”
“Oh, I’m motherfucking peachy,” he snarked and took another long drink. “I’ve made it through four fucking years trying to ignore the fact we’re on the same campus, and with barely a month left in my senior year, I thought maybe I’d managed to pull it off. But, no, Lowell had to drag me to this goddamn party, and, of course, you showed up too. Just my luck.”
He raised the bottle again, but Nathan wrapped a hand around the neck and tugged. He was stronger than Caleb, so Caleb let go, afraid he’d end up getting pulled onto Nathan’s lap if he didn’t. Nathan took a drink and passed the bottle back, licking the taste of rum off his lips before he spoke. “You’re so angry at me.”
“Ya think?” Caleb snarled. “Didn’t it ever occur to you I would be? What the hell makes you think you can waltz in here and pretend like all the shit that went down between us didn’t happen?” He tried to stand, but Nathan’s dark denim-clad knees were on either side of his, pinning him in place. The bottle was pried from his suddenly limp fingers and set aside.
“I don’t think that,” Nathan protested. “I was just glad to see you, and I… I wanted a chance to apologize. I didn’t … I wanted …”
Caleb’s lips parted in surprise as cool fingers framed his face, and for the first time in four long years, Nathan’s lips were pressed to his again. Involuntarily, Caleb’s eyes closed, feeling a rush of heat wash over him, taking him right back to the first time. Before Nathan broke his heart.
Push & Pull #2
“Do you really mean to tell me you don't want to get to know me in all sorts of ways? I don't believe that. I’ve seen the way you look at me." Lowell reached out and dragged a finger across the black fabric of Brent’s T-shirt before circling his nipple. Brent flinched again, backing away, even as the skin tightened and his nipple hardened to a pointy little nub.Flustered and irritated by the reaction, Brent pushed Lowell’s hand away and crossed his arms. "You're nuts if you think I'm taking you with me on this road trip."
Lowell's lips curved upward in a playful smile. "Oh, sweetheart, that's what you think."
The smile and words only served to make Brent angrier. He looked back at Nathan, feeling used. “Have you all just been cooking up this plan while I’ve been gone?”“We’ve been talking about it for a couple of weeks, yeah,” Nathan said softly. “Trying to figure out the best solution.”
“What the FUCK? You couldn’t be bothered to mention this when we talked?”
Nathan’s uneasy look deepened. “I thought it might be better if we could discuss it in person.”
“You could have fucking called me and said, ‘Hey, can we meet in person? I need to talk about the trip with you.’ Don’t I at least get a say in what happens with the next two months of my life? Jesus, you guys are unbelievable.”
Nathan opened his mouth but Lowell spoke first. “Look, Brent, I get that you’re pissed, but you don’t have a lot of options at the moment. Frankly, you’re between a rock and a hard place right now, and I’m your only solution. Either you cancel your trip and lose money, which sucks. Or you change your plans and go by yourself, which also sucks. Or you take me. I also suck, but in much more enjoyable ways.” Lowell winked.
Brent gaped at him for a moment. Lowell stepped forward and put his finger under Brent's chin. "Unless you’re offering to do something useful with that gorgeous mouth, I suggest you close it."
Brent snapped his mouth shut fast enough to rattle his teeth. "What the fuck are you talking about?"Lowell's eyes twinkled. "Well, there's this thing gay boys do, it's called—"
"I know what sucking cock is," Brent yelled, confused and annoyed by the pretty twink with the big eyes who always made him feel off-kilter and out of control.
"Good to know, sweets, good to know."
“And make all the jokes you want, but this isn’t fucking funny. My whole summer is ruined.” Brent turned to Nathan. “And you. You’re a complete traitor. You’re right though, I have no choice but to put up with him.” He jerked a thumb to indicate Lowell. “So fuck you, Nathan. If you think I am going to forgive you for saddling me with that cock-hungry twink for two months you have another thing coming!”
Nathan made a sound of protest. Brent scowled and held out his hand to Lowell, ignoring Nathan completely. “If I’m stuck with you, then we’re taking your car. And hand over the damn keys. I’m driving.”
Author Bio:
Brigham Vaughn is on the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time writer. She devours books at an alarming rate and hasn’t let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga. She makes a killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can’t wait to discover everything else life has to offer her.Her books range from short stories to novellas. They explore gay, lesbian, and polyamorous romance in contemporary settings.
To stay up to date on her latest releases, sign up for the Coles & Vaughn Newsletter.
EMAIL: brighamvaughn@gmail.com
Touch & Go #3
Bully & Exit #1
Push & Pull #2
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