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As my mother's 24/7 caregiver, November being National Family Caregiver Month has always been important to me. Not because I want personal recognition for what I do but to help show people that caregiving is more than just medical assistance, that it effects every aspects of a person's life. I would give anything to make it so my mother did not need the assistance but that isn't possible so I do this so she can have the best quality of life and still live in her own home. So I realized that there are stories out there that have caregivers and whether it's a big or small part of the plot doesn't matter, they help show people what caregivers provide all within very entertaining romances and reading experiences.
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Summary:
Better Together Universe #1
Since being thrown out of his home by his parents, Caden has been struggling to survive on the streets.
He lives in constant fear, stresses over his next meal, and dreads trying to find a safe place to sleep at night. He eventually finds an unlocked car and settles in to sleep, but is soon interrupted when someone steals the car. With little choice but to ride along, Caden soon learns that first impressions aren’t always correct.
Seventeen-year-old Damario has been raising his little brother and sister by himself since his parents were deported. He never knew how hard it was going to be paying the bills and making sure there was always food on the table. Or how hard it would be to hold his family together when they all depended on him to do it. He finds himself stealing cars to make ends meet, but he never expected to find someone sleeping in the back of one of them. And he really didn’t expect this stowaway to change his life.
When Damario brings Caden home, it was supposed to be just for a shower and a hot meal, but he can hardly kick him out onto the streets again. There is no way he could have seen that by saving Caden that night, he was also saving himself. When Damario’s world starts to fall apart, they both realize that the answer to all of their problems is helping each other, and although the world tries to drive them apart, they really are better together.
Original Review May 2018:
Abandoned by the people who are suppose to love and protect him the most, Caden is suddenly homeless with no clue what or where he is going to do next. When Damario's parents are deported he's left to care for his little sister and brother and has to turn to stealing cars to keep them together. When the latest car Damario takes has a passenger sleeping in the backseat, neither boy had any idea how their lives would never be the same. Can two 17 year old boys survive and thrive when they help each other?
Better Together may not be great but it is wonderful. Now I know that some of you are thinking "huh? not great but wonderful is a little contradicting." I don't see it that way. A story doesn't have to be great to put a smile on your face, to have characters that worm their way into your heart, to form an emotional attachment for the reader. So I say again, Better Together may not be great but it is definitely wonderful.
Caden and Rio are absolutely adorable and I love their immediate connection. What I loved most was through that connection they both were able to find not only each other but also a place in the world. Better Together may be a sweet, lovely story of survival that warms your heart but its also a tale of heartache, loss, and betrayal. How any parent can "throw away" their child because of their sexuality is completely incomprehensible to me but it happens and that is what makes this story even more real. A definite winner. I loved how the author, whether intentional or not, shows their youth and innocence through their sweet vulnerability.
BL Maxwell is a new author which can always leave a reader unsure. Is there room for improvement? Of course, a writer who feels they have nothing new to learn is an author I don't want to read. I look forward to reading Miss Maxwell's work for years to come and highly recommend giving Better Together a read.
RATING:
He lives in constant fear, stresses over his next meal, and dreads trying to find a safe place to sleep at night. He eventually finds an unlocked car and settles in to sleep, but is soon interrupted when someone steals the car. With little choice but to ride along, Caden soon learns that first impressions aren’t always correct.
Seventeen-year-old Damario has been raising his little brother and sister by himself since his parents were deported. He never knew how hard it was going to be paying the bills and making sure there was always food on the table. Or how hard it would be to hold his family together when they all depended on him to do it. He finds himself stealing cars to make ends meet, but he never expected to find someone sleeping in the back of one of them. And he really didn’t expect this stowaway to change his life.
When Damario brings Caden home, it was supposed to be just for a shower and a hot meal, but he can hardly kick him out onto the streets again. There is no way he could have seen that by saving Caden that night, he was also saving himself. When Damario’s world starts to fall apart, they both realize that the answer to all of their problems is helping each other, and although the world tries to drive them apart, they really are better together.
Abandoned by the people who are suppose to love and protect him the most, Caden is suddenly homeless with no clue what or where he is going to do next. When Damario's parents are deported he's left to care for his little sister and brother and has to turn to stealing cars to keep them together. When the latest car Damario takes has a passenger sleeping in the backseat, neither boy had any idea how their lives would never be the same. Can two 17 year old boys survive and thrive when they help each other?
Better Together may not be great but it is wonderful. Now I know that some of you are thinking "huh? not great but wonderful is a little contradicting." I don't see it that way. A story doesn't have to be great to put a smile on your face, to have characters that worm their way into your heart, to form an emotional attachment for the reader. So I say again, Better Together may not be great but it is definitely wonderful.
Caden and Rio are absolutely adorable and I love their immediate connection. What I loved most was through that connection they both were able to find not only each other but also a place in the world. Better Together may be a sweet, lovely story of survival that warms your heart but its also a tale of heartache, loss, and betrayal. How any parent can "throw away" their child because of their sexuality is completely incomprehensible to me but it happens and that is what makes this story even more real. A definite winner. I loved how the author, whether intentional or not, shows their youth and innocence through their sweet vulnerability.
BL Maxwell is a new author which can always leave a reader unsure. Is there room for improvement? Of course, a writer who feels they have nothing new to learn is an author I don't want to read. I look forward to reading Miss Maxwell's work for years to come and highly recommend giving Better Together a read.
RATING:
Summary:
Robert Harper has spent the past seventeen years living for his son. He doesn’t know who he is if he’s not being a caregiver and protector all rolled into one.
Niall Ross is finally ready to make a life of his own. After years spent making sure his younger brother had everything he needed, it’s time for Niall to discover who he is.
All it takes is one glance across a crowded meeting room for the men to feel a connection, but Robert is terrified his life is too complicated for the other man. Luckily, Niall has patience in abundance. With a little help from Robert’s meddling family, the two begin a tentative relationship.
Just as they’re finding their footing, all of Robert’s worst fears come to life and he falters under the pressure. Niall takes the challenge to show Robert that he’s a safe place to lean on, but when his own life begins to unravel, he places his heart in Robert’s hands. When two independent men are forced to trust each other will the love win out, or will vulnerability and fear cause them to lose the best thing they didn't even know they had.
Better Together by BL Maxwell
“Hey! What are you doing?”
In the backseat and covered with various pieces of clothing was the most beautiful boy I had ever laid eyes on. His light-blond hair and deep-blue eyes drew me in, and for half a second, I forgot that I was the one in charge here. After all, I was the one in the middle of stealing this very car.
Wait, is he the owner? My eyes darted around the car trying to make some sense of why he would be sleeping in the backseat. Then I noticed how grimy his skin was and how thin he seemed. He couldn’t have been much older than me, but he wore those few years like a lead blanket. The look in his eyes said it all: fear, defeat, and sadness.
“I thought this was my car,” I lied.
He stared back at me like a deer in headlights. “Do you always break into your own car?”
Neither of us said anything as we sized each other up. I kept my keyless entry tools handy just in case he decided to try something. He didn’t. Instead, he slumped back into the seat and continued to stare at me.
“What do you want?” he finally asked.
The Art of Living by Abrianna Denae
“You really want me to date?”
Garrett nods. “I want you to live your life. I know you’re going to argue and say that you have everything you need with me, and Uncle Jared, and Sam. Maybe that’s true, but I also can’t help but feel guilty because if I wasn’t me then maybe you’d have found someone else by now.”
“Garrett, no, you know that’s not true,” I say gently. “Those other people I dated when you were younger, they didn’t last because they weren’t right for our family. If anyone can’t handle me and everything I come with, then they’re not worth my time.”
He studies me with those dark, wise eyes of his. “Does this mean you’ll give Niall a chance then? Because he’s different, I can feel it.”
Shit. I walked right into that one.
“Yeah,” I sigh. “I’d be open to trying.”
Garrett smiles and whips out his phone. I don’t bother asking who he’s texting, since the pieces are starting to slowly fall into place. I look at Presley, “They planned this, didn’t they?”
Pres smiles and nods. “Jared thought you both needed a little intervention.”
I shake my head and laugh a bit because my family is insane.
Garrett is still texting away while Presley and I clean up the kitchen. I try to tell Pres that he doesn’t need to help since he and Gare cooked, but he waves me off.
I just get the dishwasher started when my phone rings. The display reads Niall and my mouth suddenly goes dry while my stomach begins to tie itself into knots.
Both boys stare at me as I accept the call. “Hello?”
“Hi,” pause, and then Niall laughs, “This is more awkward than I thought it’d be.”
I smile and turn away from the teenage busybodies. “I seriously doubt whatever you have to say is more awkward than the dinner I just had.”
He laughs again. “They tried to butter you up with food, huh?”
I groan. “Yes. When’d they get to you?”
“Sam talked to me this afternoon. Then they added me to a group chat a few hours ago and promptly blew up my phone with texts about twenty minutes or so ago.”
I sigh. “I’m sorry about them.”
“It’s fine,” Niall assures. “They’re just looking out for you.”
“They’re nosy and need to learn how to mind their own business.” I look over my shoulder to find Garrett and Presley sitting at the table, hanging onto my every word. Shaking my head, I stride from the room in search of some privacy.
“So if I were to ask you to dinner, you’d say no?”
“I guess you should ask and find out.”
Niall chuckles a bit. “Will you have dinner with me, Robert?”
My heart stutters in my chest and it takes a moment for me to get my mouth working. “Yes,” I finally manage to say.
“Great. Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow is perfect.”
“I’ll text you the details unless someone else does it for me.”
I snort. “That’s a high possibility. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow,” he repeats. “Have a good night, Robert.”
“You too.”
The line goes dead and a part of me mourns the loss of his voice. Taking a steadying breath, I let the giddy feeling of a first date wash over me. I’ll never tell my family this, but I’m glad they decided to interfere with my life. I never would have had the guts to do this myself.
Tomorrow can’t come fast enough.
BL Maxwell grew up in a small town listening to her grandfather spin tales about his childhood. Later she became an avid reader and after a certain vampire series she became obsessed with fanfiction. She soon discovered Slash fanfiction and later discovered the MM genre and was hooked.
Many years later, she decided to take the plunge and write down some of the stories that seem to run through her head late at night when she’s trying to sleep.
Many years later, she decided to take the plunge and write down some of the stories that seem to run through her head late at night when she’s trying to sleep.
Abrianna Denae is a twenty-four-year-old author living in Northern California. An English major, she has always had a passion for writing.
Deciding to sit down and write one of the many stories that had plagued her mind for years was the easy part—finding the time to do it was a different story.
Caffeine is her best friend, and sleep is her worst enemy.
A lover of books that make the reader feel something, she tries to incorporate as much of her real-world views and feelings into her stories as she can.
BL Maxwell
Abrianna Denae
EMAIL: authorabridenae@gmail.com
Better Together by BL Maxwell
The Art of Living by Abrianna Denae
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