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As my mother's 24/7 caregiver, November being National Family Caregivers 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, it can also be emotional, physical, psychological, that it effects every aspects of a person's life, it can be temporary, short term, long term, chronic,. 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:
Boyfriend for Hire #5
Hiring a fake boyfriend for a school reunion seems to be the only solution, but love was never part of the equation.
Felix has enough on his plate looking out for his parents, let alone agreeing to being hired for a date with the friend of a friend. His instant attraction to the scatter-brained scientist has him making impulsive decisions he hopes he won’t regret. But, somehow, he’s agreeing to more dates, and more time with sexy Ethan and his non-stop talking. When stolen wintry kisses turn to love, and Christmas works its magic, Felix knows he’s losing his heart.
The science of chemistry makes more sense to Ethan than connecting with potential boyfriends, and he’s wary of romance. Unsettled by a string of failed hookups, he knows it’s on him when everything goes wrong and he can’t help but wonder what has made him this way. His friend Jared says that Ethan needs to close metaphorical doors on past hurts—whatever that means—and that the school reunion might just be step one. Determined to show himself as confident and happy, he hires Felix to be his date for the night, but a kiss to make up for the one he missed at prom, and abruptly, it’s not the past that is consuming his thoughts.
Now all Felix has to do is show Ethan that it’s okay to love and be loved in return, and that chemistry can lead to a happily ever after.
Original Review January 2023:
I love this series so much and I have no idea how I missed reading Jared, the 4th entry but I did and I'll have to go back and check it out. I mention this for those who are wondering about reading order. Boyfriend for Hire is a series of standalones where the connection is the fake boyfriend service the men in the titles work. As stated each entry is a standalone but there are a few cameos of previous characters however knowing their journeys is not a must to understand the entry you are reading. In Felix, there are a few mentions of Jared as Ethan, the man in need of a fake boyfriend is Jared's roommate but I wasn't lost having not read Jared's story first.
On to Felix.
I could empathize with Felix in his need not to have jobs that lasted more than 24 hours because he needs to stay close to care for his parents. Being my mom's 24/7 live-in caregiver I don't have the luxury of a time card but I have turned down many social functions because I was uncomfortable being away for extended hours so I completely understood where Felix was coming from and I loved how the authors really convey that pull on an adult caring for a parent. It may only be a small factor of the story and more of a set-up situation that makes Felix the perfect one to step in as Ethan's date but it really stood out for me and gave me that connection to the character and it's that connection between reader and character that can turn a good book into a great story.
Ethan. What can I say about Ethan? I just want to wrap him up in bubblewrap to keep him safe. His inner struggles and introverted-like social skills scream "love him, for the love of everything holy in the universe give this man the HEA he deserves!" He has issues, or doors that need closing as Jared points out and having Felix on his side be it professionally at first and then emotionally is one of the most heartwarming stories I've read in a long time. Why you ask? I don't really know. Maybe it's my own brand of introverted-ness, maybe it's knowing he's had something locked away behind that door Jared says needs closing, maybe it's just my need to find goodness in my readings, or maybe it's a combination of all the above. What I do know is I'm not going to spoil it for you. Scott & Russell are all about the HEA in their Boyfriend for Hire series so we all know where the ending will lead but it's the journey the men take getting there that makes this story a heartwarmingly fun holiday gem and that is something you need to experience.
For those who don't like insta-love then this may not be up your alley and that's okay, it's not a trope for everyone and if it's not done right it's not a trope for me either but Felix is done right. But I just want to say for those who don't believe insta-love is real, I can prove you wrong because I wouldn't be here if it wasn't real. My grandparents met in January 1946, engaged on Valentine's Day 1946, married in July that summer and were still married in 1994 when my grandpa passed away. So it's real and it can lead to life long love.
Maine Men #5
Romance is the last thing Shaun wants, but what if it’s exactly what he needs – and deserves?
A selfless son barely holding on
Shaun doesn’t have much of a life. When he’s not working in the restaurant in Portland, Maine, he’s home looking after his dad, who has dementia. The only people he sees on a regular basis are his coworkers, and Nathan, his dad’s in-home nurse, except he and Shaun are like ships that pass in the night. And on those dark nights when Shaun feels so alone, thoughts of Nathan are all he has to cling to.
A caring nurse
It didn’t take Nathan five minutes to know Shaun is a special guy. He’s dealt with enough indifferent families to recognize Shaun has and will always put his dad first. That’s why Nathan is willing to go above and beyond – Shaun is worth it. Nathan’s attraction to him has to go on the back burner, not that Shaun has noticed: Shaun’s focus is all on his dad.
Maybe it’s time for Nathan to convince Shaun he can keep that focus and still have a life – a life that includes love.
Felix by RJ Scott & Meredith Russell
“So what is it you wanted to talk about?” He clasped his hands together.
Jared shrugged. “It’s nothing much. It’s just a small, tiny favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
“Like I said. Small.” He held up his hand, his index finger and thumb close to each other. “The thing is”—This is going to be something I don’t like, isn’t it?—“Ethan is going to his school reunion next week.”
Felix narrowed his eyes. “Uh huh?”
“I am,” Ethan stated. “With a plus-one.”
Am I supposed to care? He vaguely remembered Jared telling tales of his roommate’s numerous boyfriends and the ridiculous antics he got up to. Felix’s favorite story ended with a purple-dyed police officer. He didn’t know who Ethan was dating now, but good for him if it was going well.
“And you’re telling me this because?”
“Well…” Ethan bit his lower lip, rolling his eyes upward as he seemed to process his words before speaking. There was something more sexy than cute about the way he tugged on his soft pink lips with his teeth.
He should stop doing that—he’ll end up bruising them, and they’re too pretty to be bruised.
Unless it’s me kissing them and… the fuck?
“The thing is Ethan’s plus-one kind of did him dirty.” Jared answered for him. “Ethan got dumped. Again,” he added straight-faced.
“I dumped him,” Ethan said in a strained voice.
Jared met Felix’s eyes and shook his head. “He didn’t,” he mouthed.
Felix snorted a laugh, but his smile faded as the favor Jared had in mind hit him front and center. “No,” he said.
“I’ve said nothing,” Jared said, blinking with all the innocence he could muster.
Felix ran his hand back through his bangs. “I know what you’re going to ask, and the answer is no.” He leaned back, side-eyeing Ethan. “Why don’t you ask Caleb? He’ll take anything you can throw at him.”
“Well, of course I tried him first, but he’s already booked. But we all know you’re the best person for the job, and you owe me one.”
Shaun's Salvation by KC Wells
Prologue
From Dylan’s Dilemma
Dylan studied him. “You were very quiet tonight.” It didn’t take a genius to work out why.
Shaun focused on his bottle. “Yeah. Things… things aren’t good right now. Christ, I was so torn about this weekend. I haven’t been away from Dad since Grammy’s birthday party in June, and you have no idea how much I needed this. But at the same time…” He swallowed. “Not that he’ll realize I’ve been gone.”
“Is it that bad?” Dylan knew very little about dementia.
“I think he’s reached stage six. I wasn’t sure how long it would be before we got there, but it kinda came at us like a Mack truck.”
“What’s stage six?”
Shaun sighed. “You don’t want to hear about this.”
“Maybe not, but it seems to me that you need to talk about it. And I talked your ear off enough times when we were seniors, so I think I can be here for you now.” Shaun and the others had been Dylan’s lifeline, his refuge from the passive-aggressive prison he’d lived in.
Not that I knew back then what passive-aggressive even meant. Realization had come later.
Shaun took a long drink of water before speaking. “I know more about dementia than I ever wanted to. There are seven stages, and six of them all have the words cognitive decline in their title. The thing is, there’s no rhyme or reason as to how fast a person moves between stages. So many factors have to be taken into account.” Another drink. “He’d been at stage five for a long time. That was when he needed help dressing and bathing. That was also when I employed the first in-home nurse.”
“Didn’t you tell us about his new in-home nurse? It’s a guy, right?”
Shaun nodded. “Nathan. He’s great. I couldn’t cope without him.”
“So what’s different about stage six?”
Shaun’s face tightened. “Then, he was getting more and more confused or forgetful. But now…Dad’s not sleeping well. He gets into these… loops of obsessive behavior, like when he wants to tell me about something that happened forty years ago when he was a teenager, but he tells the same story over and over.” He swallowed. “He has these bursts of paranoia, and he won’t listen when I tell him everything’s fine. It feels like he’s always worrying about something. And…” There was pain in Shaun’s eyes, and Dylan ached to see it. “Last week, he… he looked right at me and said ‘Who are you?’” He lowered his gaze. “This is what they call Severe Cognitive Decline, and suddenly we’re only one step away from Very Severe. And when that happens…”
Dylan couldn’t speak. There was nothing he could say to ease Shaun’s suffering, and he didn’t want to offer trite words. His face tingled. I’m sitting here, worrying if I’m missing out on stuff, and meanwhile, Shaun is going through hell. It put Dylan’s feelings into sharp relief.
“How about we try to get some sleep?” he suggested. “Because you know Aaron will be up with the birds, making breakfast and demanding we all get out of bed. And then it’ll be no time at all before Seb is grilling up a storm for lunch.”
Shaun’s sad smile made his stomach clench. “I wasn’t sure about staying for lunch, to be honest. We’ll see. But you’re right. We should try to get a few hours’ sleep.”
Dylan picked up his phone and followed him out of the kitchen, both of them creeping into the living room. He climbed beneath the sheets, and Shaun got in on the other side. On impulse, Dylan reached across and found Shaun’s arm. He squeezed it. “I know there’s nothing I can say that will make your situation any better,” he whispered, “but… if you ever need me—whether it’s just a chat on the phone, or even a hotel room for the night when you need a break—I’m here for you. Okay?”
Shaun’s hand covered his. “Thanks, man. I really do appreciate it.”
Dylan lay on his back, listening to the change in Shaun’s breathing as he finally fell asleep. Poor guy. Shaun had a hard row to hoe: once his dad had started along this path, they’d all known it was going to be a downward slope, one that would lead to an unhappy ending. And all they could do was be there for him.
Writing love stories with a happy ever after – cowboys, heroes, family, hockey, single dads, bodyguards
USA Today bestselling author RJ Scott has written over one hundred romance books. Emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, single dads, hockey players, millionaires, princes, bodyguards, Navy SEALs, soldiers, doctors, paramedics, firefighters, cops, and the men who get mixed up in their lives, always with a happy ever after.
She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing. The last time she had a week’s break from writing, she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a box of chocolates she couldn’t defeat.
Meredith Russell lives in the heart of England. An avid fan of many story genres, she enjoys nothing less than a happy ending. She believes in heroes and romance and strives to reflect this in her writing. Sharing her imagination and passion for stories and characters is a dream Meredith is excited to turn into reality.
KC Wells
K.C. Wells lives on an island off the south coast of the UK, surrounded by natural beauty. She writes about men who love men, and can’t even contemplate a life that doesn’t include writing.The rainbow rose tattoo on her back with the words 'Love is Love' and 'Love Wins' is her way of hoisting a flag. She plans to be writing about men in love - be it sweet and slow, hot or kinky - for a long while to come.
RJ Scott
Meredith Russell
KC Wells
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Shaun's Salvation by KC Wells
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