Secret Simon #8
Summary:Simon
Being the nephew of one of the most infamous mob bosses in the world isn’t easy. Our family has enemies everywhere, and no one is safe without protection. Here I am at college with a fresh start, a new last name, and secrets hidden from those around me—life is going according to plan. Then one day on campus, I see him…and I want him to strip me bare…in more ways than one.
Rush
Abernathy is more than just the university I attend. It’s my destiny, my namesake. Singing and entertaining are who I am, but my father wants me to major in something more appropriate for the name I carry. I’ve resigned myself to being who my father wants, doing what he wants. Then Simon comes into my life…and turns everything upside down. Now I have a reason to fight for what I want.
Who knew our love story would lead to secrets revealed, murderous plots, and finding our forever buried under so many lies? Hopefully we’ll live long enough to see it.
(While Secret Simon is a Haven Hart Novel it is not linked to the 7 book story arc)
*Warning: Violence and mention of suicide*
Rush
All I want is to finish college, live life as a musician, and love the man of my dreams. That man, however, is Simon Manos, nephew of crime boss Christopher Manos, and there’s a war brewing on the streets of Haven Hart. Achieving my dreams has to be done while ducking bullets, trying not to get blown up, and hoping enemies don’t kill me.
Simon
I love Rush and want him to have everything he could ever hope for—all that his father denied him. As the heir to the Manos family business, it’s not quite that simple; I have responsibilities to fulfill. Haven Hart is getting dangerous, enemies need to be dealt with, and unfortunately, our dreams of the future must be put on hold.
We call on old friends and band together to face a common threat. When we’re forced into hiding, the situation escalates and the odds don’t seem to be in our favor. We do the only thing we can…stand our ground to the bitter end. As our lives start to fall apart, the unasked question is posed: Will someone have to make the ultimate sacrifice to save everyone?
Original Audiobook Review April 2022:
How in the world has it taken me so long to listen to Secret Simon?!?!?!?! The audiobook was released last October and here it is nearly May, again HOW? Oh well, no matter how long it took for me to listen, I've listened and once again I fell even further for Haven Hart. Having recently read book 2, Head Rush, everything was fresh in my mind but that didn't lessen the depths I fell again for Simon and Rush. Truth is, there's not much more I can say to the story itself or the storytelling genius that also goes by the name of Davidson King.
What I will say is this: I never listened to a dual narration before King's audios and was leery going in but loved it instantly. I'm not sure why I had any hesitancy because I love the old radio shows of the 30s and 40s and a good audio portrayal always reminded me of the classic radio platform. Truth is John Solo and Alexander Cendese bring so much passion and strength to the characters that I can almost hear Harlow Wilcox breaking in with the ad for spark plugs he pitched on Suspense all those years ago. Not only do they bring Simon, Rush, and all the characters to life, I can hear the sound effects, I can hear the studio audience gasping with "oohs" and "ahhs" with each new revelation.
Another winning combination of author's words and narrators' voices to heighten the enjoyment of Secret Simon, the new Haven Hart-connected journey.
Original Review June Book of the Month 2021:
HOLY HANNAH BATMAN! OMG! The Force is with us all! We have a new Haven Hart book by Davidson King!!!!!!
Okay, I got that out of my system, lets continue.
I should start by pointing out as the author mentions at the end of the blurb, Secret Simon is not linked to the original 7 book arc, story-wise at least. We see a few of the characters and of course "Simon" is Eight all grown up(he's still Eight to Snow but I have a feeling Snow will still be calling him Eight when he's 60). So if you haven't read Davidson King's Haven Hart universe you can start here although I don't know that I would want to, you won't be lost in any way, shape, or form. To be honest, I am a series-read-in-order kinda gal and Haven Hart is one of my all time favorite series of all genres.
Secret Simon. Flat out brilliant! This story has it all(okay there's no sci-fi or apocalyptic end of the world stuff although going after Christopher Manos' family probably won't end well for anyone) romance, mystery, heat, action, friendship, danger, love, family, and it wouldn't be Haven Hart without mayhem and plenty of well . . . heart(see what I did there😉😉).
Lets talk characters. Simon has become as wonderful an adult as he was when we first met him at 8. He may be blood to Christopher but Snow has made a lasting impression on him as well, which will only enhance his future role in the Manos family. Now, in case you haven't read Haven Hart's original 7 book arc, I won't go into too much detail for the I'm-a-spoiler-free-zone kinda gal but I will say there is a very important reason the book is titled Secret Simon. Don't worry, just because I won't spoil anything, the author doesn't leave you up in the air with a hundred questions of "why? what? who? or where?", King makes sure you got a feel for what's going on. As for Rush? He has a future written for him but is it the future he wants to write for himself? Yeah, you know what's coming: you have to read for yourself to find out. Trust me you will enjoy every minute of finding out. Put the two together and the chemistry just screams out at you.
What more can I say? I could say a lot but I'm going to end here or I'm afraid the longer I go on the more chance I'll get loose lipped(or loose fingers) and reveal more than I want. So I will just say this: Secret Simon has reinforced my love of Haven Hart and proven to me that it is an author's universe that belongs on my short list of "Whether they write a 4 paragraph holiday coda or 100 full length novels I'll be first in line to gobble them up". Davidson King once again provides her readers with an unforgettable tale that entertains and captures their attention from beginning to end, further cementing her place in the world as a topnotch storyteller.
Head Rush #9
Original Audiobook Review August 2023:
How did it take so long to listen to Head Rush?!?!?!?! I said the same thing last year with Secret Simon so maybe it was fate😉. If I hadn't been doing my annual re-listens who knows how long this audio would have slipped through my listening cracks. Better late than never, right?
As usual, there is very little I can add to my audio review that wasn't already said in my original ebook review. Simon and Rush are brilliant, honestly if the author had told their story first and then went back to reveal Haven Hart as a prequel series I'd probably love them more than Snow and Christopher, that's just how amazing this pair is. The margin of difference between my love of each pairing in Haven Hart Universe is so infinitesimal I'm not even going to try and list them just know that Simon and Rush have earned their spot.
As to the narration of Solo and Cendese, they capture their perspective characters perfectly. Before Snow Falling, I honestly can't think of a single audiobook I've listen to that had dual narration so as you can imagine I was skeptical. I needn't have been. Just as Joel Leslie and Philip Alces brought the original series' characters to life so perfectly fitting, John Solo and Alexander Cendese has also done. The fear, the trepidation, the joy, the anticipation, the drama, the romance, it's all spot on, never once do you wonder what emotions the men are feeling, sometimes that is down to the great storytelling of Davidson King but always it's their in the voices.
If this duology addition in the Haven Hart Universe wasn't already on my annual reread/relisten list, Head Rush would certainly cement it's position there.
Original Review March Book of the Month 2022:
When Raven's Hart was published 2-1/2 years ago I was afraid we'd seen the end of the Haven Hart gang, I knew the author was already planning Joker's Sin, a spin-off series of stories centered around the gay bar in the dangerous city we all knew and loved called Haven Hart with it's own cast of characters. HOWEVER, personally I was not ready to bid adieu to the original Haven Hart crew so when Secret Simon came out last year, I was all kinds of HOLY HANNAH BATMAN! In a way you could say these new entries are the next generation or a second story arc. Whatever you call it, I call it: OMG! PLEASE LET THERE BE MORE!
In Head Rush, we again follow Simon and Rush as they move onto life within the city limits of Haven Hart biding their time until Liam Brennan strikes. Simon grew up in this world, Rush not so much. I think he adjusts and adapts perfectly. I say "perfectly" not because he has no problems with the life of danger and mayhem but because he finds a way to balance his internal struggles of "how can this be" and "it has to play out this way" and it's that balance that is perfect. You know what? That's all I'm going to say to the plot because I'm afraid once I start I won't be able to stop and I won't spoil it for anyone. The mens' journey is chock full of allies, friends, and enemies some we know intimately and others are introduced(or explored further).
I gotta be honest, I'm still not quite use to Eight being all grown up, for part of me he will always be that little boy Snow saved way back in the early pages of Snow Falling. Despite that forever image burned into my psyche, trust me when I say Simon is all adult now and with Rush at his side, anything and everything is possible.
Davidson King has a knack for the darker side of life where you find yourself cheering for good guys who are not-so-squeaky-clean and bad guys who are easy to hate for their despicableness. Yes, there is a thin line at times between good and bad, especially in fiction and some might say King's Haven Hart universe is a little too violent, too dark, but me? I think the balance is all kinds of righteous yummyness. But beyond the violence of the mafia stoked world of Haven Hart, Davidson King shows the world that being gay, being LGBTQ doesn't make one weak. I won't say "doesn't make them men" because violence isn't just a male characteristic, it's a human characteristic and there's plenty of strong women in her world too, some entries more so than others but good or bad they are there too. Maybe I'm just babbling but what I'm trying to get across is Haven Hart isn't just about violence and darkness, at the barest core is heart, family, friendship, and strength. Doing what you have to to protect those you love. I don't think I'm giving anything away when I say this, in Head Rush, Rush Abernathy may not have been born into this world but he steps in and does what he must.
Now you may wonder what got that thought stirring in my brain, after all Head Rush is book 9. It was something one character said but I won't tell you who because I don't want to spoil who showed up and who didn't. Just know that it gave me pause, literally, one line of dialogue made me put my kindle down and think about the statement and the opinion I stated above. When an author of fiction can make the reader stop and think that strongly with only one line of dialogue, half a dozen words, you know you found an author who truly puts their whole being into telling said story. That it is more than just endless hours at a keyboard with dozens of post-it notes scribbled with tiny details to remember and research files of seemingly useless facts and specs for accuracy and continuity, the work they give to the world is part of them, they have poured their heart and soul between the covers. That's what gives Davidson King's work a special something that can be hard to put into words(even though through my babbling I do try), the same special something that makes Head Rush deserving of the Haven Hart brand.
I don't know how many more stories the men and women of Haven Hart have to tell Davidson King but I know I'll be ready and willing to read every journey she gets let in on and in turn shares with us.
One final note, if wondering about reading order, you do need to read Secret Simon before Head Rush. Some may say you don't need to read the original Haven Hart stories prior but I can't imagine having not experienced them first. Yes, there are characters from the original story arc books and no, technically you don't need to know their individual journeys to enjoy Simon and Rush's arc but I think the friendship and family chemistries flow better. However you read it, Davidson King's Haven Hart universe is 200% storytelling at it's purest form.
Secret Simon #8
Prologue
My name is Simon, but you can call me Eight—I’ll explain that later—and this is the story of how my hope for a quiet drama-free college life blew up in my face…all because I fell in love.
Yes, I know, cheesy. But here’s the thing—it really is true. It’s more complex than that, and it wouldn’t be much of a story if it was all, “Met a boy, he was cool, we fell in love, the end.”
Truth is, I chose to go to college five hours from Haven Hart, where I grew up, not because I had a bad childhood or hated my family, but because everyone knew who I was there…Hell, everyone knew who I was for miles and miles from there. If you don’t know why, let me fill you in real fast.
I’m the nephew of the most powerful mob boss in Haven Hart, Christopher Manos. He isn’t your typical mobster, though. I’ve seen the documentaries on Al Capone and Joe Bonanno, and yeah, sure, my uncle killed and isn’t clean in a lot of ways. But he’s also the best man I know. My mom died when I was a baby, and he loved me as a son and raised me as far away from his lifestyle as possible…Or at least, he tried to. No matter how hard he tried, though, there was no way to hide that kind of stuff forever.
As a child I saw a lot of things I shouldn’t have, but when I was eight everything changed. There’s that number again. See, I got bored waiting in a car while my pops’s driver—Pops is what I call my uncle—went into the ice cream shop to get me some rocky road. So, I left the car and wandered around. That wasn’t a good idea, and yet it kinda was.
A couple of guys started hassling me. One was named Roy Sokolov, and he tried to kidnap me. But from the depths of a dark, dank alley came my guardian angel. His name is Snow. He saved me that day, and we saved him too. He and my pops fell in love, and that’s how I found the second-best person in my life. Snow, he calls me Eight—the age I was when he saved me—and because when he asked me what to call me, I wouldn’t give him my name and only my age…I think you get the picture.
After that night, I saw so much more. Years later, my pops and I were actually kidnapped. There was no escaping the life he lived and so, when it came time to go to college, I decided it should be far away in the hopes that no one would know who I was.
Snow suggested I use a different last name, and while it hurt my heart to do it, I knew he was right. There were forgeries made, and abracadabra! I became Simon Mancia.
Thankfully, I got through my first year of college easily. No one knew who I was—at least no one said anything. I dated a few people. Penelope for about six months, but we didn’t click the way a boyfriend and girlfriend should…Instead, she became my best friend. Then there was Raul. He was amazing, but he cheated on me after two months, and yeah…that sucked. I hadn’t been with anyone since. That was, until I saw Him. He was singing karaoke on the green at campus when I returned my second year. It was some welcome-back thing, and he was right there and…Wow.
Penelope told me his name was Rush, and that was all she knew. I decided it would be my mission to find out more and hope beyond hope that he’d take me up on an offer for coffee.
Well, there’s something to be said for falling in love with someone; you will risk it all. I did just that and more.
So, sit back and find out how my finally calm life was turned upside down…all because I fell in love.
Head Rush #9
PROLOGUE
Rush
Living in Haven Hart wasn’t how I thought it would be. When Simon and I left Abernathy University and I said good-bye to a life I never wanted in favor of one filled with love, I’d hoped for peace…to fulfill my dreams…and maybe to not get shot at.
But the love of my life is Simon Manos, nephew of mob boss Christopher Manos—and did I mention, he’s the heir to the mafia kingdom? Yeah, so, while being the man Simon loves has its perks, there are also downsides—like having a bullseye over my head for every person who wants to hurt the Manos family to aim at.
I’ve lived in Haven Hart for a year now, and the day we got here Simon warned me there was a war brewing, which I knew already. See, there’s this other mob boss, Liam Brennan, and he pretty much tried to have Simon and me killed when we were at Abernathy. Revenge for that was put on the back burner in favor of dealing with a different enemy. One that threatened not only Liam Brennan and Christopher Manos, but also Simon, me, and Liam’s son, Fred. That bad guy? He was my dad. Was being the key word, but I try not to think too much about the was factor. It becomes depressing.
Once dear old Dad was gone, the Manos family decided it was time to deal with Liam Brennan, and that wasn’t as easy as they thought it would be.
I’d been going to my classes with about four bodyguards, all of them armed, and I couldn’t even stand outside by myself most days. I heard Christopher talking to his husband, Snow, one evening about how they’d hoped this sort of violence in Haven Hart was long gone. I guess there’d been a serious shit storm some years back.
I tried to stay out of Simon’s business—not because he told me to, but because I genuinely wanted nothing to do with it. I wanted to sing and perform; that was my dream. But the more I turned a blind eye, the brighter the lights shining in my face were, and I was beginning to think I couldn’t ignore the dangers in favor of music.
Any doubts that I could pretend my life was normal were thrown out the window one chilly night as I was walking out of Hart University, heading toward the car that would take me home.
It happened as fast as all the books and movies tell you it does. One minute I was talking to one of my bodyguards, and the next, he was on the pavement, dead with a bullet through the head.
I was thrown to the ground, someone was on top of me, and the sounds of shouts and gunshots filled the night. I closed my eyes and wished it would all disappear, knowing this was my reality, this was what I’d chosen. All because I fell in love.
CHAPTER ONE
Simon
“Mace, stop!” I tried walking faster to get away from him, but he was clearly inhuman and able to keep pace with me.
“It’s something I learned while doing yoga, though. Bill and I were able to get creative with it in the bedroo—”
“I swear, if you keep talking, I will shoot you.”
He rolled his eyes. “Sure. As I was saying, you take your leg—”
“Mace, you’re fired.”
His laughter echoed through the large foyer of the Manos mansion. He wasn’t deterred. “Some stretching is required before you begin…All the stretching, if you get my meaning.” When he winked, I groaned.
“Sadly, I do understand.” I stopped walking, and I chuckled when Mace wasn’t prepared for that and tripped on the carpet.
“What the—” He glared at the offending floor, then looked at me. “Why’d you stop?”
“Mace, remember when I was younger, and you never wanted to taint my mind with horrible things?”
He pursed his lips, his gaze shifting upward. “Nope, I don’t.”
“Well, I do. Let’s pretend I’m thirteen and—”
“Eew.” Mace took a step back. “I’m not role-playing with you!”
Of course that was the moment Bill, Mace’s partner, and Snow, my stepfather, walked out of the study.
“Shit.” I sighed, all energy leaving my body. Where was Rush? I needed him home. He had a way of shutting Mace up.
“What in the ever-loving wrongness did we walk into?” Snow’s piercing blue eyes pinned Mace in place. “Don’t think I don’t know this is all your fault.”
“I’m offended.” Mace pressed his palm to his chest and walked over to Bill. “Sweetheart, do you hear how he speaks to me?”
“Yep.” Bill kept walking, and fortunately Mace followed after him.
“Yep? That’s all you have to say? How dare…” Mace’s words became distant as they entered the kitchen, and I leaned against one of the pillars by the stairs.
“I’m not asking what that was all about.” Snow pointed in the direction Mace and Bill had gone.
“Thank you.”
“Dinner should be in an hour.” Snow turned toward the grandfather clock in the foyer. “Shouldn’t Rush have returned by now?”
I shrugged. Rush sometimes ran late because he had study group after classes, or he’d stop to get coffee on his way home.
“Has he texted?” Snow arched a brow. “Have you?”
“Snow,” I huffed. “He has, like, four huge guys with guns accompanying him. If something happened, I’m sure—”
“Something happened!” Bill came running over to us, phone in hand.
Snow shot me a look before his expression became serious. “What is it?”
“Rush—he was attacked outside of the university; he’s fine.” Bill made sure to add that part quickly, but it didn’t stop my heart from practically beating out of my chest. “Hank’s dead, shot. Del and Gino are on the way back with Rush; Donny stayed behind to talk to the cops.”
“Call Chris,” Snow said to Bill. While Bill left to do that, Snow and I went to the study. “This is a bold move for Liam Brennan, that cock-sucking piece of shit.” Snow started slamming things on the desk; I was just trying to keep it together. I needed to see Rush.
“Why would he make a move like this?” I paced in front of the desk while Snow began texting—probably everyone.
“Fear, idiocy. All I know is, Christopher is going to lose his mind. One thing we have prided ourselves on is keeping the streets clean. No blood in Haven Hart. For years we have been able to achieve that.”
It was only a matter of time before Liam came to Haven Hart. We’d brought the rage to him for the past year, and surprisingly, he was much more guarded than we’d thought, and now he was pushing forward…into our territory.
“We need to end this.” I leaned over the desk, my hands splayed across the blotter. Snow’s fingers froze, and his eyes met mine.
“You know we will, Eight.”
We were in a holding pattern. We were waiting for Pops to get back from a meeting and for Rush to return. It was agonizing, and I thought I’d wear a path in the carpet with all my pacing.
Fortunately, everyone let me be—no one dared to tell me to stop. I wouldn’t have listened anyway.
It felt as though an eternity had passed when the front door opened and Del, Gino, and Rush walked in. I couldn’t tell a soul how the bodyguards looked, because my eyes were assessing every inch of Rush.
His clothes were rumpled, there was a tear in the knee of his black pants, and his hair was messy. When he turned toward me and I saw a scrape across his cheekbone, I was overtaken by rage.
“What the fuck happened?” I roared, surprising everyone. I was normally in control—the calm, rational one—but seeing Rush any less than put together set me off. “How’d this happen? There were four of you, for fuck’s sake!”
“Simon, listen—” Del began, but nothing was going to appease me.
“No, don’t tell me to listen.”
“Si.” Rush was suddenly in front of me, hands on my arms, and like a gush of water on a fire, I calmed. “You asked, he was answering, and you need to chill the fuck out. This”—he pointed to his cheek—“was when Donny pushed me to the ground so I didn’t get shot. And my clothes and hair? Who gives a damn about them? I’m alive. They all did their jobs, and Hank died for me.” Rush’s gaze hardened. “You want to be mad, fine, but not at them. They did their jobs!”
As I stood there, properly chastised by Rush, Snow swooped in. “Del, Gino, head into the study. Christopher is on his way; he should be here soon.”
Snow placed a hand on my shoulder and one on Rush’s. “Why don’t the two of you go upstairs, wash up, get changed and bandaged? Meet us in the study when you’re all set.” His smile was soft, but his eyes were as cold as ice. “This will end.”
Rush sighed and ran up the stairs without a word.
“He needs you, Eight.” Snow gripped my hand. “When I say you, I mean the man he loves, not that beast you unleashed a moment ago. That’s not going to help him or this situation. He’s not made for this life, but he lives it because he loves you. Don’t let him slip away.”
My words got stuck in my throat, so I simply nodded. Snow went into the study, Bill and Mace on his heels, and I went upstairs to face Rush. I wasn’t sure which man I’d encounter, and that scared me more than anything Liam could throw our way.
Davidson King, always had a hope that someday her daydreams would become real-life stories. As a child, you would often find her in her own world, thinking up the most insane situations. It may have taken her awhile, but she made her dream come true with her first published work, Snow Falling.
When she's not writing you can find her blogging away on Diverse Reader, her review and promotional site. She managed to wrangle herself a husband who matched her crazy and they hatched three wonderful children.
If you were to ask her what gave her the courage to finally publish, she'd tell you it was her amazing family and friends. Support is vital in all things and when you're afraid of your dreams, it will be your cheering section that will lift you up.
Davidson King
EMAIL: davidsonkingauthor@yahoo.com
Alexander Cendese(Narrator)
TANTOR / AUDIOBOOKS / CHIRP
TANTOR / AUDIOBOOKS / CHIRP
