I enjoyed the first story in this series and so was quick to pick up this next one. The two men in this story couldn’t have been more different than Cody and Darwin. Both these men have some miles on them. They’ve also faced down some pretty blatant racism in their time. What I loved was the color of their skin didn’t define them or their place in the relationship. They were just a black guy and an Indian guy who hooked up for one hot night and just couldn’t stay away.
Marlon’s a cop. A black cop in Denver. A black cop in Denver with a racist partner who also appears to be a homophobe. I mean, ick. Marlon’s superiors and his former partner know he’s gay, but he hasn’t gone around announcing it to everyone. It’s none of their business. One night he’s trying to get away from it all and he winds up at Hamburger Mary’s. The bar has drag queens and caters to gay patrons as well as plenty of clientele who are just LGBTQ allies and supporters. It’s a safe place for him to be – as long as he doesn’t get spotted.
Vahin is the bartender at Mary’s. His religious family rejected him when he came out and he’s found his own family at Mary’s. I always love the concept of found family. We can’t choose the family we were born into, but we can choose the people we want to spend our lives with. Interestingly Vahin once hooked up with Mary’s owner Steve. But that’s a whole other story. This night he’s intrigued by a beautiful black man who needs cheering. A few beers lead to the harder stuff and a night Vahin isn’t likely to forget and Marlon can barely remember.
But the men are drawn to each other. Despite their disparate lives, they keep finding ways to come together and even Mandonna and Ariel the Merman the drag queens don’t dissuade Marlon from spending time at Mary’s. But homophobes are never far away, and the men face some serious challenges to their relationship and their personal safety.
I loved this book. It had humour and levity and gravitas. It brought a smile to my face and a warmth to my heart. I want to mention the narrator, Gerrod Larkyn. He does a fantastic job with this series and I couldn’t be more pleased with the way this book turned out. Can’t wait for the next one.