Gwen Martin is a relatively new author and so far, I’ve loved the books I’ve read. Hidden in the Shadows is book two in her Beyond Desire series but it can easily be read as a stand-alone book.

This story is smoking hot! Ethan and Jordan are co-workers that start out with a friends-with-benefits arrangement. That soon isn’t enough for Ethan but he has a big secret that he’s kept from Jordan and it might just tear them apart.

While it took me just a bit to get into this story once I did, I had trouble putting it down. I love how the relationship between Ethan and Jordan builds. The hot sexy time between them is there from the beginning but the actual relationship and deep feelings build more slowly.

I love second chance stories and this one actually has two second chances for Ethan and Jordan. They had a hot and heavy friends-with-benefits thing going on, as well as being co-workers, and then Jordan just disappears. He doesn’t respond to any messages that Ethan sends him which really bums Ethan out. Three months later Jordan reappears and they quickly pick up where they left off. There’s another separation and reconciliation but it would be spoiler-y to say anything much about it.

While there is a lot of hot sexy time in this story if it were all removed, you’d still have a great relationship story. I think the author did a good job of balancing the sexy time with the actual relationship. [I need to disclose that I did a beta read of this book and one of my comments to Gwen was that there was an awful lot of sex. She took my comments to heart because when I read the final book a few of the scenes had been revised and toned down (but there is still plenty of sexy time left!)]

Based on the two novels and one novella that I’ve read, I think Gwen has a bright future in MM romance and I look forward to reading more from her.

Reviews for Gwen Martin

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The crack of the ball on the table made Ethan jump. It rolled to the pocket but missed by a sliver. Ethan grinned, grateful for a chance to play. He knew he wouldn’t win, not by a long shot since there were seven solid balls still on the table to Jordan’s three striped ones. If Ethan wanted a snowball’s chance in hell at winning, he’d have to change tactics.

Well, Jordan said he wanted to play dirty.

Ethan sauntered close to Jordan, until their chests were pressed together. Jordan was a little taller than Ethan’s six foot height, and he made a show of tilting his head up so that their lips lined up. Jordan’s tongue drifted out and sat at the corner of his mouth, his eyes boring into Ethan’s.

Ethan grinned and turned around, knowing that his ass would push Jordan backwards as he bent over to eye his target. He heard the small gasp behind him as he moved the cue between the first two fingers of his left hand, and stopped, assessing the table again with a hum.

“I think I need help,” Ethan said, turning over his shoulder, affecting a wide-eyed lost look. “Since you’re such an expert and all I figured—”

“Sure,” Jordan said roughly. He drew closer, closing a hand over Ethan’s, his chest pressing hard into Ethan’s back. Ethan closed his eyes for a moment to gain some composure and inhaled a slow breath.

“You want to make sure you line your eyes with the ball,” Jordan murmured against Ethan’s ear. “And make sure you hit the cue ball in the center so that it can travel straight out from the stick.”

Jordan guided the cue back slowly and then jerked it forward just to give the ball enough momentum to put the solid ball into the corner pocket. Ethan canted his hips back so his ass brushed against the bulge in Jordan’s jeans.

“You’re an excellent teacher,” Ethan murmured, tilting his head back. He only saw a bit of Jordan’s face, the position obscuring most of it, but what he saw was enough. Jordan’s lips were parted and when he swiped a tongue over his bottom lip, it took everything in Ethan’s control to not spin around and kiss him.

There was a fluttering sensation inside of Ethan’s chest that grew stronger. He straightened up and assessed the table once more to distract himself. He didn’t want to play pool anymore, his mind a jumbled mess of things he wanted instead with Jordan. When he tried to make another shot, he scratched the cue over the top of the ball.

Jordan tsked. “Such a terrible student,” he admonished playfully. He leaned over the table to line up his shot, and added, “To think I gave you valuable information—”

The sentence cut off as Ethan bent over and gently blew on Jordan’s ear. Jordan’s arm skitted forward, knocking into a set of balls and scattering them everywhere.

“Whoops,” Ethan said unrepentantly.

“That is so wrong,” Jordan groused, pulling himself upright. “What the hell do you call that?”

Ethan shrugged, leaning against the edge of the table next to Jordan and crossing his legs at the ankle. “You said you wanted to play dirty. I was just following the rules.”

“Is that so?” Jordan asked quietly, edging closer to Ethan’s side. Ethan searched Jordan’s face for a moment, his stomach twisting in anticipation.
Jordan was close enough that the warmth of his breath feathered over Ethan’s mouth. His hair was more grown out, and a small wave had fallen over his eye.

Those dark brown eyes that sat heavy-lidded, and as he leaned closer Ethan felt his lips brush against his.

The kiss was chaste, but Ethan’s body responded to it immediately. He concentrated on his breathing, hoping to calm the thundering in his chest. Jordan’s cologne, a mix of sandalwood and vanilla, overwhelmed Ethan’s senses. He wanted to get lost in the wave of it all, savor the familiar taste of it against his tongue.

Beyond Desire Series

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