Stronger Than Hope By Katherine McIntyre
Genre: Contemporary Romance, GLBTQ, MM
Tropes: Single dad, hurt/comfort
Released: March 5, 2022
Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing
Series: Chesapeake Days, Book 1
Length: 252 pages
Cover Design: BookSmith Design
One man looking to set down roots, the other looking to leave…
Fresh out of a relationship, Nate’s searching for a change—what better way is there than renovating his uncle’s old coffee shop in Chesapeake City? He has a new job, in a new town, and a new lease. And when he almost runs over his hot neighbor, Linc, who happens to be his contractor? Well, based on the explosive attraction between them, maybe he’ll find something new there too.
Linc’s been treading water ever since his wife passed away in childbirth, focusing all of his energy on raising his son, Beckett. The obvious solution? He needs to get the hell out of Chesapeake City. But when Nate charmingly fumbles his way into Linc’s life, he finds his defenses lowering for the first time in years. One date leads to another, and hell, this man makes him feel in ways he’d forgotten.
Even though Nate just finished piecing his heart back together, he falls fast. Yet Linc’s made it clear he’s a bad bet. The man hasn’t clicked with anyone since his wife, and if Nate ends up being “not enough” again, that won’t shatter just his heart—the fragile home he’s trying to build in this town will crumble too.
Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003
I loved this emotional story.
This is the first book I’ve read by Katherine McIntyre and I loved it. I knew almost from the first few pages that this was a story that would get all of my emotions involved; I wasn’t wrong.
Nate was such a sweet soul and he’d been used and discarded by his ex-boyfriend. He’s getting a new start in a new place after inheriting his uncle’s coffee shop. He doesn’t make a great impression on the first person he meets – who turns out to not only be his neighbor but also the contractor he hired to help with renovation of his new shop.
Linc is still grieving the death of his wife and it’s been 6 years. His son, Beck, comes first and next is his business. He’s been out as bi-sexual since high school, which I found refreshing. It was also refreshing that he is completely accepted by family and friends.
Linc doesn’t do relationships because he hasn’t found anyone that he clicked with enough to want to let them into his life with his son. He doesn’t want Beck to get attached and then have his heart broken when the relationship doesn’t work out. He tries to keep his budding relationship with Nate away from Beck but that turns out to be impossible because they are neighbors.
When Beck was being bullied at school it made Linc furious but his heart also hurt for what his son was going through. Later on in the story I was so touched by the way that Nate talked to Beck about the bullying and how comforting he was to Beck.
I knew that at some point there would be something bad happen to break Nate’s soft heart but I really wasn’t expecting it to happen the way that it did. And what Linc did to fix things, and Nate’s initial reaction, was also a surprise. This really was a book that I couldn’t put down.
I loved the great cast of secondary characters and I’m looking forward to reading Nico’s story.
♥♥♥♥♥
O Factor: Spicy
He slowed as he began to wind down the small streets, people walking to and fro along the sidewalk during this gorgeous day. Folks took their big, lumbering St. Bernards on walks or carried kiddos on their shoulders as they headed around town, ducking in and out of the small businesses lining the way.
Soon, he’d be running one of those tiny establishments.
Hopefully not into the ground.
Nate made the left and then the right onto a side street, minutes away from his new place. He slowed to a crawl as he scanned the buildings, trying to find the gray one with the cranberry door that would be his latest home. The sun struck his windshield, causing him to squint as he crept forward.
A loud curse snapped his attention front and center. Nate slammed on the brakes. The blinding light cleared in time to reveal the guy he’d been two seconds from flattening.
“What the fuck, man?” the guy called, slapping a hand on the hood of his car.
Nate let out a groan. Here for two minutes, and already he was mowing down pedestrians. If what he’d heard about small towns was true, he’d have a reputation as the asshole city slicker by tomorrow morning.
He poked his head out the window. “I’m so sorry,” he yelled. “I didn’t know which house was mine.” Nate gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, resisting the urge to slam his head into it. Now he sounded like an idiot.
The guy wove around to the driver side, and Nate caught his first real glimpse of him. The man looked to be early thirties, and the tank top and jeans he wore displayed a muscular body that made Nate bite back a whimper. Goddamn. He possessed a deep tan and dark tousled hair, his Italian heritage clear by his thick brows, his strong nose, and full lips meant for smirking.
Not only had he almost run over someone, it was one of the hottest guys he’d ever seen.
To celebrate the release of Stronger Than Hope, Katherine is giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky winner!
Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!
Katherine McIntyre is a feisty chick with a big attitude despite her short stature. She writes stories featuring snarky women, ragtag crews, and men with bad attitudes—and there’s an equally high chance for a passionate speech thrown into the mix. As an eternal geek and tomboy who’s always stepped to her own beat, she’s made it her mission to write stories that represent the broad spectrum of people out there, from different cultures and races to all varieties of men and women.
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