A review by cadiva
Austin, by Con Riley
5.0
Dom Dymond is my absolute favourite character Con Riley has created and we don't even get his PoV in this book.
Anyone who's familiar with Con's expanded world will have seen Dom's name crop up in Be My Best Man or True Brit, Jude and Rob also cross paths with him in the Bonus Scene for His Horizon.
But, until now, he's been a nebulous figure, our most common interactions with him have been in Luke's book as Austin repeatedly tells him off for always being late to pick up his delightful daughter Maisie.
So, what happens when a prickly school bursar with a secret guilt that stops him from forming attachments crashes headlong into Dom's orbit?
We get this book, the very best in what has been a quite outstanding series, and a love story which is all about learning not only to love someone else, but learning how to forgive too. For Austin, it's learning to let go of an incident in his past which has basically hung a noose around his neck for many years.
When their paths cross, it sends both men on a journey which is delivered in inimitable Con Riley style, filled with wonderful snappy dialogue, smoking hot sexy times, emotional feels all over the spectrum from rage to grief, guilt to passion and a whole big load of love.
This is the least angsty book in the series but Con still brings enough tension into the narrative as we slowly find out what causes Austin's caustic nature and why Dom's been late to pick up Maisie from school.
We get to discover that the snappy and terrierlike Austin, with his determination that Glynn Harber isn't the place for him, is actually a man desperately trying to make amends for an accident that wasn't even his fault.
We find out Dom isn't a feckless father, but a man who's given up everything to be there for Maisie whenever she needs him.
And we see that, together, these two men are a force as bright as a supernova, absolutely perfect for each other and both willing to take a chance at a lifetime of happiness.
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review
Disclaimer: As ever, I alpha read this book for Con.
Anyone who's familiar with Con's expanded world will have seen Dom's name crop up in Be My Best Man or True Brit, Jude and Rob also cross paths with him in the Bonus Scene for His Horizon.
But, until now, he's been a nebulous figure, our most common interactions with him have been in Luke's book as Austin repeatedly tells him off for always being late to pick up his delightful daughter Maisie.
So, what happens when a prickly school bursar with a secret guilt that stops him from forming attachments crashes headlong into Dom's orbit?
We get this book, the very best in what has been a quite outstanding series, and a love story which is all about learning not only to love someone else, but learning how to forgive too. For Austin, it's learning to let go of an incident in his past which has basically hung a noose around his neck for many years.
When their paths cross, it sends both men on a journey which is delivered in inimitable Con Riley style, filled with wonderful snappy dialogue, smoking hot sexy times, emotional feels all over the spectrum from rage to grief, guilt to passion and a whole big load of love.
This is the least angsty book in the series but Con still brings enough tension into the narrative as we slowly find out what causes Austin's caustic nature and why Dom's been late to pick up Maisie from school.
We get to discover that the snappy and terrierlike Austin, with his determination that Glynn Harber isn't the place for him, is actually a man desperately trying to make amends for an accident that wasn't even his fault.
We find out Dom isn't a feckless father, but a man who's given up everything to be there for Maisie whenever she needs him.
And we see that, together, these two men are a force as bright as a supernova, absolutely perfect for each other and both willing to take a chance at a lifetime of happiness.
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review
Disclaimer: As ever, I alpha read this book for Con.