Hello everyone!
A while ago I ran into a blurb telling me about a book that was GOING to be released sometime in early 2022, and I added it to my 'to be read' list on Goodreads.
Turns out, I'd been right to do so.
I've had a soft spot for same-sex romance books since I discovered that they even exist, because a lot of the time, the tropes that have become so incredibly boring and over-written in heterosexual romances take on a new life when it's two men or two women.
I don't know what it is!
This one tonight isn't exactly outdated, it's just a really clever one, but it's DEFINITELY worth the time and the read. I think I managed in about three sittings, and each sitting I found something to bawl my eyes out over.
No joke.
So without further ado: In Step. Because everybody needs a little dance in their life.
I sadly don't have any other books by Jay Hogan in my repertoire - yet, which means the link area below is empty. I do have a bunch belonging to Kiera Andrews, but I look forward to discovering more from Hogan as time goes on!
For now, let's jump right into it, shall we?
Kane Martin is having a rough go of it, living in basically a garage sort of apartment with his kitty Bossy, and working on a mussel farm in Painted Bay, New Zealand. We don't immediately get to learn his past, but it has to be something bad because he's wary of his employer Leroy, who just so happens to be the older brother of one Judah - and apparently, Judah can't even look at Kane.
This is sort of the status quo by the time Abe Tyler flies in, an old friend and choreographer of Judah's who's there to help out with a kids' recital. See, Judah has Ménière's disease and so he needs a little bit of help, but of course the bonus point here is that Abe notices Kane almost right away.
And after a little back and forth between the men, including Kane watching Abe dance, well, you know where this is going.
Truth be told there's an instant attraction between the older choreographer and the thirty-year-old, but Kane is convinced he doesn't deserve anything good so Abe's got an uphill battle in front of him.
He is, however, our window into what exactly happened between Kane and Judah, which is that Kane used to bully the other man when they were in high school together, and Judah was out and proud. If you think you know the full story though, think again.
See Kane was on the periphery of the bullying crowd and only once actually did something as bad as kicking Judah when he was down, otherwise steering clear, and the only reason he was even in the gang to begin with was to keep his father even partially happy after the death of his mother and when his sister bailed, leaving home. His dad being the douche that he was (and abuser!), it was easier for Kane to pretend to be horrible to keep himself out of his way.
It doesn't excuse what he did and doesn't make it better. But there's always a second side to the story, too.
So Abe and he slowly circle one another, going closer and closer as Abe teaches Kane how to tango, since the recital will be followed by a more general dance, and people have expressed interest in classes, etc. The chemistry between the two men is OFF THE CHARTS, mind you.
But it's the emotions that keep popping up that really get you.
See, Kane is also HIV positive, though untraceable (which, if I understood correctly, means that the chances of him transmitting the disease if he has unprotected sex are almost below zero), and has really, really had it rough; he's currently fighting with his father for the family farm, half of which his mother left to him, and he wants to be bought out, but his father doesn't want to sell and is downright nasty about it.
Not to mention, this thing with Abe is beginning to look more and more real, which is a complication since Kane isn't going anywhere but Abe is only in Painted Bay for a few more weeks. They decide to say screw this, and just do what they want - and of course they get found out by Judah who throws a fit.
I really enjoyed that particular scene, not because of the fit, by the way - but because Abe planted himself in firmly and stood his ground, in contrast to what you see in a lot of romance books. He pretty much tells Judah to take a hike and he doesn't owe it to him or anyone else to explain who he's seeing and why, as no one's the boss of him, and Judah needs to take a step back and re-evaluate just how he himself's been treating some people.
This then leads into a nice conversation between Judah and Kane, finally, and then the rest of the family as he comes out to them ... and turns out they'd been taking bets because Abe couldn't keep his eyes off the dude!
This reconciliation happens juts in time since the farm situation is starting to become nastier, with Kane's father making a surprise appearance to try and threaten his son, though Leroy and his husband make like bodyguards and then thieves a la Jason Bourne or something when the guys take off to the farm to make sure nobody hurts the poor farmcat Kane loves so much.
In the process they get a confession from Kane's dad about threatening them all and other violent commentary, which makes it easier to deal with later when the farm is finally sold and Kane paid out.
But it's time for Abe to actually leave for his prior commitment, and he and Kane promise each other to keep the possibilities open, but it's very obvious both of them are miserable, even though Abe literally got the contract of his life and Kane is now a vet tech which he's always wanted to be. They're drifting apart though, and Abe's nomadic lifestyle also doesn't cut it anymore with his mother suffering from early dementia, so he shows back up in Painted Bay, asking Kane if they could give each other another shot.
And oh yeah, he'll only be doing the international gigs two to three times a year, but work primarily out of New Zealand now, because he wants it all with Kane.
Seeing as Kane wants it all right back, we can easily say this is happily ever after!
And I can go and cry my happy tears in a corner somewhere.
Honestly, I loved the REAL in this book. I liked that people didn't just huff and flounce off dramatically before any conversation was to be had, but actually sat down and talked (okay, maybe they were slightly dramatic to begin with but there WAS conversation fairly easily and shortly afterwards, so). I also really enjoyed the sense of community and family as people came together to help Kane.
Kane himself was someone I really wanted to just hug. Luckily Abe was there for all the moral support. I think I cried once every sitting as I was reading the book, and I don't think I can put into words just how amazing it is to see this kind of writing nowadays, with so much extra fluff and padding all around.
Kane is wounded, human, apologetic, and just trying to do his best in rather shitty circumstances.
Abe is basically a knight in ballet tights, which I'm totally on board with, but he's also incredibly compassionate and he knows what he wants, so he goes for it. This helps because you need at least one character in the book who's going to knock down walls if he has to, and Abe's that guy.
The one thing I'm a bit miffed about is the situation with Kane's sister: if I understand right, the girl leaves home as soon as she's eighteen, leaving her brother with her dad, then cuts off all contact with the both of them and treats Kane as if he's some sort of bad guy? I don't understand her motives, and we don't really get much of an explanation for it, either, other than Kane saying he's going to give her most of the money so she can get a better apartment, etc.
It could possibly be connected to the whole Judah thing, but it's never explicitly mentioned in the story, which is confusing. As such, all I got out of it is that the sister abandoned her little brother to an abusive father and treated him like he was just a smudge on the sole of her shoe while he was desperate for any sort of connection with her, and didn't make much of an effort; Kane was doing all the heavy lifting.
So yeah, this one was confusing to me and not as clearly stated out, but overall this was a wonderful book, emotional, full of difficult topics that were lovingly addressed. I'm looking forward to picking up more of Hogan's work now, for sure!
10/10 recommend.
xx
*image not mine
Thank you for a such a lovely review! I'm so glad you liked it. It is the third book in my Painted Bay Series and the link to the first in the series is below. Thank you again!!
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