Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.

“Nothing wrong with someone younger or older bringing a different perspective to a person’s life. A new energy. Isn’t that what it’s all about? Finding people who make our lives better? Friends, lovers, whatever. People who wake us the fuck up.”

I really like this book a lot. Theres something about it that makes me come back to it somewhat regularly. I think it’s the character called Rafa. He’s isolated and lonely, hiding who he is. His father is the president and supports policies taking away the rights of gay people. You just feel for him so dang much throughout the whole book. People overlook him, see him as the boring one. The rule-follower. Even the ugly one, because his siblings are hotter. Something about the entire situation results in me having a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes through most of it, even though it’s a reread/listen. I think it would be a 5 star without a doubt if only the other MC wasn’t one of the ones who also commented on Rafa not being very beautiful. He is, and Shane (?) realizes it eventually, but he felt quite shallow and judgemental for a 39 year old professional bodyguard. He’s not a bad character, but Rafa steals the show.

There’s a second book in this duet, but I have until this point (and probably will continue) pretending that book doesn’t exist, and that they got their very HEA in this one. It was a rough road even ending on a HFN, so I’m not chancing more fuckery.


⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
President’s son
Secret service agent
Age gap
Size difference
Closeted MC
Romantic suspense
First times
Virgin MC
Slow (emotional) burn
Closeted MC

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Explicit sexual content
Bigotry
Homophobic family and policy
Gun violence
MC feeling isolated and lonely
Side character shot off page (graphic injury)
Grief (past loss of parents, house fire)
Severely injured SC (gunshot wound, hospitalized)
MCs stuck in collapsed cave
Discussions of the death of children (side character’s child)
Mentions of severely ill child (SC’s)
MC shot (on page)
MC abducted
Bad guys killed by MC

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: MC1 has a fake girlfriend for large parts of the book (they’re best friends). MC2s first chapter starts right after a hookup with his sometimes FWB. They don’t sleep together again after that, but MC2 is briefly kissed by FWB after sleeping with Rafa. Later the MCs are separated for 6 months after breaking up without contact. Neither dates or sleeps with anyone else during this time.
Breakup: Yes
POV: 3rd person, dual
Genre: Romantic suspense
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 21 and 39
Series: Duet, book 1
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 287
Happy ending: Yes


“You always said you’d never found someone you wanted to wake up to every day. That’s how you’d know he was the one. Are you wondering how Rafael Castillo looks with bed head?” “Don’t be ridiculous. I barely know him.” His curls would be all over the place, falling over his forehead…



You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?igsh=MWZ3azhkdDc2Y2ludg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr