Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.

Who was this guy who stole his tongue and spoke for him in front of the president? That asshole always said the dumbest things.

There really is no one like Tal Bauer. It doesn’t seem to matter what sub genre he writes. Romantic suspense is my favorite, so of course those books are perfect for me. I finally took the plunge (aka got *everything* spoiled so I could manage to get through this), and I’m just sorry I didn’t do it ages ago. This first book wasn’t horribly angsty. There’s plenty of external danger and drama, but I don’t really find that angsty. I know I’m in for it in book two though.

For this first time, he wanted everything. The American dream, the apple pie life. He wanted the morning after, and seeing Jack slowly wake up in his arms. His hair, mussed and standing on end. His lazy smile, sleepy in the sunshine.

Ethan and Jack are really cute together, and I really adore how Tal Bauer manages to give us all the necessary and wanted relationship building, even when the timeline is several months long, with a lot of external plot. I don’t imagine finding that balance is easy. I can’t wait to start the second book. Very highly recommend if you’re like me and love political thrillers and romantic suspense. The author really does write suspense and danger like no one else.

“And at forty-five, my best friend kissed me, and I can’t get that kiss out of my mind.”

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
President
Secret service agent
Suspense
Political thriller
Ex military
Secret relationship
Sexual awakening
Friends to lovers
Size difference
Widower

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
- MC believed dead
- Death of a spouse (past, off page)
- Discussions of war
- Hitting inanimate objects in anger
- Suicidal ideation (side character)
- Helicopter crash (no MC involved)
- Nuclear detonation/attack (no MC involved)
- Details about radiation and fallout from nuclear bomb
- Mentions of a loved one killed in action (past, off page)
- Death of side characters
- Physical fight with friend
- Gun violence
- IED explosion
- On-page killing
- MC held hostage
- Acts of terrorism
- Injured MCs
- Homophobia
- MC strapped to bomb
- Gunshot wounds
- Assassination attempt
- Attempted coup

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
OM/OW drama: Ethan goes to a club early in the book, looking to hook up with someone. He has a moment with a man (including groping), but gets cold feet and doesn’t go through with it.
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, multiple POV
Genre: Romantic suspense, M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Versatile (no switching on page)
MCs age: 41 and 45
Pages: 444

Welby never thought he’d be romantic about two middle-aged men falling in love, but there it was. And here he was, buying both middle-aged men sex supplies. He was their condom mule. White House scandals were born from less.

He was a condom mule, and the bearer of sexual happiness. He could live with that.

A blush stained Jack’s cheeks and turned his neck crimson. “When I was ‘researching’, I saw a lot of twinkies as bottoms, but when I searched for bear bottoms, there were far less.

This precious gay-sex-newbie man