Title: All he Needs
Series: My Truth Book One
Author: Ann Grech
Genre: Contemporary
LGBTQ+ Category: MM/Gay
Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing
Pages: 205
Reviewer: Pat Henshaw
Get It On Amazon
About The Book
When a former pro-snowboarder finds himself caught between two men who have stolen his heart, it takes heartbreak and a hit of reality for him to start believing love is truly all he needs.
I didn’t think it’d turn out this way: my life story in a nutshell. Life, Karma, whatever—it was testing me. Pushing me to the limit of what I could endure and beyond.
But in the steaming pile my life had become, I felt it. The spark. Like my soul met its counterparts, or whatever the corny saying was. I didn’t think it was possible. For a closeted guy, falling for not one but two men was never going to be easy, but I couldn’t deny its truth. Mace and Rick were….
Then I had to leave. My sister needed me. Having a baby alone was out of the question and I couldn’t wait to be an uncle. But going to stay with her in Florida meant leaving them. New Zealand and the USA couldn’t be further apart.
I’m not a saint. I’ve screwed up more times than I can count. But I was trying to redeem myself. Gracie, my niece, needed me to be a better man. If only there was a way I could have both—men to love and a family close by.
This is my truth, and this is all I need.
The Review
Professional snowboarder Caiden is his own worst enemy, a romance hero that I’ve always found difficult to like and want to read about. But I was drawn to this book because I hoped that the author would help explain how a triad works. So I put up with what I didn’t particularly care for in order to explore what I’ve been curious about.
After his mother dies unexpectedly, Caiden starts smoking marijuana to take some of the pressure off and relax. He knows it could get him thrown out of competition and barred from the sport, but he smokes it anyway.
He’s shocked when the unimaginable occurs and he’s spot tested. Consequently, his career ends, throwing him in a tizzy. Fortunately, there’s a tiny bright spot in his future. He returns to Florida from New Zealand where he’s been living to attend the birth of his niece. But there again, the unexpected and unimaginable happens when his seemingly healthy twin sister dies in childbirth.
Suddenly Caiden, whose two best friends and only support are still in New Zealand, is left high and dry with an infant and a father who has withdrawn so far into himself as to be nearly the walking dead. If all that weren’t enough, Caiden suddenly finds himself and his family about to be homeless when their house is condemned.
Inundated by responsibilities caring for his niece Gracie and his weak father, Caiden dodges calls from his friends Rick and Mace until they show up, quickly assess the situation, and jump in to help him—for no other reason than they both love him and have decided they can’t live without him in their lives.
When Caiden discovers that one of them was the guy who turned him in for drug use, their burgeoning triad is nearly derailed before it begins.
Author Grech has taken to heart the writing advice to pile roadblocks in front of her protagonists’ journey to happily ever after. Sometimes these are of the characters’ own making, but often like the sister’s death are completely out of their control.
Those who love to read romances a character’s hard fight to overcome adversity will adore this book. And others like myself who wonder what the appeal of a triad might be and what the relationship might look like will enjoy seeing Caiden, Rick, and Mace grow into their devotion to each other.
The Reviewer
Pat Henshaw:
- Is a she, not a he.
- Writes MM romances.
- Has interviewed Arlo Guthrie, Big Bird, Fred Rogers, Liberace, and Vincent Price.
- Has lived and worked on all three US coasts and in the middle of the country, too.
- Has been a reviewer, costumer, librarian, and teacher.
- Has ridden an elephant, touched the pyramids, and stood at the edge of a volcano.
- Believes love is essential to everyone’s happiness.
- She wants you to remember: Every day is a good day for romance!
