Genres: Romance, Contemporary
LGBTQ+ Identities: Gay, Bi
Reviewer: Maryann
Get It On Amazon
About the Book:
Sasha
There was one thing I hadn’t planned to do and that was to move back to the city where I grew up. Not that I had any bad memories. I had loving parents, but they thought it was long past time I started dating again. I was a single dad with a demanding job as a firefighter and EMT. I didn’t have time to look for someone. That’s what I thought until I started at my station and met someone who changed everything.
Crash (Wes)
My parents considered me the disappointment among their three children. I was nothing like them. So at eighteen, I left and cut off all contact. My job as a firefighter was the only thing that kept me going. I wasn’t an attractive man, and I’d accepted that. When the new guy, Sasha Price, started working with me, he destroyed my comfort zone. I didn’t like the way he made me feel. I wasn’t supposed to like him, but I just couldn’t keep him out of my head.
Warnings: Brief mentions of infertility and past pregnancy loss.
The Review:
Sasha Price has waited a long time to have a child and start a real family. After a year, he and his wife received the disappointing news that they should look into other alternatives. For three more years, he and Leta discussed surrogacy.
Sasha had a very good friend who donated her embryos to him, but by the time his daughter was born, his wife was out of the picture, as she had filed for divorce. Sasha didn’t care – he had the support of both his parents and Leon, his best friend since they were nine years old. Leon cared just as much as if the baby were his own.
The little girl was perfect. Then she became deaf when she was a year old – part of Sasha’s DNA. His father Sandy was deaf but it had skipped over Sasha. Luckily, his family was well versed in ASL.
With Mel coming up on three years old, Sasha moved back to his home state to be closer to his parents. Leon had a career as a lawyer, and no issues with moving either.
Sasha has a very demanding job as a firefighter/EMT, and is now the new kid at his new fire station. Having a free evening, he decides to drop his gear off and check out the station before he actually had to start work. He meets Marta Sanchez, who is married to Holly. As Marta shows him around, they run across Crash – aka Wes Garrison – beating up the punching bag in the gym.
Crash has his own issues with self-confidence because of a birthmark on his face. He was always a disappointment to his family because of that mark, and he left home at the age of eighteen. He’s definitely rough around the edges, and tends to push people stay away from him.
Sasha isn’t sure he wants his daughter to be around someone like Crash. But there’s something about the man that intrigues him.
Crash’s best friend Marta Crash is on his case. Sasha has been on the job for a week, and Crash hasn’t been very nice, acting like a jerk. But there’s something about Sasha that made him uncomfortable.
One morning, Sasha brings Mel to the station. Crash is immediately taken with the beautiful little girl. Sasha signs an introduction to his co-workers, and Mel has an opinion of her own. She thinks Crash is pretty, and something special clicks between them.
Marta and Holly love to get into mischief, especially where Crash is concerned. They try really hard to make Crash jealous as they work to be matchmakers. But they’re also a strong support system him.
And Mel is such a delightful little girl. She doesn’t let her deafness stop her from expressing herself. Her confidence grows throughout the story, and she has a sweet connection with Carmel and Ginger, Crash’s “babies.” Mel brings out the best in Crash, as he befriends this adorable little girl and makes the effort to open the doors to communication with her.
Will Crash and Sasha be able to step over the line that makes them uncomfortable with each other? Can Crash fight through his lack of self-confidence and see himself better? Will the adorable Mel have everyone wrapped around her little finger?
A wonderful story filled with emotion: self confidence, jealousy, romance, love and banter, along with moments of great drama.
This story really makes you think. Somewhere in each of our families or lives there may be someone who is deaf, handicapped, or has a distinguishing birth mark, or something else that makes them unique, But they still deserve to be loved.
I highly recommend “His to Call Home.” Smile has put their heart and soul into creating these wonderful characters that fill this very entertaining story.
The Reviewer:
Hi, I’m Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the “Doctor Dolittle” books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the “Uncommon Cowboys” series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read “Zero to the Bone”by Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now I’m really into mysteries, grit, gore and “triggers” don’t bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and it’s right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.
