I’ve been faithful long enough.
I never claimed to be a good man, but I’ve always done what was expected of me.
Find a nice girl. Get married. Have children.
That was my duty as a good Christian man.
And everything was going as planned when I met Briar.
Beautiful. Charismatic. Sexy.
But marriage is hard, and after seven years, I feel like I’m failing.
Then, a figure from my past enters the picture.
Dean Sheridan is cocky and charming. When this twenty-six-year-old needs a place to stay, I should turn him away—especially after I notice the spark between him and my wife. But I don’t.
When I pressure him about his relationship with Briar, he does the last thing I expect.
He dares me.
He thinks he can take what’s mine.
And if it’s a challenge he wants, it’s a challenge he’ll get.
What started as a game becomes so much more.
Between them. Between us.
This isn’t how normal couples behave.
The games we’re playing are dangerous.
And the roles we’re playing are far more.
But God help me, I can’t seem to stop.
What we’re doing is wrong, but it feels so right, and before long, I don’t recognize the good husband I used to be.
Caleb grew up in a super religious family and his life as a preacher’s son has left some scars. He’s so repressed and has no idea, but the cracks in his marriage prove he’s turning a blind eye. They seem like the perfect couple from the outside, but their marriage is practically over. Things start to change once they let an acquaintance move into an in-law suite after his place burns down. Dean used to date Caleb’s younger brother and is now an escort. It’s not long before Dean realizes their marriage is in crisis. His presence in their lives forces them to communicate in different ways, because Dean’s presence is changing things, and nothing will be the same.
Caleb and Dean have despised one another for years, so it doesn’t help that there’s an instant attraction between Dean and Briar. Dean challenges them to express themselves so Briar and Caleb finally begin to speak openly and explore the hidden parts of themselves and each other. There’s some spice here but plenty of feelings too. It’s not just physical. They’ve found the missing ingredient in their struggling marriage and its Dean. Their story is somewhat unique and different, so don’t be turned off by the TW for cheating. For some reason, I really didn’t connect well with these characters, although I can’t really figure out why. My best guess is that I talk too much to relate to repressed people so that’s on me and not on the book. This author is new to me, but I’ll definitely be checking out more of her work. I’d like to thank the author and The Author Agency for providing and ARC in exchange for an honest review.
