Title: A Kind of Home
Series: A Kind of Stories: Book Four
Author: Lane Hayes
Narrator: Seth Clayton
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Run Time: 8 hours and 56 minutes
Category: Contemporary
At a Glance: This is a story of friends-to-lovers, coming out and facing the past. It was another enjoyable listening experience from this very reliable author and a talented narrator.
Reviewed By: Sadonna
Blurb: Isaac Dalton is the guitarist for Spiral, arguably the biggest rock band in the world. The band’s meteoric rise to superstardom has its perks, but fame and fortune aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Nonstop touring and performing exhaust him, and when an overzealous fan makes it imperative that Isaac travel with a clingy bodyguard, he is ready for a break from the madness. More so when his newly single first crush shows up on his doorstep. The man is strictly off-limits. He’s a memory from a place Isaac would rather leave behind. And he’s straight.
Fun-loving former athlete slash construction worker Adam McBride desperately needs a new beginning. And New York City is the perfect place to start over and think about how to rebuild his life. A short stint as roommates with his brother’s best friend from high school seems like a mutually beneficial arrangement. However, when friendship gives way to fierce attraction, both men find themselves in unchartered and possibly dangerous territory. Isaac has to decide if he’s willing to take the ultimate risk for a kind of love and a kind of home he never dreamed possible.
Warning: For Possible Series Spoilers
Review: Technically this book is the fourth installment in the A Kind Of series about a band, Spiral, that has taken the world by storm. Although it can be read as a stand-alone, I recommend reading this series in order.
Isaac Dalton’s life has completely changed in the last few years. He’s gone from studio musician from a small town to the guitarist in the “It” band and can no longer go out anywhere without being mobbed. Then he starts getting some weird messages, and his studio decides he needs a full-time bodyguard, Brian, a rather robotic and seemingly overprotective guy hired by the studio. Isaac isn’t too happy, but he is now pretty uncomfortable with the contact that seems to keep coming from is stalker. The messages seem harmless but have a slightly ominous overtone and reference some of the darkest times in Isaac’s past.
When Isaac returns home from the latest leg of the tour, with Brian in tow, he discovers Adam, the older brother of his best friend, is camped out in his apartment. Turns out he’s forgotten that he had ok’d his visit while on the tour, and it seems like he’s stayed. Adam has recently gone through a divorce, lost his job, and is generally looking to find a new start and figure some stuff out. He’s taken a job as a bartender, has a dog-walking business, and is attending culinary school as well. But he seems to be pretty happy when Isaac returns.
Adam and Isaac start spending a lot of time together while the band works on some new material before the next leg of the tour. Turns out that Adam is a pretty good baker – and doesn’t miss his construction job at all. He has dreams of opening a bakery when he finished culinary school. Turns out that Adam has a few more secrets that he hasn’t shared with Isaac – or anyone else for that matter. Like maybe he wants Isaac as more than a friend. One evening after a few drinks, things turn physical. But Isaac is freaked out because Isaac has a secret too – that Adam was his secret first crush.
When Isaac avoids Adam after the night together, Adam decides it’s time to come clean with Isaac—about his marriage, his divorce, and his orientation. He does admit though that he hasn’t told his family, although he thinks some may suspect. Then things explode after the stalker leaves more mysterious messages and Isaac panics. He escapes his security and rushes to Adam, but he forgets that his appearance in public can start a near riot, so there are now compromising pictures of Isaac and Adam which pushes the issue for outing Adam. But, the question is whether Isaac can risk Adam’s safety with his increasing unease concerning the stalker, and whether Adam can put up with the circus that Isaac’s life has become.
I enjoyed this friends to lovers and coming out story. This series has been a favorite, and Seth Clayton is such a talented narrator. Isaac and Adam are both characters struggling with their pasts, which leaves them reluctant to pursue a future together. The stalker mystery was not my favorite part of the story, but it definitely added to the tension of the relationship and was certainly an obstacle to overcome.
Recommended, especially for fans of this series.
You can buy A Kind of Home here:
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