Title: Every Other Weekend
Author: TA Moore
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Length: 230 Pages
Category: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
At a Glance: This is an absolute page-turner for me, and I’m becoming a big fan of TA Moore’s work.
Reviewed By: Maryann
Blurb: Divorce lawyer Clayton Reynolds is a happy cynic who believes in hard work and one-night stands. He also believes that being an excellent lawyer means he never has to go home to the miserable trailer park where he grew up and that volunteering at a women’s shelter will buy off the conscience that occasionally plagues him. So when Nadine Graham comes in with a broken arm and a son she desperately wants to protect, Clayton can’t turn down their plea for help.
Taking the case means appealing to investigator “Just Call Me Kelly” for help. That wouldn’t be so bad if Kelly weren’t a hopeless romantic… and the hottest man Clayton’s ever met.
Kelly has always had a crush on the unobtainable Clayton Reynolds. He agrees to help, even though he has enough on his plate with the motherless baby his widowed brother left him to care for.
As Nadine’s case turns dangerous and the two seemingly opposite men are forced to work together, they discover they have a great deal in common—but solving the case and saving Nadine’s life might cost Kelly everything.
Review: Clayton Reynolds is a divorce lawyer and has seen enough of what divorce does to those involved that he doesn’t believe in either love or forever for himself. His past reflects a lot of hurt and anger as well, which is a very big part of why he only deals in casual one-night-stands. Clayton is also stubborn, stern, and somewhat of a grouch, but he’s good at what he does and has felt the fallout from being a fierce lawyer. He has a soft spot for abused women too, and often finds himself taking their cases pro-bono. When he gets a call from Maureen Graham, who runs a battered women’s shelter, it’s one more case to add to his work load, but Clayton finds himself stuck when he tries to use the resources at the firm he works for—senior partner and mentor, Daniel Baker, puts a halt to it—so Clayton foots the bill himself and hires a private investigator. As much as he hates to, he brings in Kelly…whom he considers to be an idiot…to help with the case.
Kelly is a romantic and even though he’s experienced his share of heartbreak, he forges on, has a positive attitude, and maintains a great sense of humor. He loves his nephew, Maxie, and cares for him while his brother, Byron—who’s trying to get through the aftermath of his wife’s suicide—works undercover. Kelly is treated differently by his dysfunctional Irish family. He comes from a family of cops, so being a PI as well as gay makes him an outcast. When Clayton and Kelly come together to work this case, they find it a struggle to adjust to each other. And there are secrets that come to the forefront that could destroy a family and people’s lives.
Besides being a suspenseful and multi-layered mystery, TA Moore brought out some tender and harsh emotions in this story. Every Other Weekend exposes issues that families try to cover up for the sake of appearances, loyalty and the family name. I really liked Kelly’s character, his heart was in the right place, and even Clayton wore his heart on his sleeve when it came to Maxie. But, most of all, Clayton and Kelly come to an understanding and are willing to put it all on the line for the sake of love. I liked the secondary characters in the story as well. They brought humor, positivity and love to the telling.
This is an absolute page-turner for me, and I’m becoming a big fan of TA Moore’s work.
You can buy Every Other Weekend here:
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