Title: Behind the Stick
Series: The Speakeasy: Book Three
Authors: K. Evan Coles & Brigham Vaughn
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Length: 370 Pages
Category: Contemporary Romance
At a Glance: Coles and Vaughn have such a nice, easygoing style, and the flow of the story was great. I am completely loving this series.
Reviewed By: Jules
Blurb: Love, served behind the stick.
Kyle McKee lives a charmed life. He co-owns Under, an uptown speakeasy, where he is chief mixologist. Friends poke fun at Kyle’s tiny one-bed apartment in Chelsea, but they’re the best support system a man could ask for. Unfortunately, Kyle’s lackluster love life has led him to take a break from dating.
Harlem resident Luka Clarke is a lieutenant with Engine 47, the Pride of Morningside, where he carries on his father’s legacy with the FDNY. Luka, who is mixed race and bisexual, has his eye on Kyle, whom he met at a local burger joint and he just needs to make time to visit Kyle’s bar.
Before work one evening, Kyle is trapped inside the luncheonette when a fire breaks out. Luka’s firehouse answers the call and he connects with Kyle again under the most unexpected of circumstances. When Kyle gratefully invites Luka and the firehouse squad to Under, the flirting between the two men leads to a date.
Kyle and Luka quickly grow close, but Luka’s mother and sister distrust Kyle for being both white and gay. Luka believes his family will come around and accept Kyle in the end, but Kyle is not optimistic and hides his disquiet as attraction blossoms into love.
Kyle and Luka’s near-idyllic bubble is shattered one evening after a hate crime leaves them scarred, inside and out. Shaken, they put on a strong front but struggle inwardly against fear and personal demons. As the emotions seething beneath the surface finally come to a head, both men must decide if they have the strength to find love enough to conquer hate.
Reader advisory: This book contains references to non-nurturing parenting; homophobia; racism and racist slurs. There are references to recreational drug use. This book also contains scenes of mmmm ménage and characters caught in fire.
Review: Wow. I am completely loving this series by authors K. Evan Coles and Brigham Vaughn. I have been waiting for Kyle’s story ever since finishing Extra Dirty earlier this year, and Coles and Vaughn did not disappoint. Behind the Stick was every bit as fantastic as I hoped it would be. Even better in fact! The third book in the Speakeasy series takes us back to the neighborhoods of New York, and back into the lives of the Speakeasy Crew. I love the way the authors bring the different areas of the city to life, as well as making all the different settings so easily take shape in my mind. I could perfectly picture the different character’s homes, the places they visit, and, of course, Under, the speakeasy owned by Kyle and his friend Jesse. And, I love the descriptions of all the fabulous cocktails master mixologist Kyle McKee comes up with. I even highlighted a few of them so I could attempt to make them for myself!
The main thing I love about these books, though, is the characters. The friendships and relationships are fantastic, the dialogue is well-done, and the characters themselves are each so unique and wonderfully written. Well-developed characters, including supporting characters, can totally make a story, and Coles and Vaughn have done a great job with these guys. From the MCs and their families, on down to the regulars at the bar, I’m totally invested in these people now. Behind the Stick was another really good ensemble book.
I’m not going to go into too many details about the story itself, because the blurb is quite detailed and covers what needs to be covered. So, as usual, I’ll stick to my general impressions with the story and things I really enjoyed. Starting with Kyle! 😊 As I said, I’ve been anticipating Kyle’s book, and I knew I was going to like him, but I had no idea how much I was going to fall for him. I adoooored Kyle. He is kind, and generous, and loves his friends and his brother Oliver to a fault. I also loved Luka, and their chemistry was fabulous. And, speaking of chemistry, there is a scene in chapter ten—yes, I remember the chapter—that is FIRE, y’all. The blurb also mentions this scene, a foursome, in the advisory, but consider yourselves warned again! Heh.
The only real drama or conflict in the book arises from the fallout of the hate crime Kyle and Luka are involved in and happens more towards the end of the story. Because of Kyle’s childhood, being raised by a mother that didn’t really want him, he doesn’t believe that he’s worthy of prioritizing himself and has abandonment issues he wasn’t even aware of. But after the incident, these issues come to light and contribute to a rocky patch between he and Luka. I think the authors did a nice job handling some very heavy and sensitive subject matter in this part of the story and was happy with how everything played out.
Aside from that, for the most part the tone of the book was actually quite light. Coles and Vaughn have such a nice, easygoing style, and the flow of the story was great. I’m always impressed by how seamless some co-authored books feel. I worry that the transitions between author parts might be obvious, or clunky, but this was just a really smooth, enjoyable read. These two make a great team, and I’m so looking forward to the next Speakeasy book!! I’ve got my fingers crossed that it will be Malcolm’s turn for a story next!
You can buy Behind the Stick here:
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