Any additional comments?
The blurb for this story really caught my attention and it hit so many things on my list of likes: partner death = angst; PTSD = angst; porn; ménage; odd brother out. And then for the audio to be narrated by Joel Leslie (who I have enjoyed before), yep, I knew I had to take a chance.

I’ve never read anything by this author and I am really interested in starting this series from the beginning. While Dare to Hope is a standalone novel, the characters continue from previous books in this series. I have to wonder if Gabe and his husband Gio were visible in past books; it would have made more of an impact for me if that were true.

This isn’t a light read; it’s filled with deep emotions and dark places. Gabe is mourning the loss of his husband who was murdered. Micah is a veteran suffering from PTSD after an attack that killed his wartime lover and the rest of his team. It also left Micah scarred and missing his leg. Tristan is a psychiatrist who is still going to school to get his full diploma, but is currently treating Gabe for his depression.

Micah and Gabe both work for All Cocks and live at the home of Victor, Andrew and Mathew, the owners/operators/married thruple of All Cocks. Micah and Gabe turn to each other for comfort and have the support of their All Cocks family during their rough times. Gabe and Micah comforting each other during their darkest times was sweet to watch. Neither man wanted to hurt the other and Micah is still grieving and can’t emotionally connect with anyone. Sexual release is one thing, love is something else entirely. Micah is very understanding and doesn’t turn his back on Gabe. Now that is true love and friendship.

When Tristan enters the picture and Micah eventually agrees to treatment for his PTSD, it’s obvious Tristan cares for both Micah and Gabe. Talk about an ethical conundrum!

It took a while for the relationship between these men to get past the “friends” stage because each party was confused as to what they wanted. They all knew they found each man attractive and wanted them, but they didn’t know how the other felt. I sympathized with this because nobody likes rejection and not only that, but Gabe is still getting over the death of his husband, and neither man wants to push Gabe before he is ready.

I liked these men together, they just seemed to fit and be what the other needed. That’s not to say there weren’t moments that made me want to just yell at them and say TALK to each other. This is book 4 in a series and I wish I would have read this series from the start. Other characters beyond our 3 MCs are in this story, and it was really hard to keep track of all the names and who was who. Sometimes the flashbacks were hard to distinguish from present time and that added to the confusion.

I do recommend this story, but also suggest you don’t just jump in with book 4. 🙂