You & Me ~ Tal Bauer

The Story:

A single dads, friends-to-lovers, bi awakening MM Romance.

We're a puzzle made of two pieces.

Landon Larsen is the envy of all the dads in Last Waters, Texas. He's cool, confident, and put together. He and his son—the high school's all-star quarterback—have the perfect father-son relationship. He’s such a Super Dad, it's almost sickening. I'm not cool, or confident, and my relationship with my son couldn't be worse. He's barely speaking to me, and a year after my wife died, we're both clinging to the wreckage of our family.

Landon's son and mine are best friends and—of course—Landon is the football Team Dad. And though I know nothing about football, Landon convinces me to volunteer to be closer to my son. Volunteering might give him and me a chance to rebuild what's broken between us. Now I'm spending all my free time with the team—and with Landon—and the more we're together, the deeper our friendship grows. My son is opening up, too, little by little. I think I’m getting him back.

There's just one giant problem.

I'm head over heels for Landon.

I've never been attracted to men in my life… until him. Landon draws me in without even trying, and the harder I fight this, the deeper I fall.

Crushing on my son's best friend's father must be my biggest parenting failure ever, but I can't get enough of Landon. Falling for him puts each fragile moment I've rebuilt with my son at risk. What would he think if he knew I craved his best friend's dad? I'm playing with fire, but I can't turn off these feelings Landon has unlocked inside of me.

Of course, a guy like Landon could never fall for someone like me. It's pointless to even imagine we could be something together.

So why did I just kiss him?

You & Me was such a beautiful read. I think it's my equal favourite of Tal Bauer's non-suspense/thriller books, tied with The Jock.

Whether a suspense or a contemporary, Tal Bauer’s books have an emotional core that will gut you, but with the most gorgeous happily ever afters that will ensure you're all put back together by the end.

I find Tal’s writing to be very lyrical, where he creates an almost dreamy atmosphere that is both engaging and relaxing. Tal's books are always intensely emotional, but know that there is a happy ending awaiting regardless of what the characters will be put through. It's a promise this author hasn't broken yet, and the glorious endings make it all worth it!

You & Me wasn’t as physically descriptive as some of his previous books. However, there is plenty of physical activity to be more than satisfactory. Like most of Tal's work, though, it was extremely sensual and passionate, and personally, when done well, such as here, I find it leads to a much more intense connection to the characters. It’s a romance of the mind, rather than the body, and I find that steamier than any physical scene can be.

Apart from its emotional and angsty moments, You & Me was a feel-good book. Watching Luke fall in love with Landon and Landon's attempts to initially hide his feelings was a very intimate and heartwarming experience. It was also wonderful to observe the slow and subtle changes in Luke and Emmet's relationship.

You & Me is certainly about Found Family. Not just between Luke and Landon but also between Bowen and Emmett. There can be no doubt that Bowen is Landon's son. Together, Landon and Bowen help Luke and Emmett heal from the trauma of the life and death of Luke's wife and Emmett's mother.

You & Me certainly had me in tears at some points, but it also had me grinning like a loon on many more occasions. I loved every moment of this book, and I'm so glad I read it.

You & Me would be an excellent introduction to Tal's contemporary work (I'd recommend The Murder Between Us for suspense). For existing fans, you know what you're in for, and I think you'll love every minute!

You & Me is available in ebook

The Murder Between Us is available in ebook and/or audio (whispersync)

The Jock is available in ebook.

All of Tal Bauer's books are available for free via a Kindle Unlimited subscription.