In this long awaited third book to the series, we finally get the HEA of Gabriel who stole our hearts from Book 2.
After having relationship fail one after another Gabriel swears off relationships and starts a new thing where he's going to just have quickies and one night stands to find himself. On his first night out with this resolve he runs into Liam, they have a quickie in the back of a club and call it one and done. You see where this story is going right? The rest of the book is them two fighting fate when they are constantly thrown together.
Rayne Hawthorne writes such emotional characters and the emotions grab you, suck you in and don't let go. It's emotionally heavy as the same with this others in series, so I have to be in the right headspace for it which is why it took me so long to finish the book. I love Rayne's writing, and wanted to give it proper attention that it deserved so I waited and came back to it when I was ready. What I loved most were the moment the two MCs were being open with one another, those intense emotional connections, I think that's what Rayne does best.
This the slowest slow burn ever, despite it starting with a quickie in the back. (Although honestly I did not miss nor notice the spice at all) And the third act breakup, I felt it, I was close to tears, and the feeling of loneliness got to me. Thankfully Blue and Ethan were there to pull me and Gabriel out of it.
Definitely give this book a chance and finish the series, the series epilogue at the end was pretty great, so don't miss that!
"I want to lose myself in him until the rest of the world falls away."
RELEASE TOUR: The Call of Azure by Rayne Hawthorne
Length: 100,000 words Series: Unexpected Love Trilogy - book 3 Prior Reading: Prior reading is required Genre: contemporary, minor paranormal themes Tropes: found family, hurt comfort, friends to lovers, PTSD/anxiety rep, caretaking, mutual pining, secret 2nd HEA, soup (yep..calling soup a trope LOL) Trigger/Content Warnings: military service PTSD (including minor on page flashbacks). Kink - shibari/rope play. Designer: @lis_photoart on IG
Lots of people have hookups rather than relationships. I mean, I’ve had them in the past, I just didn’t realize that’s what they were at the time. It’s not my fault that I assumed those encounters were going to turn into something more even though the men I was with didn’t end up feeling the same.
Tonight, I’m not going to let myself fall into old patterns, and nothing is going to change my mind. I’m going to completely forget that I believe in love. I have a job I enjoy, my performance art, and friends that would burn down the world for me - even if I do worry sometimes that one of these days they’ll finally leave me too.
Tonight is the start of a new life and a new me. No prince charming required.
Yep…I can do this.
Liam
There was a time not all that long ago when I felt lost and out of control. Like the world surrounding me wasn’t real, and I wasn’t sure how to survive in it after all that I’d seen. These days, things are a bit better. I have my bakery where my work is repetitive and focused. One step after the other, the same steps as yesterday, the same steps tomorrow. It’s calm and consistent and ordered. I need that. Still, there are moments it’s not enough. That’s okay though, because when even the bakery won’t calm me, the water will.
I’ve always felt a sense of peace when I’m near the water. I lose myself under the surface or sit and listen to the waves and wonder if my heart and mind will ever manage to settle. If I’m still capable of joy and love and peace. If I’ll ever really find a way to belong in this world. Or if memories and emotions will push and pull like the endless turning of the tide until the sharp edges of pain and loss that have shaped so much of my life are worn smooth and there is nothing left of me but a pebble tossed up on the shore.The Call of Azure is a 100000 word, MM, slow burn, contemporary romance filled with found family, mutual pining, snark and sass, fake swears, a feisty dog, soup, performance art, and of course a HEA. There is also just the tiniest bit of unexplained magic that is deliberately open to reader interpretation.
Unexpected Love
A Trilogy
This contemporary romance series consists of three novels. Each book follows a different couple, but there are cameos/minor overlapping plots. They are meant to be read as a series rather than as stand alone books.
While each couple gets a hard-earned HEA, there is plenty of angst and heartbreak along the way. As each couple is unique, the levels of angst vs. humor will vary with each book.
I’m so close. So close to the edge of oblivion, but I don’t want to fall alone. I need him with me. I need his body shuddering and his eyes rolling back and his shoulders straining against the rope that still binds them. I thrust harder, my hips moving fast and desperate as my hand crushes us together, hot and slippery, and then he’s screaming, harsh, guttural cries as his body convulses and heat drips over my knuckles, and I want all of it. I want the sound of him falling apart and the way he tenses in my arms and thrusts against me to stay with me always. I want this moment burned into my soul until it becomes such an integral part of my being that it can never fade away. I cling to it. To every scent and sensation, to the warmth of his skin and the brush of his hair against my cheek and the near-animal sound of his growling cries that fill the room and the taste of his sweat on my tongue. I cling to his unfiltered and magnificent beauty in this moment until my vision fades to black, and my own drawn-out moans join his as pleasure pulls me under.
about the author:
Rayne - Reg
Rayne writes emotionally charged, character-driven spicy queer stories. After decades working in mental health, their goal is to tell queer adult love stories that include realistic, flawed characters who experience the same emotional obstacles and physical and mental health struggles that affect us all at times while offering the romance and happy endings we all long for.
www.raynehawthorne.com @raynehawthornewrites (insta and BSKY)
