SLOW DANCE: CRISPIN AND WILLS

(SOUTHERN SEDUCTION 3) 

Novella

by Julia McBryant

Genre: M/M erotic romance

Word Count: 23,900

Release date: July 26, 2019

Blurb:

Crispin has moved in with Wills for the summer, four hours away from their parents in Savannah. Without rules, or even Wills' nosy twin to police them, neither can wait for their three months of freedom. But Wills gets stuck memorizing tree biology, and Crispin's boss works him to exhaustion. In fact, everything about their lives seems incompatible. Crispin keeps a bizarre sleep schedule that messes up Wills' circadian rhythms. Wills wakes up as queen bitch while Crispin channels Tigger. Stuck scarfing frozen food, unable to work the washing machine, Wills and Crispin both feel miserable. They've been together since eleventh grade. But can their teenage love transition into the real world?

Platform: KU, Amazon (1.99)

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T2SZ8CZ 

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46039119-like-sunshine

Sequel to “It’s Enough” (Crispin and Wills 1) Southern Seduction Book 1 https://www.amazon.com/Its-Enough-Southern-Seduction-Short-ebook/dp/B07S3KR3LR/

Sequel to “Like Sunshine” (Crispin and Wills 2) Southern Seduction Book 2

https://www.amazon.com/Like-Sunshine-Crispin-Southern-Seduction-ebook/dp/B07SD5V7XL/

Excerpt:

“Maybe it’s just too different,” Wills says, and this terrifies him. Tell me no, tell me I’m wrong. He feels like he’s falling and Crispin’s supposed to catch him, but instead there’s only empty air. 

But Crispin doesn’t say anything. He just looks at Wills with wide, hurt eyes.  

“It’s not that I don’t love you. It’s just this isn’t working, Crispin, you know it’s not working, we’re both unhappy and nothing matches up. It’s like real life doesn’t work for us.” Wills feels like crying and starts reciting times tables in his head: an old trick he learned when they were small that still works, sometimes. He’s getting more and more frantic. Crispin’s silence means he agrees. 

Crispin just blinks at him with those big sad eyes. Oh god. Wills can’t believe he’s even saying any of this out loud and he can’t believe he’s subjecting Crispin to this, dear god, he can’t believe he’s the one making Crispin look like that. Crispin is so good. Crispin is too good to be with someone like him, someone who can’t even manage to say thank you when his boyfriend hands him a cup of fucking coffee. 

“You don’t deserve this,” Wills manages. He can keep everything out of his voice, can sound reasonable, but not for much longer. He means, I don’t deserve you. Wills needs Crispin to hear that and tell him Wills, no, I love you. 

“Okay,” Crispin says quietly. 

“You don’t deserve to live like this,” Wills says. He’s getting desperate. Say no, Crispin. Say that you don’t know what I’m talking about. Fight with me. Yell at me. Tell me I’m fucking wrong. 

“I get it,” Crispin tells him. “I get it, Wills.” 

Wills feels like all the air has been replaced with something else, something unbreathable and thick. 

“This was always just — you never —” Crispin’s shaking his head. “It never meant as much to you, did it? It never meant the same. Ever. I was a fucking idiot.” 

Wills realizes with a hard shock what Crispin means. “No!” he says. “No, Crispin, no, it’s not like that, it’s  —” 

Crispin just looks at him. He leans down and starts to unlace his boots. “Then fight for it,” he says quietly. “If you care about me, fight for it.” He walks off. 

Author Bio:

Julia McBryant is, as the saying goes, Southern born, Southern bred, and when she dies, she’ll be Southern dead. When she’s not riding her horse or writing, Julia likes to play with her German Shepherds and rescued greyhounds, make all the crafts (especially those involving glitter), and hike, especially in the North Carolina mountains. A proud resident of the prettiest city in the whole world, Julia recognized her bisexuality later in life, and has been incredibly grateful for the support she’s received in the LBGTQIA community.  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorJuliaMcBryant/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/juliamcbryant

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/juliamcbryant/

Website: https://www.juliamcbryant.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19186436.Julia_McBryant

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julia_mcbryant/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/julia-mcbryant

Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/e6a1905bb223/juliamcbryant

Crispin has been close friends with Wills for a long time.  They have only recently drifted apart due to time and location.  When they get together for holidays its like they never left.

Wills has a hard time expressing himself.  Well, technically they both have their hang ups.  Still being new at this more than friends stuff, they both need to find the courage to tell the other they want more.

I truly became quickly attached to these characters!  This author was a new read for me, but I was sucked in with just a few pages.  This was a short and sweet - yet extremely hot - new story.  I loved the sincerity that came across for these two and I am anticipating more!  I give this a 4/5 Kitty's Paws UP!

***This short story was given in exchange for an honest review.