REVIEW: 'Tied In Knots' by Z.B. Heller
4 HEART READ
Title: Tied In Knots
Author: Z.B. Heller
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: Feb. 5, 2016
Genre: Erotic Romance; Contemporary Romance
Length: 107 Pages
Tags: Gay, M/M, HEA
BLURB:
Roses are red, violets are blue. They tied the knot, what kind of crazy will ensue?
Ryan Keller and Brandon Ford have promised to be Tied Together forever. Seven years later, life is moving along according to their plan. Ryan gave up his job as a television producer to be a stay at home dad to their son, while Brandon works long hours as an OBGYN at the hospital.
With baby number two on the way, life's about to get bumpy when someone from Brandon's abusive past reappears. Fearing Ryan won't understand his feelings, Brandon confides in the handsome male nurse who's always had a thing for the doctor. When Ryan discovers the truth, he's hurt, betrayed, and uncertain if their family is as strong as he believed.
Read Where It All Started with Brandon and Ryan
REVIEW:
With Tied In Knots, the follow-up to Z.B. Heller’s debut M/M novel Tied Together, we get a rare glimpse of life after the happily ever after. What happened to Ryan and Brandon after their nuptials….and baby makes three.
I have to be honest and say that Tied In Knots started off a little rushed to me. It felt a little like I was being quickly caught up as to where Ryan and Brandon were at today and then all of a sudden, after they decide to try for a second child, I was thrust forward six months.
But, after the time jump, things really took off and it made sense.
The lead up was to show the mindset the men were in, in preparation for where things were about to take them both.
Throughout Tied In Knots I was thrilled to find that Z.B.’s humor took center stage. She has a way of endearing you to her characters with the charm she imparts in them via their humorous banter. And yes, Ryan’s subconscious alter egos return in full force.
I found it interesting that Ryan is the one to have taken to fatherhood with passion; and his rapport with their son, Ethan, is utterly adorable. From waking Ryan out of a dream by accidentally kneeing him to defending Ryan’s honor in a fight for an elevator, Ethan and Ryan will leave you rolling.
Additionally it is evident that Brandon and Ryan have really come into their own over the years. Their wedding night romp shows a whole new side to them both as lovers, as does a slightly sassy make-up sex scene. Not to mention the love, care and decisiveness they took in determining who would be the donor for Quinn to conceive Ethan, as well as who would take care of him after he was born, is heartwarming.
Unfortunately it is also apparent that work and family life are taking a toll on both men and they are finding it hard to communicate. Pulling away, confiding in others - instead of each other. Which in turn made me feel that Brandon was being a little selfish wanting another baby to begin with, when he already felt he was not spending enough time with Ryan and Ethan.
As things begin to boil and fester, Brandon’s past comes back to haunt him and in his need to keep the hurt from invading his future he retreats from Ryan into his work. In the meantime Ryan’s resentment begins to grow and when he discovers what Brandon has been hiding the showdown results in a fight to keep what they have and them both realizing they need to communicate – together.
And just in the nick of time because where their lives are about to take them will test their love for one another to the last heartbeat.
Give it up for Z.B. Heller here because she makes you feel every single breath of pain, anguish, resolve, and love at the end of this story.
Overall Tied In Knots is a charming follow-up to Tied Together. It is a beautiful look at how love is always a work in progress and the two people enraptured by it are not the only ones that can influence it. Brandon and Ryan are learning to navigate marriage, relationships, work, and children while at the same time trying not to lose themselves. But in the end they end up discovering more than they could have ever imagined.
I was given a copy of Tied In Knots by the author, at no charge, in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
As a little girl it was always a dream for Z.B. Heller to become She-Ra Princess of Power. Since this dream was unobtainable, she spent what was probably way too long in college trying to "find herself". Becoming an artist scratched the creative itch until the stories in her head were getting to be too loud for her to get anything else accomplished. She lives in St. Louis with her husband, son and Flemish Giant rabbit Chloe. In her spare time she likes to read, stalk celebrities on Twitter and create the type of art that people scratch their heads about.
