RELEASE DAY REVIEW: 'Here for Us' by A.M. Arthur
Title: Here for Us
Series: Us #1
Author: A.M. Arthur
Published: March 17, 2017
Publisher: Self-Published/Briggs-King Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance; Erotic Romance
Length: 331 Pages
Tags: M/M; M/M/M; Ménage; May/December; Comfort/Hurt; Disorder: Bipolar; HFN
About Here for Us Cris Sable doesn’t walk into popular gay bar Big Dick’s expecting to find more than a casual hookup, so he’s surprised by his instant attraction and intense chemistry with go-go dancer Jake. Jake’s sexy as hell and a firecracker in bed. The sparks between them are undeniable, and what starts as a hookup evolves into something deeper, possibly permanent—until Jake dumps Cris flat on his ass for no good reason.
Angry and confused, Cris finds comfort with his longtime friend and employer Charles “Chet” Greenwood. Cris’s emotional state stirs up Charles’s long-buried feelings for Cris. Feelings he’s denied for eight years, because Cris is his employee and therefore off limits—not to mention two decades younger than Charles. Cris admits he has feelings for Charles, too, but he’s still getting over Jake and both men agree nothing can happen between them while Charles is still Cris’s boss.
Jake Bowden knows he doesn’t have anything to offer a guy. He’s a go-go dancer with no degree and no real career aspirations. He’s also used to everyone who loves him leaving, so it makes sense to cut Cris loose before things get too serious. Cris is kind, passionate and totally deserves a guy like Charles—wealthy, owns a home, successful businessman. Jake can’t compete so why bother? They’re better off together. But when Jake has a serious personal crisis, Cris and Charles unite to pull him back together, and the three men discover it’s possible—maybe even inevitable—to fall in love with more than one person at a time.
4 HEART READ
REVIEW:
In Here for Us, A.M. Arthur uses three sex workers to show it’s less vulnerable to expose one’s genitals than one’s heart.
This standalone novel is the first in the Us series and fans of Arthur’s Perspectives series will be happy with cameo appearances from some of their favorite couples.
Cris Shane, the May in this March-May-December ménage, has outrun a troubled childhood to become a computer programmer. At the age of 28 he’s never had a lasting boyfriend. Instead, he stars in porn movies, in part for the easy sex.
Charles (Chet) Green, owner and director of the porn company, is twenty years older. A financially successful man, “the business was a labor of love for Chet, a way to help young men make money and express themselves sexually, not a moneymaker.” Chet has been disappointed in both work and love. While Cris and Chet have been attracted since meeting eight years ago, their boss-employee relationship keeps them from admitting it.
Cris is also attracted to Jake, a 23-year-old go-go dancer who tells Cris, “I push people away first, so they don’t hurt me.” He does so twice. At first because he’s someone “forever doing stupid impulsive shit… (who) didn’t have the best brain-to-mouth filter,” and thus unworthy of Cris. Jake’s second rejection is prompted by his realization that Cris is also attracted to Charles.
When a crisis hits Jake, Charles quickly identifies, bonding these two men as well. But how can three men with trust issues find stability? “One of our greatest enemies is our own assumptions.”
Two people with assumptions can rock a relationship. Three can make it almost impossible.
There are several reasons Arthur shines above other authors. She can state complicated emotions simply. “I can’t force you to stay if what you actually want to do is run. I want a willing partner, not an emotional hostage.”
Then there’s Arthur’s use of language. For example, Jake dances at a club called “Big Dick,” with a signature drink by the same name. “You know I’m not the first person to get a good spit-take out of a drink called Big Dick.” Urban Dictionary may have an entry for “spit-take”, but I didn’t know it and howled. I visualized it as clearly as if it were a common phrase.
Often Arthur educates. “Like asexuals, demisexuals don’t feel sexual attraction, but with a certain level of emotional and mental attraction… would potentially be comfortable enough to have sex.”
Her sense of humor is gentle, always adding special moments to plots. At some point Jake asks, “Over me already?” Cris replies, “I was never under you.”
And finally, Arthur takes a huge risk. Rather than start slow, building to scorching crescendo, Arthur starts with the sizzle, then turns down the heat, until authenticity is all that’s possible.
The men’s unflinching reactions in Here for Us teach them why true intimacy grows slowly but is more fulfilling than blistering sex.
In so doing, Arthur showcases mature love at its best. If you want a grown-up read, with child-like innocence, this is a must-buy.
A copy of Here For Us was provided to Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter, by IndiGo Marketing and Design, at no cost and with no expectations in return. We offer our fair and honest opinion on behalf of our readers.
About the Author
A.M. Arthur was born and raised in the same kind of small town that she likes to write about, a stone's throw from both beach resorts and generational farmland. She's been creating stories in her head since she was a child and scribbling them down nearly as long, in a losing battle to make the fictional voices stop. She credits an early fascination with male friendships (bromance hadn't been coined yet back then) with her later discovery of and subsequent love affair with m/m romance stories. A.M. Arthur's work is available from Samhain Publishing, Carina Press, Dreamspinner Press, SMP Swerve, and Briggs-King Books.
When not exorcising the voices in her head, she toils away in a retail job that tests her patience and gives her lots of story fodder. She can also be found in her kitchen, pretending she's an amateur chef and trying to not poison herself or others with her cuisine experiments.
For more from A.M. be sure and visit her webpage.
