NOVELLA REVIEW: Because You Let Your Guard Down by Ian Finn (Baytown Boys #4.5)

BECAUSE YOU LET YOUR GUARD DOWN

Baytown Boys - Book 4.5

by Ian Finn

Release Date: March 30, 2022

Review

This was a strong short story about two men and the transformation of their relationship. From an emotion-free weekly hookup to a relationship of love and kindness.

They have been meeting up every Friday for months for a little bit of fun. But when Noah gets custody of his niece and discovers his hookup is also her third-grade teacher, things are forced to change.

Regular contact, a sweet girl to connect them, and you know, sharing last names, all lead to both of them questioning what they want from each other and the future.

It was an interesting story, and I enjoyed the way they navigated to their happy ending. Like most short stories, it’s quick and jumps around a bit, but I liked the writing and the characters and will be adding the rest of the series to my TBR.

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Synopsis

It was only supposed to be a meaningless hook-up. But now he’s all I can think about.

Will Noah be the one to make me let my guard down and open my heart up to love?

Noah is the hottest guy I’ve ever been with. I’m obsessed with his rock-hard pecs, his strong arms, and his ruggedly handsome face. Not to mention everything below his belt.

We met on a dating site and all we do is hook up. What Noah and I have is casual and impersonal. And that’s exactly how I like it.

Or at least I thought it was.

We spend every Friday night locked in a hotel room together, enjoying each other’s bodies. And then during the rest of the week, we each go about our own separate lives—mine revolves around being a third-grade teacher and soccer coach in my small hometown of Baytown.

And before now, I was happy with that strict separation of my two very different worlds. After being screwed over, I’ve put up strong walls to guard my heart. I don’t do commitment. I don’t do romantic dates. I don’t even share my last name.

But it’s hard to remain anonymous when your secret lover walks into your classroom.

Unfortunately, one of my third graders lost her parents. Noah has always been her uncle and now he’s her new guardian, with plans to adopt her as his child. He’s here for her parent-teacher conference. And he’s causing my worlds to collide in ways I never imagined or thought I wanted.

So why do I find myself liking it? And even fantasizing about the three of us becoming a family?

Will Noah and I be able to keep things casual and separate now that they’re entwined and serious?

Or will the feelings I’ve been denying break through the walls around my heart and let him score a goal right into it?

Because You Let Your Guard Down is a standalone single dad, fake relationship male/male romance that combines humor, heat and heart. It has no cheating, no cliffhangers, and a very happily after ever. Previously published as Because You Opened Your Heart, it has been revised and expanded, including with steamier scenes!

It’s Book 5 in the Baytown Boys series, which can be read alone and in any order. Due to related characters and settings, they’re best read altogether... and with a tall glass of water to cool you off after so much steam.