REVIEW: Enter the Ox by Duncan Gaye (The Long Shadow #2)

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ENTER THE OX

The Long Shadow - Book Two

by Duncan Gaye

Release Date: June 13, 2025

Review

Super intriguing story and writing.


Set in the 80s we get a Mafia son who’s away at college and has enjoyed the freedom a little too much, so when his controlling father forces him home, he meets the new bodyguard/chauffer, Bruno, nicknamed the Ox.


Bruno feels decades older than he actually is, and he’s a perfect balance to Benny, who constantly wants to have fun and is a little reckless. 


Their relationship is clandestine and could end badly if they are found out. And you can empathize with both of them as to why.


The writing is unique. I’m not sure how to describe it, but I like it.  And the aspects like the 80s and Bruno having fled his home country really added something to the story.


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Synopsis

Part of The Long Shadow Series by Duncan Gaye

Benny Cerone has always felt like the odd one out. Sensitive, artistic, and adopted into a powerful Chicago family with secrets darker than they let on, he's spent his life playing it safe-until now. At nineteen, he's finally free, starting fresh at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, surrounded by music, freedom, and the promise of becoming who he really is.

Then he meets Ox.

A towering, quiet presence with a haunted past and a job that keeps him firmly tethered to Benny's family, Ox is everything Benny shouldn't want-and everything he can't stay away from. As their connection deepens, Benny is pulled between two lives: the one he's creating on his own terms, and the one he thought he left behind.

Set in the vibrant heart of 1980s Chicago, Enter the Ox is a tender, slow-burn romance about chosen identity, first love, and the quiet ways two people can change each other forever.

About Duncan Gaye

Duncan Gaye lives in River Forest, Illinois. He believes magic can be found anywhere, even the suburbs. He writes the kind of love stories that sneak up on you—queer, tender, and just a little strange. His books are full of burly big-hearted men, tall tales, impossible odds, and the kind of endings that leave you wanting more.


When not writing, he likes to read, travel and relax with his adorable senior dogs, Spotty and French Fry.


Where to find them:


Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Instagram | BookBub | Facebook Group | Newsletter | BlueSky

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