SINS OF THE PAST-Amanda Young

Samhain Publishing- www.samhainpublishing.com

ISBN: 1-59998-579-3

September 2007

Erotic Gay Romance M/M- Short Story

Rating: Red-Hot!

Virginia- Present Day

First dates are hard, but blind first dates can be a nightmare, a sentiment Ryan Ward can attest to now that he finds himself on one. Not that the guy is unattractive, okay he is gorgeous, but he is rich! For most people that is not a terrible thing, but to Ryan rich is synonymous with snob. He once had a relationship with a man whose blue-blood background eventually became such a problem that they broke up over it, and Ryan’s motto afterwards- never date a man that wealthy again. Although Ryan is a successful landscape architect, he still considers himself white trash and proud of it. So before the blind date can even really begin, Ryan starts acting like a jerk and soon his blind date is out of there. Good, right? Wrong, feeling remorse, Ryan sets out to try to make amends. Will it work?

Andrew Vought’s daughter is the light of his life. He gave up his career as a stockbroker in New York to become a stay at home dad, luckily a few shrewd investments have enabled him to be able to make such a decision. For the most part, Andrew has no regrets. He gets lonely sometimes, but being a single parent means no parade of men through his home. This is fine with Andrew who is not interested in casual sex, but an actual relationship. Too bad the blind date his friend, Jake, fixed him up on was a disaster. The man, Ryan, seemed nice, until he turned into a jerk. When a bouquet of flowers arrive with a card that suggests that they try again, will Andrew give Ryan another chance? Will the second date be as bad as the first?

SINS OF THE PAST involves two men who, in spite of their differences, have more in common than they might think. Ryan spent a lot of years trying to prove he was not gay by engaging in a series of one night stands with various women, and since coming out, Ryan has only recently given up that type of behavior with men. The awkwardness of first dates, and the getting to know someone, is handled pretty realistically in SINS OF THE PAST. When should Andrew introduce Ryan to his daughter? How long should Andrew wait to sleep with Ryan?

Yet beyond the romance there are a few twists and turns. Were Ryan and Andrew fated to meet? SINS OF THE PAST has likeable characters in a likeable story, and is not a bad way to wile away a few hours.

Nickole Yarbrough