Heat Stroke by Tessa Bailey
Genre: NA, M/M romance
Publisher: self published
Publication Date: March 15, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★
Ninety seven hundred thousand billion stars!!!!!
Marcus O’Shaughnessy has become a pro at shoving down his feeling when it comes to Jamie Prince. He can never come out in the open about his sexuality and his true feelings. And a man like Jamie deserves to be loved with pride. Now, Marcus’s only option is staying away for good. Unfortunately it’s easier said than done.
Jamie Prince vowed to never be forced to be loved in secret. Been there. Done that. Bought the t-shirt. He knows he deserves to be loved loud and proud. So why is he falling for Marcus who is the poster boy for “closeted and confused gay”. No good can come from indulging.
The attraction brewing between them refuses to simmer down. And the consequences of falling in love aren’t pretty.
I always find it so utterly difficult to review Tessa Bailey’s books. Reading them is an ethereal experience that I find almost impossible to put into words.
Jamie Prince is the Queer icon we STAN AND DESERVE. It’s so hard for anyone, especially a queer person, to get to a point where the embrace everything about them and be happy about where they are at. Jamie’s character was so inspiring in EVERY aspect. I love the way Tessa wrote him and I adore her for giving us such a strong, proud and beautiful character.
Marcus is my boo. I’d kill for him and bring down nations if someone hurt him. All his struggles, the way he loves and respects Jamie, his fears and his pure soul, I love each and everything about this gorgeous man. His struggles are so damn real and raw, my heart was hurting for him. But I have never rooted for anyone as hard as I did for Marcus and Jamie. These two were meant for each other.
I will go so far as to say that this is the best Queer romance I have ever read. In fact, it’s one of the most brilliant romance stories I could ever have the fortune of experiencing. I have so much respect for Tessa Bailey, who not only wrote such a great story but she also gave voice to all those people who are struggling so much in their life because they are afraid of what the “consequences” could be of them living out in the open.
This is how you write a gay romance. THIS IS THE GOLD STANDARD.
5 Stars!
~Sonal
Purchase HEAT STROKE today!
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2Hn6TcV
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2UKZHul
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2HpTMYe
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2T6VLSZ
Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44446249-heat-stroke
Synopsis:
Marcus “Diesel” O’Shaughnessy is a brash, oversized CrossFit enthusiast with a naked lady tattooed on his rippling forearm. Jamie Prince is a private school teacher with an extremely low tolerance for bullshit. The two men have zero in common. Well, except for three things.
They’re both moonlighting as lifeguards for the summer.
No matter how hard they try, they cannot stay away from each other.
And both of them have secrets they’re determined to keep.
But what happens in the shadows of the Long Beach boardwalk can only remain hidden for so long, before the July sunshine reveals the hot, unrelenting connection they never expected, forcing Marcus and Jamie to decide if they’re simply caught up in a temporary heat stroke or if they’ve found something worth rescuing…