LGBT Monday: Tigers on the Run

Author: Sean Kennedy
Series: Tigers and Devils, #3
Relesed: July 13th 2015
Publisher: Dreamspinner
Length: 260 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Dreamspinner
         Amazon

Young Australian Micah Johnson is the first AFL player to be out at the beginning of his career. Retired professional football player Declan Tyler mentors Micah, but he finds it difficult, as Micah is prone to making poor life choices that land him in trouble. Nothing Dec can’t handle. He’s been there, done that, more times than he’d like to admit. Being Simon Murray’s partner all these years has Dec quite experienced in long-suffering and mishaps.

As usual, Simon thinks everything is going along just fine until his assistant, Coby, tells him a secret involving an old nemesis. Simon and Dec’s problems mash together, and to solve them, they must undertake a thousand-kilometer round trip in which issues will have to be sorted out, apologies are finally given, and a runaway kid is retrieved and returned to his worried parents.

Simon and Declan are finally (finally!) back, stronger and more entertaining than ever. After a three year break, we’re holding a new adventure in our hands, a delightful, Aussie-flavored, heartfelt and family-oriented romance unlike anything I’ve ever read.



I’ve been asked on several occasions to choose my favorite gay romance couple, and it’s always been Simon and Dec (and also – just to be fair – Tony and Mac from Kaje Harper’s Life Lessons series). But the charm of these books lies with more than just its two protagonists. As a rule, Kennedy portrays realistic, believable, and above all warm characters, which doesn't stop with Simon and Dec; his secondary characters are just as strong and lovable, and spending time with them is equal parts exciting and comforting.

Eight years after their relationship was forged under extreme pressure, Simon and Declan are still going strong. They’ve built an amazing life together, a life of tolerance, understanding, patience and genuine affection. They have an incredible circle of family and friends and they’ve even found ways to bring their very different careers much closer. Tigers on the Run offers a new peek into their very ordinary life, under somewhat unusual circumstances. Simon faces new drama with his old nemesis, and this time it comes just a bit too close to home. Declan is trying desperately to help a 17-year-old gay football player, but the kid isn’t making it easy at all. Their friends and family have changed and grown, but the love and support remains unchanged. Jumping back into this world truly feels like coming home.

With Simon and Declan in such a strong, committed relationship, one would think that this series has nothing left to give, but one would be very, very wrong. This is exactly the type of thing I want to read – a strong, loving couple facing difficulties together, living their life and overcoming obstacles just like the rest of us. When you add to that Simon’s propensity for drama and his highbrow sense of humor (he is, after all, my very favorite arty wanker), you get a series that will give you more than just characters to love – it will give you friends for life.

I have loved Simon Murray and Declan Tyler from my very first peek into their lives. What’s more, I’ve loved Roger and Fran, Abe and Lisa, and pretty much everyone else just as much. Luckily for me, Tigers on the Run left some possibilities wide open – I hope I’ll be seeing more of them, and soon.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.

Stop by later this week for an interview with Sean Kennedy in which we discuss Simon, Dec, getting drunk with your characters and chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate.