LGBT Monday: Fish Stick Fridays

Author: Rhys Ford
Series: Half Moon Bay, #1
Released: November 30th 2015
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Length: 204 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon
         Dreamspinner Press

Deacon Reid was born bad to the bone with no intention of changing. A lifetime of law-bending and living on the edge suited him just fine—until his baby sister died and he found himself raising her little girl.

Staring down a family history of bad decisions and reaped consequences, Deacon cashes in everything he owns, purchases an auto shop in Half Moon Bay, and takes his niece, Zig, far away from the drug dens and murderous streets they grew up on. Zig deserves a better life than what he had, and Deacon is determined to give it to her.

Lang Harris is stunned when Zig, a little girl in combat boots and a purple tutu blows into his bookstore, and then he’s left speechless when her uncle, Deacon Reid walks in, hot on her heels. Lang always played it safe but Deacon tempts him to step over the line… just a little bit.

More than a little bit. And Lang is willing to be tempted.

Unfortunately, Zig isn’t the only bit of chaos dropped into Half Moon Bay. Violence and death strikes leaving Deacon scrambling to fight off a killer before he loses not only Zig but Lang too. 

*sigh* The magic of the wonderful Rhys Ford is still very much alive. Fish Stick Fridays is another one of her unique, heartfelt romances that feel very much like warm blankets in cold, winter nights. As always, Rhys gave everything she had in her latest book and she somehow breathed life into several amazing characters as well as their small community.

Emotionally, Fish Stick Fridays is a challenge and a trial that ends up paying off. None of Rhys’s characters ever have it easy, and Deacon and his eight-year-old niece Zig had it tougher than most. Both have gone through the system and both have been damaged by it, only unlike Zig, Deacon didn’t have anyone to save him from the worst of it. The two are an odd pair: a tough motorcycle dude with a criminal past, and a tiny wild-haired girl wearing a pink tutu and combat boots. They stand out just about anywhere, but they fit together really well and they seem to just instinctively know how to help each other.

When they move to Half Moon Bay, they might just be too much for the small town to handle, but they are quickly embraced by other colorful inhabitants, each of them with a past of their own. While they don’t fit in with most people, Deacon and Zig fit in really well with two gay mechanics, a crazy beautician, and most of all a rich, highly educated bookstore owner named Lang Harris.

For all his polished upbringing, Lang Harris isn’t without demons of his own. His life has been on standby of sorts for years, and with good reason. He knows he shouldn’t get involved with someone as alluring as Deke, especially someone with a vulnerable eight-year-old, but he just can’t help it, not when he’s finally feeling alive after all that time.

The mystery part is as compelling as usual. Rhys doesn’t pull back punches, it just isn’t her style, which leaves the reader genuinely afraid for everyone, including the main characters. Everyone seems to be fair game in Rhys’ books, it’s just one of the many things I appreciate about her, and the danger surrounding Deacon and Lang is almost palpable.

I’m hoping for many more books set in Half Moon Bay. I don’t think that I could ever grow tired of this small community. What’s more, I trust Rhys Ford to follow her characters wherever they might take her, no matter how far, dark or dangerous their path might be.

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.