Brina Brady – House Arrest Without a Home

Today, I’m hosting Brina Brady’s latest release House Arrest Without a Home, a m/m contemporary romance. Be sure to read my review. And don’t forget to enter the Raffelcopter giveaway.

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Book Title: House Arrest Without a Home
Author: Brina Brady
Release Date: January 10, 2022
Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance
Tropes: Steamy, Age Gap, Hurt and Comfort, Forced Proximity, MM Romance/HEA
Themes: Learning to love and trust again
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 59 184 words/180 pages
Publisher: Self-Published

Blurb: Pre-law student Shawn O’Brien loses his mind when he finds his live-in boyfriend Jasper Logan with a younger man in their bed. Shawn breaks the law and ends up in big trouble, in danger of losing his scholarship and freedom. He needs a new place to live to serve his house arrest sentence or he will go to jail for six months.

Successful District Prosecuting Attorney, Noah Braun, has it all: money, friends, and a top career, but he’s at risk of losing it all as he grieves the loss of his husband. His father, Judge Braun, finds the perfect lover to save his son. The judge asks Noah to take Shawn into his home to complete his sentence.

Everything changes when Noah and Shawn meet and find themselves living together. Noah is determined to do whatever it takes to prove to Shawn that their relationship will be different from his nightmarish one with Jasper.

Can Noah find a way to win Shawn’s heart forever, or will Shawn move on when his house arrest is complete?

Note: This is a standalone story and does not end of a cliffhanger.

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“You don’t have to like me, but I like you.” Noah paused the movie so he could focus on talking to Shawn.

“That’s not the problem. I do like you, but you wanted to pay me for sex. That means you just want to fuck me. That’s all you want from me.”

“First, the money was added to entice you. I do want to fuck you, and I only want that from someone who I care about.”

“I’m afraid of getting hurt again.”

“Think about how much fun we could have. I can’t promise you we won’t get hurt, but I want to try to have something with you. I have a feeling we might work out sexually.”

“Are you sure you didn’t have me stay here to entertain you?”

“Do you think you can entertain me?”

“I’d like to try, but right now I feel like I’m sexually boring. When your lover cheats on you because you’re not enough, something must be wrong.”

“I loved kissing you. Do you like to try new things?”

“Always. I guess I feel like I might fail in the sex department.”

“It’s not about performance, though it helps, but taking on a new lover is exciting. Learning what they like and don’t. Not every time is going to be perfect but, in some sense, it is. I get this feeling by being in your presence. I can’t explain why I want you sexually as opposed to remaining just friends. It’s either there or it’s not.”

“I know what you mean. When I saw you the first time, I wasn’t expecting someone so hot! I just figured you were an older lawyer and a friend of Henrik’s. I didn’t understand why you would consider taking me in without even meeting me. The entire set up is odd to me, but I’m grateful for what you did for me.”

“What are you trying to say?” Noah hoped he felt the same way about him, but it wasn’t a given. His experience involved working for it, and maybe Shawn still loved bully Jasper. How could someone so brilliant fall for that ignoramus? And that shaggy beard was sickening.

“I want to be with you, but I’m afraid of disappointing you.”

“Your kiss didn’t disappoint me.”

“Your kiss was hot to my lips, but I got scared.”

“Do you bottom?”

“I do both. Do you only top?”

“No, I top mostly, but I’m not against switching it up now and then.”

“Really?”

“Do you have any kinks?”

“I probably do. Like what are we talking about?”

“Spanking, handcuffs, role playing. What do you think of those kinks?”

“I like those things you mentioned. I like to feel a little pain.”

“Am I making you feel uncomfortable?”

“No. I like getting to know more about you. I want to know what you look like naked.”

“That can be arranged. I think it’s good we talked. I want you to feel on equal basis at all times with me. That’s the reason I wanted to pay you. I figured it would balance us.”

“The money is not happening, now or ever. The only item unbalanced between us is our age difference and that doesn’t bother me at all.”

“Then money is off the table for now. I’d like you to sleep with me in my bed. What do you say about that?”

“I don’t know.” Shawn fidgeted in his seat.

“We could finish watching Dune in my bed, then maybe you could see how I look without clothes on.”

“Only if we can take the popcorn and our Diet Cokes.” Shawn didn’t take any time to think about it. He just answered as Noah suggested Shawn could see how he looked naked.

“It’s a deal.” Noah picked up the bowl of popcorn with his drink and Shawn followed behind him as they climbed the stairs. Shawn had surprised him with his quick response, which led Noah to believe Shawn might like him in some way and maybe he was just afraid of making a mistake.

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Wow, where to start, because the two main characters had a LOT going on with them. As stated in the blurb, Shawn got himself into a shitload of trouble for doing what he did, and now he’s under house arrest. I must say why he got arrested shocked the hell out of me. I was like, whoa, I’ve heard of this happening, and it never ended well. But being a pre-law student, Shawn has some great connections to help him along the way.

This guy has been through hell. I mean major hell. So much hell, I kind of thought he should be in counselling, especially after his backstory was revealed and showed what pushed him into doing what he did to get arrested.

He’s a sweet but very mixed up guy, and he should be after what he endured in the past. I’m surprised he made it into pre-law school, which says a lot about his character’s determination. But because of his shaky past, of course he found himself in a very bad situation and ended up arrested. I thought this was very realistic.

As for Noah, he’s grieving the loss of his husband. Like Shawn, Noah’s very much connected in the law world because his dad’s a judge and he’s got a great friend who’s a lawyer. I did find Noah a bit pushy, but being much older, he knows what he wants, and he doesn’t play games. He’s upfront about what he wants, and this weighs heavily on Shawn’s mind, who can’t trust anyone, naturally, after what he’s endured. Noah’s confidence does overwhelm Shawn, and this made for great conflict between the two.

I also liked the dash of drama from the ex added in that didn’t go overboard, but created enough conflict in the story to add some suspense. Well done, author.

The setting is Duluth. I saw that on the cover of Shawn’s coffee travel mug, and being familiar with this area, I was looking forward to reading about the setting, but it’s not quite detailed. The setting is lacking and could have been in Anytown, USA. It would have been nice to see some landmarks, some street visuals, etc.

This is an intense read with lots going on. I enjoyed the plot, the steamy romance between the two, and the suspense leading up until the end of the novel. This is a well-crafted story and one that I recommend. Shawn and Noah had great chemistry and so many odds stacked against them that they fought to overcome. Do yourself a favour and purchase a copy. It’s a great age gap read.

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I am from Huntington Beach, Ca. I taught various subjects at a Continuation High School in Los Angeles, California for 27 years. I obtained a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in History, Secondary Social Science Credential and a Master’s Degree in Secondary Reading and Secondary Education from California State University, Long Beach. I also enrolled in some creative writing classes at UCLA.