Book Reviews

Book Blurb

No kissing. No repeats. Those are the rules that have kept me safe, kept me hidden. But I couldn't avoid Sebastian even if I wanted to.

Luke

After what happened to my brother, I swore I’d never come out of the closet. I live my life through anonymous hookups and one-time encounters.

But when my high school students graffiti a local café with a cruel word, I’m forced to step in and take a risk.

I go to the café to smooth things over, but I never expect to meet him in the process.

Sebastian is everything I’m not: fashionable, brave, magnetic — and very much out of the closet. Our instant attraction makes it difficult for me to say no. Part of me wants to tell him everything, but that would require actual courage, and I don’t know if I have what it takes.

Sebastian

As a dancer at a nightclub, I’m used to being eye candy. I’m used to being desired, if only for a night.

Luke is the total opposite of the men I usually meet: sweet, dorky, soft — and utterly unavailable. He says we can’t kiss. He says we have to keep this secret. He says this can never happen again.

Yet somehow we keep colliding.

I want so desperately for this connection to be real. I want it to be more than a fling. I want to mean more to Luke than disposable fun. And I think I can, if he’ll just open up and take a risk.

 

Book Review

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Sebastian, from ‘Stray Disaster’ by F.A. Ray, enjoys the attention he gets while spinning and dancing for customers at his job. His role is to garner their interest, encouraging them to stay, buy more drinks, and sometimes leave with someone. Often, Sebastian has similar liaisons with the men he meets there. One night, he goes home with a handsome man. The sex is good, but Sebastian longs for more. The next day, a stranger comes to the Rainbow Rescue Cat Cafe where Sebastian works to discuss a recent event in which obscenity was painted on their window. At that time, Sebastian could never have imagined they would connect.

 

Luke enjoys teaching and likes seeing his students grow. He also knows they are young and sometimes make poor choices. When he notices three boys whispering about “the little gay café”, he feels uneasy. Unsure of what to do, he decides to visit the cafe and try to help.

 

At the cafe, Luke sees Sebastian cleaning hateful graffiti from the window. Luke introduces himself and explains that he overheard some students talking about vandalism and guessed it was the Rainbow Rescue Cat Cafe.

 

Luke is attractive, and if things were different, Sebastian might show his interest, but he is pretty sure Luke is straight, so he stays quiet. Sebastian says he will tell his boss about the incident, but not to expect much. When Luke keeps offering to make it up to the cafe, Sebastian takes a chance and suggests Luke could buy him a drink. Sebastian is surprised when Luke agrees. They exchange numbers and set a date.

Luke picks the most boring bar he can because Luke has never been seen in public with a man. He thinks that if he does meet someone he knows, it wouldn’t be obvious that he is on a date. When Luke takes Sebastian home, Sebastian asks Luke if he wants to come in. When Luke surprises him and says yes, Sebastian decides he needs to rethink the situation.

‘Disaster Stray’ is an emotional story about two men, who in their own way, felt that they weren’t “enough”. Both wanted more out of life and struggled with a myriad of difficulties before they felt it was possible. Thanks, F.A., for bringing Sebastian and Luke together.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book was purchased by the reviewer.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 293 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	10-September-2024
Price	$3.99 ebook, $12.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Disaster-Stray-Opposites-Attract-Romance-ebook/dp/B0DG6H4RJ6