Definitely Deacon by Vawn Cassidy Blog Tour

An emotional and humour filled roller-coaster ride through a sleepy little Cornish Bay.

Jesse Ainsley’s life running his busy veterinary practice in the sleepy Cornwall bay he grew up in leaves no time for a serious relationship… at least, that’s what he tells himself, but the simple truth is much more cliché. He’s been in love with his best friend forever, but when he starts pulling away and goes radio silent on him for six months, Jesse begins to wonder if their friendship is finally over.

Deacon James lives his life at two speeds, a hundred miles an hour and stop. He’s spent the last decade travelling the world, winning races, partying with the most beautiful men and women, and living life on his terms, a life which was pretty close to perfect… with just one caveat… he’s never quite been able to get over the boy he left behind. His best friend Jesse has always made him yearn for something he’s too afraid to face and cutting him out of his life seemed like the only answer.

But things are never that simple. When Deacon wakes from an accident in Italy with Jesse asleep in the hospital chair beside him, he discovers Jesse’s been keeping secrets of his own.

At a crossroads in their life, they’re faced with a choice, build something deeper and stronger from the ashes, or let words unsaid and secrets tear them apart forever.

From author Wendy Saunders writing as Vawn Cassidy comes this second chance, friends to lovers, hurt/comfort with a HEA.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Belong to Me series!
For book one, Suddenly Beck, click HERE.

 

 

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

I surface through the syrupy depths of consciousness, and this time it’s a little easier. My body still screams in agony, and I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. My head is pounding, and my throat feels like it’s filled with razor blades, but as I open my eyes, they don’t feel so heavy and it’s easier to focus.

I tilt my head slowly and glance at the chair wondering if I really had seen Jesse or if it had been some kind of feverish dream.

It wasn’t, unless I’m still hallucinating because he’s curled up in a comfortable looking leather chair next to me, idly leafing through a magazine. I’m sure he’s wearing a different colour shirt than before, and I take a moment to study him.

His short blonde hair is in need of a trim, sticking up slightly as if he’s run his fingers through it in agitation. There’s a light scruff along his jaw, which means he probably hasn’t shaved in a few days, and there are smudges under his eyes, like he’s barely slept.

“Jesse…” My voice is barely more than a croak, causing Jesse’s head to snap up in my direction.

“Deak.” He leans forward with a gasp of relief. “You’re awake. You opened your eyes for a few moments yesterday, but then you were out cold again.”

Yesterday? I stare at him in confusion. “Where…” I try to speak, but my voice sounds like a rusty nail, and my mouth is so dry I don’t even have any spit when I attempt to swallow.

“Here.” Jesse carefully lifts a small plastic cup and guides a straw to my lips. “Sip slowly. They had to put a tube down your throat to help you breath for a while, so you probably have a sore throat.”

Understatement.

I sip gratefully. The water is lukewarm and has a faintly clinical taste to it, but against my painful throat it feels like the best thing I’ve ever tasted. I release the straw, feeling a bead of water drip from my lower lip. I watch as Jesse reaches out unconsciously and runs his thumb along my lip. My heart kicks up a notch, and once again the stupid machine next to me starts beeping faster.

Realising what he’s done, he drops his hand and swallows, staring at the machine. “I’ll go get someone.” He frowns.

“Jesse,” I whisper hoarsely, lifting my hand clumsily to grasp his. “Where am I?”

“You’re in a hospital in Rome,” he replies quietly, his warm hazel eyes searching my face for any flicker of recognition, but so far, I’m drawing a blank.

“Rome?” I frown, and I have a vague recollection of a party. “What happened?”

“You were in a car accident.”

I close my eyes against the sudden flash of lights, the sound of grinding metal, glass shattering.

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is a wonderfully complicated second-chance, friends-to-lovers romance. Charming, playful, and just a tiny bit heart wrenching, Jesse and Deacon are wonderful.

Actually, at the start of the book, Deacon is a spoiled and self-centred sports star. It’s Jesse, the patient village veterinarian who is wonderful from the start. Where Deacon is brooding and resentful, Jesse is sunshine and light – even when I wanted him to save himself and walk away.

I really enjoyed the way the author works back and forth through the important moments in the men’s 26-year friendship. It is the young Deacon's memories and experiences that make the adult Deacon feel redeemable. From childhood, Jesse’s feelings for his friend are almost painful to witness. Deacon’s childhood experiences are equally terrible.

Somehow, the author keeps the connection between Deacon and Jesse light, playful, and mostly fun. After a rocky reunion, the friendship between them burns brightly. Jesse’s family and the quirky Bay residents are familiar from the first book, and I love them even more in this second story.

I love the English seaside setting and characters. The Bay is truly the main character in this series. This book introduces a more glamorous second set of characters connected to Deacon and I’m really curious to see where the author takes them. This is definitely one of my favourite series at the moment and I can’t wait for the next one.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in the series, and I would definitely recommend that you read them in order. This could be read as a standalone, although I think you would miss some of the finer points of the plot.

Jesse is the identical twin of Beck, who featured in book one. The funny thing is that Beck is this gorgeous, larger than life artist who falls for Nate the new chef in the family restaurant, yet his twin considers himself to be an uninteresting veterinarian. Perhaps partly due to his lifelong love for Deacon having been crushed by his continued absence from his life. It is so perfectly written though, that it is only much later in the book, that this discrepancy between actual and perceived really becomes obvious.

Deacon has been travelling the world, competing in sailing competitions and avoiding his hometown, in part because he can't face seeing Jesse and the feelings he has for him. Avoidance has come at a price, but it seems fitting that he should suffer.

Fate clearly has to intervene, and whilst a bad car crash seems a cruel route, it definitely starts these two men on a journey to revisit their lifelong friendship, their one summer of intimacy, and review what the future could hold if the stars align.

I love the little touches which make this an exceptional book – like the origami to reduce panic, the discussion Deacon has with Garrett about the wood that should be used on the latest boat being built, and the black silky hair of paper artist Jin. I am also looking forward to the mystery of the car crash being looked into further in the future... a definite unfinished thread there!

Beautiful story, wonderfully written, thank you.

 

 

VAWN CASSIDY is the mild mannered M/M obsessed alter ego and pen name of contemporary fantasy & romantic suspense author Wendy Saunders. She's a Brit and lives in the UK with her husband and kids.

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Facebook Group: Cassidy's Bay Boys

 

 

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Definitely Deacon (Belong to Me #2) by Vawn Cassidy to read and review.