Rebuild My Heart by Ariel Tachna

A love built to last.

When Derek Jackson is hired to renovate the LGBT bookstore that’s also Owen Hensley’s home, opposites attract. Derek is a big burly blue-collar guy, about ten years older than slight, sweet, and bookish Owen. As they spend time together, it becomes clear that each handsome outside leads to a beautiful interior. Far from the shy twink he appears, Owen has a rock-solid foundation that helped him put himself through college and start his own business. Behind Derek’s strong façade waits a tender heart that’s been battered by a rough family past—something Owen understands.

After Owen’s runaway nephew lands on his doorstep, it throws a wrench in their plans. Derek can’t ask Owen to choose, but he doesn’t think he can take second place with his lover the way he always has with his family. Can they find a way to keep their romance standing?

Book 4
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Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
Bookshop owner Owen and builder Derek are an unlikely match but as Derek spends months renovating Owen’s home and business, the two men slowly start to realise how much they do have in common.

Both Owen and Derek have a whole lot of hang-ups and baggage. Owen has been treated badly by his family and his romantic partners. Derek’s family is such a mess he doesn’t allow himself to have partners. The result is the slowest and most angst-filled courtship I can remember.

However, even though I found the relationship infuriating, the book worked for me because I fell hard for Owen and Derek immediately. I love the relationship Derek has with his friends and the way he mentors Thane’s teenage sons. I love Owen’s passion for his bookshop and the relationships he has with his staff and his customers.

This story didn’t quite work for me as a romance, but I loved it as a story about two men with rich lives, solid friendships, and interesting jobs. I don’t love kids in romances, but I really liked the older teenagers in this one. I always love Ariel Tachna’s prose and this story is beautifully written and full of thoughtful reflections.

Also Available in the Lexington Lovers Series

Book 2
Buy Links

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B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Dreamspinner Press

For reviews & more info, check out our A Matchless Man post.

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Dreamspinner Press

For reviews & more info, check out our Stage Two post.

When ARIEL TACHNA was twelve years old, she discovered two things: the French language and romance novels. Those two loves have defined her ever since. By the time she finished high school, she’d written four novels, none of which anyone would want to read now, featuring a young woman who was—you guessed it—bilingual. That girl was everything Ariel wanted to be at age twelve and wasn’t.

She now lives on the outskirts of Houston with her husband (who also speaks French), her kids (who understand French even when they’re too lazy to speak it back), and their two dogs (who steadfastly refuse to answer any French commands).

Connect with Ariel

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Rebuild My Heart (Lexington Lovers #4) by Ariel Tachna to read and review.

Stage Two by Ariel Tachna

Love has a steep learning curve.

Assistant high school principal Blake Barnes has everything he wants—a chance to help troubled students and an outlet for his passion for theater. Well, almost everything—he still goes home to an empty apartment. Then his high school crush explodes back into his life, the unexpected guardian of two boys in Blake’s care.

Thane Dalton has always been a bad boy through and through. Not much has changed, including his mistrust of authority figures, and no amount of institutional bureaucracy will keep him from protecting his nephews from the bullies terrorizing them. If that means butting heads with Blake, so be it.

Blake and Thane have lessons to learn: that they both have the boys’ best interests at heart, that the tension between them isn’t just confrontational, and that sparks can fly when opposites come together.

Book 3
Buy Links

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Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars

High school teacher Blake and construction boss Thane are thrown together when Thane’s nephews become the victims of bullies at Blake’s school. Sparks fly from the first meeting, but Blake and Thane don’t always agree on the best way to keep the boys safe.

Blake feels a little bland at the start of the story. He doesn’t really have a life beyond his job. It’s his interactions with students that give him colour and let us see his interests and enthusiasm. Thane is all colour and character but when he is given guardianship of his nephews, he finds himself having to grow up and be responsible for the first time ever.

Together, Blake and Thane balance each other. There is one exaggerated miscommunication that I found annoying but otherwise, their relationship is pretty grown up and their focus is Thane’s kids. However, my major reservation about this story is that the adult relationship is secondary to the men's care for the boys. This makes for a sweet story but it isn't terribly sexy.

It took me a while to understand Blake’s role at the high school. I think he’d be a Head of Year in the UK. Much of this story takes place at his school and the author captures the interactions between staff, students, and parents really well.

I’m not a massive fan of family style romances and I don’t often enjoy kids in romance writing. However, Thane’s boys are well developed characters and I really liked the almost young adult parts of this story. The kids do restrict the heat level in this story, but they also add personality and they bring Blake and Thane together.

Also Available in the Lexington Lovers Series

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Dreamspinner Press

For reviews & more info, check out our A Matchless Man post.

When ARIEL TACHNA was twelve years old, she discovered two things: the French language and romance novels. Those two loves have defined her ever since. By the time she finished high school, she’d written four novels, none of which anyone would want to read now, featuring a young woman who was—you guessed it—bilingual. That girl was everything Ariel wanted to be at age twelve and wasn’t.

She now lives on the outskirts of Houston with her husband (who also speaks French), her kids (who understand French even when they’re too lazy to speak it back), and their two dogs (who steadfastly refuse to answer any French commands).

Connect with Ariel

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Stage Two (Lexington Lovers #3) by Ariel Tachna to read and review.

A Matchless Man by Ariel Tachna

None of the matches caught his eye as much as the matchmaker himself.

Growing up poorer than poor didn’t leave Navashen Bhattathiri many options for life outside of school. All of his concentration was on keeping his scholarships. Sixteen years later, he’s fulfilled his dream and become a doctor. Now he’s returning home to Lexington and is ready to prove himself to the world. In doing so, he reconnects with Brent Carpenter—high school classmate, real estate agent, all-around great guy… and closet matchmaker.

Brent makes it his mission to help Navashen develop a social life and meet available, interesting men. Unfortunately Navashen’s schedule is unpredictable, and few of those available, interesting men value his dedication like Brent does. Brent’s unfailing friendship and support convince Navashen he’s the one, but can he capture Brent’s heart when the matchmaker is focused on finding Navashen another man?

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/M Romance
Triggers: Cultural differences

I did not read the first book in this series. However, I never thought that I was missing out on anything.

The main characters in this book have a friendship. I wouldn't really categorize this story as a "romance" in the sense, but more of a friends turned to lovers.

Brent is a successful realtor who helps his old school rival, Navashen, to find a house when Navashen relocates to be closer to his family. Brent is the center of the party and has a lot of friends that he's helped find happiness. However, because of his own past, he's reluctant to take the plunge himself.

Navashen is a sheltered, immature character, which is somewhat true of medical students. They have no time for outside relationships because they are spending all of their spare time studying and learning. He is head of the NICU department and he is learning how to be an adult and live outside of his family's shadow. There is no real depth to him.

Then you have Akshat. This is Navashen's younger brother. It is hinted that he has a delay of some kind, but we are never really given a clear picture. He defends his older brother with every fiber of his being and loves with his entire self. I really enjoyed this character.

Then you have Navashen's parents. They are old fashioned and, especially his mom, are somewhat judgmental about Navashen's sexual orientation.

Overall, this was a slightly stunted story. No real drama, no real heat, and it was more ho-hum regarding all of the secondary characters too.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
This is a very sweet friends to lovers romance. When Navashen, an introverted doctor, returns to his hometown to run the NICU, his realtor, an extroverted high school friend, takes him under his wing. Work and family commitments make it difficult for Navashen to socialise, but he and Brent quickly form a strong friendship that has the possibility to become something more.

I enjoyed Navashen's alternative approach to relationships. He doesn’t want a relationship arranged by his parents, but he also rejects the importance Western culture places on physical attractiveness. His desire for a man who can be a true life partner is an interesting blend of his Eastern traditions and his Western realities.

The author’s research into Navashen’s job, his training, and his education is refreshingly thorough. I’m married to a doctor and I am constantly annoyed by the plethora of dashing, sociable, charming 35 year old heads of medicine or surgery that seem to dominate romance fiction. I love that Navashen’s job makes a social life almost impossible. I love him as a quiet, cautious introvert. He feels real to the point that he is more than a tiny bit...boring. Or maybe just sweetly human.

Navashen’s relationship with his family is also realistic. The family’s struggle to treat Akshat, Navashen’s disabled brother, as an adult is complicated and Navashen and Akshat’s relationship has been delicately written. The conflict between Navashen and his parents when he starts to date a white man is also written sensitively and without any drama.

And finally… Brent. He is a solid friend, he accepts and includes Akshat in his social activities and he genuinely cares for Navashen in so many practical ways. He is the true life partner Navashen has been looking for and I love the gentle, steady commitment between these two.

This isn’t a steamy romance by any means; it is the story of a solid connection between two quite ordinary men. This is a gentle book with very little drama or angst. It is a different style and pace for Ariel Tachna, but I really enjoyed it.

When ARIEL TACHNA was twelve years old, she discovered two things: the French language and romance novels. Those two loves have defined her ever since. By the time she finished high school, she’d written four novels, none of which anyone would want to read now, featuring a young woman who was—you guessed it—bilingual. That girl was everything Ariel wanted to be at age twelve and wasn’t.

She now lives on the outskirts of Houston with her husband (who also speaks French), her kids (who understand French even when they’re too lazy to speak it back), and their two dogs (who steadfastly refuse to answer any French commands).

Connect with Ariel

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of A Matchless Man (Lexington Lovers #2) by Ariel Tachna to read and review.