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Reasonable Doubts
Dear Author,
I never thought I’d find myself in the situation where I’d be part of a loving family, especially not consisting of twin girls! People always considered me the ice-cold lawyer who takes everything way too serious and never cracks a smile at any joke whatsoever.
Everything changed the moment I met X. Little by little I started to loosen up with him (in more ways than one), and then we found the girls.
Please help me tell the story of how we met and maybe how we went on adapting to each other’s differences.
Photo Description:
A tall, slender man in a gray business suit walks along a city street holding twin girls by the hand. The girls are about five years old and wearing fluffy, pink tulle skirts with colorfully striped tights and sneakers. The three of them appear to be having an intense conversation.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
I never thought I’d find myself in the situation where I’d be part of a loving family, especially not consisting of twin girls! People always considered me the ice-cold lawyer who takes everything way too serious and never cracks a smile at any joke whatsoever.
Everything changed the moment I met X. Little by little I started to loosen up with him (in more ways than one), and then we found the girls.
Please help me tell the story of how we met and maybe how we went on adapting to each other’s differences.
Photo Description:
A tall, slender man in a gray business suit walks along a city street holding twin girls by the hand. The girls are about five years old and wearing fluffy, pink tulle skirts with colorfully striped tights and sneakers. The three of them appear to be having an intense conversation.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
122 pages, ebook
First published July 29, 2015
2 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
August 5, 2015
Thanks to the author for participating and offering this freebie
This started so sweet, two cute little girls and their smart poppy. Contradictorily for me I actually wanted more of the cute kiddies! instead after the intro the story back-steps to the couple meeting, which charmed me until the politics was trowelled on.
Suddenly there was a claustrophobic family with political aspirations; acceptance became latent homophobia and Nate was reduced from successful lawyer to pawn with a mountain of baggage. I did like Casey's stance. It felt too much and the writing has a lot of telling so it overwhelms. When the little girls did reappear the situation seemed to convenient for me to buy into.
I liked these guys a lot but the story was more heavy family drama/politics than romance, better paced to show the couple more it would make a good book. They were really great together and there was some smut (for those who want to know) but the majority of their dating is off-page. And admittedly politics is a yawn from me.
Loved:
This started so sweet, two cute little girls and their smart poppy. Contradictorily for me I actually wanted more of the cute kiddies! instead after the intro the story back-steps to the couple meeting, which charmed me until the politics was trowelled on.
Suddenly there was a claustrophobic family with political aspirations; acceptance became latent homophobia and Nate was reduced from successful lawyer to pawn with a mountain of baggage. I did like Casey's stance. It felt too much and the writing has a lot of telling so it overwhelms. When the little girls did reappear the situation seemed to convenient for me to buy into.
I liked these guys a lot but the story was more heavy family drama/politics than romance, better paced to show the couple more it would make a good book. They were really great together and there was some smut (for those who want to know) but the majority of their dating is off-page. And admittedly politics is a yawn from me.
Loved:
“Well, I’ll never get your obsession with my freckles, but I’ve learned to live with it.”
“It’s like you have ten-thousand little signs saying Kiss Me Here all over that spectacular body of yours.”
July 29, 2015
Lovely, slightly on the fluffy side, with nicely fleshed out characters and good supporting cast.
Free from the M/M Romance group's Love Is An Open Road event.
My thanks to the author.
Free from the M/M Romance group's Love Is An Open Road event.
My thanks to the author.
August 11, 2015
Perhaps 3.5 stars
Mostly I liked this a lot. What I didn't like was the way the mother of the kids was written. After the first introduction the kids vanished for most of the story only to then reappear in a way I wasn't a fan of.
Mostly I liked this a lot. What I didn't like was the way the mother of the kids was written. After the first introduction the kids vanished for most of the story only to then reappear in a way I wasn't a fan of.
January 25, 2020
Wow. This might be the best thing I've read this week, and it's by FAR the best thing I've read today. The picture that inspired the story was adorable, but the story itself was so much more than I had any expectation of. Bennett's past with his parents and their expectations was so real to me, and Casey's support for him was amazing. This is going onto my re-read shelf, for use when I'm exhausted from in-head editing of books that are "professionally" published. Flawless and complex. Gotta find more by this author!
August 2, 2015
Reasonable Doubts is a warm sweet read about finding family - finding home. The main characters Bennett and Casey go together like peanut butter and jelly. In other words they are good separately but perfect when together.
Bennett is the only child of wealthy affluent parents. He also carries the weight of his grandparents on his shoulders. He was expected to become a lawyer, later run for political office, and marry the girl with the proper family pedigree. Bennett is nothing like his family or the generations before them. He is shy, geeky, and doesn't like the spotlight and he is also gay.
Bennett has trouble standing up to his parents. He doesn't want to disappoint them but, he does come out to them at 18 and does find a way to attend the college of his choice. His mother still thinks being gay is a fad but pushes him to date eligible young men from the "right" families. Bennett's life changes when the law firm hires someone to take new portraits. Casey enters Bennett's life and for the first time he comes to life.
Casey is a photographer from a working class family. He is smart, artistic, steady, easygoing and gets Bennett. More importantly, he encourages Bennett to be himself. These two become a team and there is no stopping them. They work so well together both inside and outside the bedroom (Bennett is a bottom who gives Casey control). Their partnership is soon gifted with Casey's nieces. This is not only a story of how they fall in love but how they build a family - build a home.
Jae Moran did a great job on this one. Thank you for sharing your talents. This reader really loved Bennett and Casey and the family they created.
Bennett is the only child of wealthy affluent parents. He also carries the weight of his grandparents on his shoulders. He was expected to become a lawyer, later run for political office, and marry the girl with the proper family pedigree. Bennett is nothing like his family or the generations before them. He is shy, geeky, and doesn't like the spotlight and he is also gay.
Bennett has trouble standing up to his parents. He doesn't want to disappoint them but, he does come out to them at 18 and does find a way to attend the college of his choice. His mother still thinks being gay is a fad but pushes him to date eligible young men from the "right" families. Bennett's life changes when the law firm hires someone to take new portraits. Casey enters Bennett's life and for the first time he comes to life.
Casey is a photographer from a working class family. He is smart, artistic, steady, easygoing and gets Bennett. More importantly, he encourages Bennett to be himself. These two become a team and there is no stopping them. They work so well together both inside and outside the bedroom (Bennett is a bottom who gives Casey control). Their partnership is soon gifted with Casey's nieces. This is not only a story of how they fall in love but how they build a family - build a home.
Jae Moran did a great job on this one. Thank you for sharing your talents. This reader really loved Bennett and Casey and the family they created.
September 10, 2015
This was a really sweet story about a lawyer and a photographer that met at a corporate photo shoot and ending up falling in love. I loved that Casey seemed to make Bennett a stronger person. And the nieces were adorable. I'm not a huge fan of kids/family stories, but this one just worked. I also loved all of the supporting characters . Especially Nate. I will definitely read more from Jae Moran.
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
Want to Read
August 5, 2015
Offered for FREE from the M/M Romance Group's Love Is An Open Road event. Thank you too all the amazing authors who participated!
Okay, even I can admit it... this gif is freaken adorable!
August 29, 2015
Finally was able to read this story. I feel so bad because I was supposed to be one of the first to read it >.<
Anyway, it was a great story and I can't believe Jae was able to produce this story based on my hastily written prompt. It was great to see the characters come to life. Loved it xD
Anyway, it was a great story and I can't believe Jae was able to produce this story based on my hastily written prompt. It was great to see the characters come to life. Loved it xD
July 31, 2015
Man, I loved this story!
This was a wonderful story about Bennett, an attorney, who came from an old, rich and influential family in Boston. For most of his life, he had passively gone along with his mother and father, being groomed to follow in the footstep of his late grandfather, even though he had no desire to do so. All of that changed when he met Casey, the photographer that his firm hired to modernize the look of their reputation. From that first look and his photo session with Casey, Bennett was hooked.
Man, I think I fell in love with Casey at the photo shoot. The way that he saw through Bennett’s armor to his insecurities that he had inside. I love how Bennett was truly himself when he was with Casey.
Casey was the type of guy that lived his life authentically. He didn’t believe in playing games with people. He was exactly what Bennett needed. He encouraged Bennett to step outside of his box and try new things, not being afraid to fail at something. He listened to Bennett, helping him to be able to verbalize what he truly wanted out of his life. For the first time in his life, Casey gave Bennett courage to stand up for himself against his parents. He got Bennett to admit to himself and his family what he really wanted for his life.
You can feel Bennett’s sadness with having his future in the hands of his “somewhat well-meaning” but completely controlling parents. He had given up on that part of his dream. The breath of fresh air and freedom that Casey brings into his life just brought out another whole side of Bennett I don’t think he knew he had. Casey gives all of that and much more to his life. The addition of Casey’s cute and darling nieces just adds to the joy that he is finally able to experience.
The secondary characters in this story are well developed and add so much to it. From the family members, to best friends, to drag queens, I enjoyed them all.
As I said before, this story pinged all my buttons of what I love in m/m stories. From seeing the cute gif that was the prompt for the story to watching two wonderful, kind and gentle men fall in love with each other. This is definitely going down as one of my favorite stories that I will be reading again and again!
This was a wonderful story about Bennett, an attorney, who came from an old, rich and influential family in Boston. For most of his life, he had passively gone along with his mother and father, being groomed to follow in the footstep of his late grandfather, even though he had no desire to do so. All of that changed when he met Casey, the photographer that his firm hired to modernize the look of their reputation. From that first look and his photo session with Casey, Bennett was hooked.
Man, I think I fell in love with Casey at the photo shoot. The way that he saw through Bennett’s armor to his insecurities that he had inside. I love how Bennett was truly himself when he was with Casey.
Casey was the type of guy that lived his life authentically. He didn’t believe in playing games with people. He was exactly what Bennett needed. He encouraged Bennett to step outside of his box and try new things, not being afraid to fail at something. He listened to Bennett, helping him to be able to verbalize what he truly wanted out of his life. For the first time in his life, Casey gave Bennett courage to stand up for himself against his parents. He got Bennett to admit to himself and his family what he really wanted for his life.
You can feel Bennett’s sadness with having his future in the hands of his “somewhat well-meaning” but completely controlling parents. He had given up on that part of his dream. The breath of fresh air and freedom that Casey brings into his life just brought out another whole side of Bennett I don’t think he knew he had. Casey gives all of that and much more to his life. The addition of Casey’s cute and darling nieces just adds to the joy that he is finally able to experience.
The secondary characters in this story are well developed and add so much to it. From the family members, to best friends, to drag queens, I enjoyed them all.
As I said before, this story pinged all my buttons of what I love in m/m stories. From seeing the cute gif that was the prompt for the story to watching two wonderful, kind and gentle men fall in love with each other. This is definitely going down as one of my favorite stories that I will be reading again and again!
October 11, 2015
There was not much of a romance or relationship story. Sure there were a few sex scenes which is skipped because I generally find them boring. Presumably those included the reason for the fetish and toy tag. Now I'm even more happy that I skipped them.
This story has two completely separate parts. The first chapter and the last third of the story deal with caring for twin girls aged four. Also dealt with are adoption issues. I liked this part best. My favorite scene was the birthday party.
The second part was getting one of the main characters to face up the his parents and getting them to stop running his life. Also, getting him to stop working so many hours. The boyfriend was just a prop to encourage those changes. We didn't hear much about him or from him, although he did narrate the epilogue.
Now for what I did not like. I thought the story was a bit long, especially the part without the kids. There was too much preaching and monologuing. There was too much detail about irrelevancies, such as the name and school of the lawyer acquaintance who merely gave them a referral to the family lawyer, whose name and characteristics we also learned.
Oh, and we seemed to skip entirely the discussion with Nana about who would raise the girls. If we can learn the maiden name of the mother and her family's business and property, we certainly have time for such a critical part of the story.
This story has two completely separate parts. The first chapter and the last third of the story deal with caring for twin girls aged four. Also dealt with are adoption issues. I liked this part best. My favorite scene was the birthday party.
The second part was getting one of the main characters to face up the his parents and getting them to stop running his life. Also, getting him to stop working so many hours. The boyfriend was just a prop to encourage those changes. We didn't hear much about him or from him, although he did narrate the epilogue.
Now for what I did not like. I thought the story was a bit long, especially the part without the kids. There was too much preaching and monologuing. There was too much detail about irrelevancies, such as the name and school of the lawyer acquaintance who merely gave them a referral to the family lawyer, whose name and characteristics we also learned.
Oh, and we seemed to skip entirely the discussion with Nana about who would raise the girls. If we can learn the maiden name of the mother and her family's business and property, we certainly have time for such a critical part of the story.
August 11, 2015
You can't not give a good rating for stories including cute babies. Just can't.
This story is (mostly) told from Bennett's pov, about how his life changes from a cold-hearted-and-super-busy-lawyer to a father of twin daughters.
The story consists of two parts.
First half is about Bennett building a relationship with Casey, and dealing an issue with his parents. The second is about the couple gaining rights to be parents for Casey's twin nieces.
I think both parts are solved to smoothly. One argument over a diner, all politic and controlling issues dropped. One face-to-face confrontation, adoptions consent forms sent. But well, like I mentioned above, one can't not approve sweetness of cute babies.
This story is (mostly) told from Bennett's pov, about how his life changes from a cold-hearted-and-super-busy-lawyer to a father of twin daughters.
The story consists of two parts.
First half is about Bennett building a relationship with Casey, and dealing an issue with his parents. The second is about the couple gaining rights to be parents for Casey's twin nieces.
I think both parts are solved to smoothly. One argument over a diner, all politic and controlling issues dropped. One face-to-face confrontation, adoptions consent forms sent. But well, like I mentioned above, one can't not approve sweetness of cute babies.
March 16, 2016
Sometimes I like the timey wimey format used here but sometimes I prefer a little mystery. Will they stay together? Will it work out once they become a family? All the drama and suspense was taken out of the story because I already knew the answers thanks to the format. One star off for that annoyance.
Other than that, I liked this story. :) The MCs were likable and had nice chemistry and it was written well.
Other than that, I liked this story. :) The MCs were likable and had nice chemistry and it was written well.
October 15, 2015
Gay men with children, 2 of my most favorite things to read about together. The author did an amazing job on this story. It pulled me in from the very beginning and kept me interested through the entire book. I loved that it wasn't all rainbows and kittens. It was such a believable story and that made it 10 times better for me. Great job!
August 12, 2015
Unfortunately, this story wasn't that memorable. There were some cute parts, but I found a lot of the characterization so dramatic that it appeared fake. The tone of voice also didn't suit someone with Bennett's life experiences, especially in the prologue.
August 1, 2015
Sweet and fluffy novella read. At times it was overly wordy and meandered a little, but overall it was just a nice slice of opposites attract, with a little family drama and a chocolate chip cookie HEA.
Read
December 16, 2015The writing wasn't too engaging in my opinion - there wasn't anything specifically wrong with it (like bad grammar or something), but it felt "wooden".
But man, the sex scenes were hot! There was just something about the way they were described that pushed the heat level up for me.
But man, the sex scenes were hot! There was just something about the way they were described that pushed the heat level up for me.
July 30, 2015
3.5 stars
A sweet story that gets a bit preachy at the end but well worth the read.
A sweet story that gets a bit preachy at the end but well worth the read.
July 30, 2015
I really liked this; it was a solid 4-4.5 stars. Until I hit the "Princess Rant". Yay! Shot it right up to a blazing 5 Stars!
July 30, 2015
I absolutely love this book, but then stories with children always seem to get to me. I wont put in any spoilers you just really need to read this. Great job Jae Moran!!
January 28, 2016
3.5 stars
Sweet!
Sweet!
August 19, 2015
Really nice little read
September 2, 2015
Amazing. I loved every bit of this. It was very fairy tale-ish but that was ok because everything else about it was so great. I loved reading about how Casey and Bennett fell in love.
July 29, 2016
3.5 stars the story was a bit all over the place and moved too fast away from romance to family for my taste.
February 1, 2017
A perfect fun little read, it ticked all of my boxes.
September 29, 2015
3.25 stars.
August 3, 2015
What a lovely story. Will definitely check out more of this author's work.
January 28, 2016
So cute and sweet!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews