The Substitute

by Sean Ashcroft

Flynn hadn’t expected to be getting married anytime soon, definitely not this weekend, and definitely not to a man.

When his flakey younger brother walks out on his fiance on the eve of their wedding--and therefore robs the poor guy of his chance to go back to school--Flynn steps in to clean up the mess Aiden’s left behind, like he always does. Getting married wasn’t exactly on his to-do list, but what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?

Except now he’s invested, and Zach’s a sweetheart who doesn’t take him for granted, and after a spur-of-the-moment kiss, Flynn’s forced to confront some feelings he’s never acknowledged before. Feelings for another man.

But with Zach protecting his broken heart and Flynn afraid that he’s just a substitute for Aiden looming over them, can they be happy together? Or will they let their doubts and fears tear them apart?

The Substitute is a standalone gay romance with a HEA ending. It contains: Flynn getting handsy with Zach’s pottery, environmental responsibility, a slightly meddlesome grandma, explicit sex scenes, true love conquering all, and two weddings.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT, Gay For You, Contemporary Romance, Marriage Of Convenience

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 25, 2018

About the author

Sean Ashcroft likes rainy days, white hot chocolates (don't knock it 'til you've tried it!) and boys kissing in books. He currently resides in Australia, all the way down at the bottom of the mainland in a sleepy little seaside town.

He writes sweet, hot books about sweet, hot boys who absolutely deserve each other.

Reviews

[Gustaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just what I needed right now. Two genuinely nice guys getting the happy ever after they both deserved. Sean Ashcroft is my go to for sweet fluff.

[namericanwordcat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is fun sweet bit of fluff with my favorite marriage of connivence trope.

Doesn't make sense all the time? Nope. LOL.

The heroes are both kind people and the falling is love is cotton candy good. Enjoy!

[Denise H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** Zach, 22, shaggy haired artist is supposed to marry Flynn"s brother in Las Vegas, but Aiden runs. Flynn is left to pick up the pieces, and after hearing the whole story, he agrees to marry Zach as a substitute groom.
It's a marriage of convenience, so Zach can get his scholarship money, for SMFA, The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, from his Grandmother. Flynn saved the day. Flynn's repressed M/M feelings are loose and he's liking it.
We see a slow burn of hand holding, talking, and learning each other's ways. And, then, there is the first kiss ! It's initiated by Flynn, leads to him needing more.
This is terrific fun, great side characters, and a fresh and flowing story. Hot and sexy first times for Flynn, and he's loving it all. He and Zach are happy together, but Aiden pops in to try and ruin it. A lovely GFY, stranger-to-lover romance.
ENJOY !

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[❀ Jess ( Semi hiatus ) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this.
Straight (not really ) MC marries his brother’s ex fiancé. So it’s marriage and GFY. Both things I love. 🥲

Light-hearted, kind MCs, low angst, again, all things I love, this had all the makings for a great read but unfortunately it just fell flat.

There was a good portion of time that was spent in the characters head. Specifically during an important scene (imo anyway) I was curious as to how the other MC was doing, I expected some dialogue to check in but it was just paragraph after paragraph with internal thoughts, feelings - it just made it feel very detached, especially when the thoughts started getting repetitive. Why not cut out the same thoughts to include dialogue?🥲

The reason for the marriage was flimsy but I’m happy to turn my brain off and move on from little details if the rest is good but I didn’t get much in here, it was kind of bland and that’s saying a lot coming from me.

Flynn takes care of everyone and enjoys it and somewhere along the line it felt like the author was trying to make Zach take care of him a little bit to show that he deserved to be taken care of too… it just wasn’t done so well, the characters started to blend together and as cute as they were together I just didn’t feel a connection.

The third act conflict was just as flimsy as the excuse for having them get married. 🙈
I would’ve preferred if Zach actually had to do a little bit of chasing but instead it’s resolved with him doing the bare minimum. 🤷🏻‍♀️


Anyway. I still enjoyed the fact that I never doubted whether they would end up together or not so that’s always a plus for me.


My ratings always reflect my enjoyment of the story. ❀

[BR11 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok if you get past the highly improbable situation that someone would take the place of their sibling and marry their stood up brother in law.
Other than that it was a feel good story.

[Pixie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because it was K.U. & I should've just DNFd it. Whole premise was ludicrous and the two main characters were nice to the point of being dull.

[Readingjourney [semi-hiatus] · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn’t terrible but it was cheesy af and it felt kinda bland a lot of the time. I didn’t feel the supposed chemistry between both MCs and overall I felt pretty bored with the story.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was SO. BORING.

Let's not talk about the fact that the whole premise of the story is unrealistic - I knew that when I started this book, and I didn't mind that part while I was actually reading it.

What bothered me instead was that the story was predictable and started to get boring to me at around the halfway mark. There was almost no conflict if you don't count in Aiden, who's absent for most of the book and still somehow the one who sparks character development and relationship development, and the grandmother. The whole last quarter of the book was something I've read a dozen times before and oh. so. predictable.

The two main characters were nice but almost too nice - come on, nobody is that much of a doormat!

I don't know why I forced myself to finish this. It was ok, but nothing special, and the thought of the books I could have read instead of this makes me sad.

[Guy Venturi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rejection of an agreement can lead to perfection in love.

Aiden proved to be a bad influence on his boyfriend by breaking his promise to help him secure funding for his fine arts degree and disappearing the night before the required event without excuse or goodbyes. Just like he had always done in his life. Avoid responsibility. Let his brother Flynn clean up the mess. Raised without parents by his older brother, he never learned to care for anyone but himself.

Flynn accepted the responsibility and completed the ceremony to solve the temporary problem, not realizing that it was exactly what everyone really needed, even if tears were required to find the love needed for the growing family.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very original story. Flynn, who is dreading the fact that his younger brother is getting married, shows up in Vegas to find Aiden, his brother, had left his fiance, Zach with only a little note. Of course, Flynn, who has been cleaning up Aiden's mess since their parents died, feels obligated to step in again and agrees to marry Zach when he learns why he needs to get married.

As Flynn and Zach get to know each other, Flynn comes to discover many things about himself. He is completely oblivious to men who flirt with him and it isn't until Zach points it out and a conversation with his best friend, Callie, that he realizes he's not as straight as he believes. It's in his nature to care for Zach, but when they get to know one another, Flynn can't deny the attraction he feels for Zach.

This is a sweet, sexy story about two men dealing with devastation from the same man, although in different ways. They grow together and realize that there are more important things in life. A wonderful story that I highly recommend!!

[Brey (lil Sebastian)]

DNF @ 67%…. I really try to power through this one because I like the getting married in Vegas trope. I can’t even really pinpoint what I didn’t like except to say that it was kind of boring? I don’t know. The writing was a bit weird and I guess it was just a bit too Insta love with one MC having just broken up with the other MC‘s brother. Who knows. I may try and read this author again but I’m not sure if their writing Style is for me.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always Sean Ashcroft did not disappoint. I love the way the characters were brought together. Flynn believes he's going to his brother's wedding but turns out brother bails on Zach. What begins as fake turns into something real when Flynn comes to Zach's rescue. Book is well written & the interaction between the 2 main characters is something to sit back, read & enjoy.

[Wendy Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, feel good read. Both MC's were likeable and I loved the epilogue and bonus scene!!

[Jess Anastasi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the marriage-of-convenience plot line in this book. These two were definitely made for one another!

[Emalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute, mostly angst-free read. The MCs were really kind and I liked reading the book, wasn't anything special but still a nice afternoon read.

[Leanne]

Normally I like Sean Ashcroft’s books, but this one isn’t ringing my bells. DNF’d @ 47%

[Jacqueleen the Reading Queen♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very sweet read with little bits of internal angst but overall adorable.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Give and take

This was a very sweet fake marriage story with a couple that just melt your heart with how they are together.

Flynn has spent the last decade picking up after his brother. When he goes to his brother's Vegas wedding but to find that his brother ditched, Flynn is horrified. When it turns out the would-be groom needs to get married to convince his family to help him out with school, Flynn can't help but offer to take his brother's place. Zach is heartbroken and afraid of losing out on a school program he has been dreaming of and agrees. The two go into it just for the money and support, but soon strike up a friendship. As Flynn seeks to care for Zach and Zach gets to know Flynn and bring out his happier side, the two realize they may actually have something more.

The relationship builds as the two spend time together and feels real every step of the way. There is some questioning, whether it is too soon to move on, what it means for 'straight' Flynn, if they want each other or just are being used. These questions all come up but are often worked out. I really liked that it wasn't GFY but instead had Flynn realizing his attraction to men he had suppressed out of fear. I also loved how Zach doesn't judge Flynn for being bi. All in all the relationship managed to build with lots of communication and only a little angst. Very sweet build up.

The 'fake marriage for money' thing is such a classic and also a bit aggravating in a way. Often in a will, but this time just a stipulation, it has someone else putting such control on another's life. Even coming from love it declared that that person can't handle things without a partner. I enjoyed that this was explored a bit since this was a case where the family was still alive and involved, as we saw both the love and concern from the family, and the frustration from Zach. It was well done for this topic and something I would go back to read again!

[Viki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet. Cute. Nice.

I know these adjectives can be the worst when you hear that as a compliment but for a book, it´s okay to be all those things.

Yes, you could basically predict exactly what would happen after reading the first chapter but that can be good - or even the best - in some circumstances. In a certain mood.

I mean, Zach cried. He saw Flynn and he burst into tears and Flynn immediately comforted him (well, after his friend hugged him first). And that´s what happens for the rest of the book. It´s a whole book about: "you´re so good" - "no, you´re so good" - "no, you´re better" - "well, you´re just great".

It was obvious Aiden was gonna screw it up, it was to be expected they were going to fall in love and just be so insecure while reassuring the other one it´s okay and they like each other.

And it gave me nice feelings. I liked it. For the most part.

Yes, I was not excited when Flynn basically called his previous years as being in denial and in the closet. I really, really, really can´t stand it when straight guys just turn everything around and instead of, well, now I know something new about myself (which was what he did at first) and they end up, oh, how I was suppressing this side of myself, it´s so good to come out!

There was not too much angst. It was so obvious grandma Violet was not oblivious and totally saw through their lies. So obvious.

We even got the traditional gay sidekick, which was funny, since Flynn was bi and his friend was actually a woman and she had a baby. Untraditionally traditional!

Anyway, if you are in a mood for all of this... go for it. Otherwise, you might want to wait until you are if you really don´t love this type of romance as an everyday read.

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Far-Fetched Fun

Although the plot premise is more than a little far-fetched— this is a fun read. Again, as I seem to find in a lot of m/m romance stories lately, the resolution (while satisfying in a predictable way) is expected and pleasing to the casual reader— I’m finding that some of the things I enjoy about the characters are not filled through in ways I find interesting. Zach’s pottery MFA isn’t mentioned in the epilogue. Did he graduate? How is he using it two years later? It might have given the story more weight to see him at that point as a successful artist or owner of a prospering commercial pottery. Heck, I even thought the reusable pottery cup he made for Flynn could have been an unexpected source of success and revenue for Zach. And even Aiden’s re-appearance was a bit bungled. Why not have him emerge unawares of his brother’s marriage to his ex and give away their secret to Violet so that he’s not made more of a heel than he already was? It would make his eventual forgiveness and reentry into Zach and Flynn’s life more believable. These are quibbles to some degree and overall I’d recommend this book with the caution that it’s enjoyable but not always as believable as it could have been.

[Claudia Lezár · Rating 4 out of 5]

PLEASE READ FIRST MY RATING SYSTEM!!!
To my ratings (for all people, who wonder, why I say a 3*-book is a good book and should be readed):
5* - very very good and rare (it would be a Blow-Away-book like Liberty from Seth King or Save the kids series from EM Leya). it’s like an A+
4* - very good and will be often reread and is a WOW-book with interesting plot and surprises (like most of Andrew Grey books)
It’s like an A
3* - a really good book, which will be reread a few times (most romances where you can enjoy for relaxing and during waiting times in hospitals). I can recommend them definitively!
It’s like an A-B
2* - it was ok to read, but it's more a one-time-reader (I wouldn't recommend it heartly, but it was ok)
It’s like an C- D
1* - sorry, but that isn't really a book for me (maybe too many mistakes, not a nice plot, or unlogical story, so a NO-GO)
It’s like failure in the whole line, dismissed, repeat the class

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t even describe how this book made me feel, but I’m going to give it a shot. I love all of Sean Ashcroft’s books. His writing style is amazing and just draw you in so you feel like you’re part of the world you’re reading about. It feels like you know each character personally, like you’re witnessing friends fall in love in reality. This book is no different in that I felt pulled into it. Flynn is such a sweetheart and I broke for him. Everything in me wanted to just cradle him and cry with him about the unfairness he had to carry. Zach was really his perfect match and soul mate. Allowing him to feel his true feelings and set aside that weight for aiden to handle his own mistakes for once. I’m truly happy for reading this and seeing their happy ending.
For those of you who haven’t read Sean’s other books, please go read them now. I’ve read about half of them and I’m going to finish all of them by march (2025)

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. Zach needs to get married before his grandmother will give him the funds he needs for his Master’s program. When his fiance, Aiden, leaves him the night before their wedding, Zach thinks his entire future is ruined. When Aiden’s older brother Flynn finds out what happens, and that Aiden has no intentions of coming back, he steps in to take his place. As Flynn and Zach get to know each other, they become friends, then sparks start to fly. But Flynn has always thought of himself as straight, and what happens when Aiden decides to come home?

This was a super sweet, fluffy ready. The marriage of convenience trope was a little unbelievable, but the relationship progression was written really well. Flynn and Zach are wonderful characters, and Flynn especially is very three dimensional. Overall, this was a super quick and light hearted read with a well-deserved HEA.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty meh. I had a hard time getting into it, which I believe is partly because it was written in 3rd person and would have been better in 1st person.

I’d never read this author before, so wasn’t sure what to expect. The one thing that absolutely bugged me was the description of summer in Boston. As someone who lived there, I can attest that summer in Boston is oppressively hot and humid both during the day and at night. It most definitely isn’t cold at night as is described here. Also, there is no college at the Museum of Fine Arts, although MassArt is fairly close to it. The fact that the author didn’t bother to research the setting makes me wonder what else he was lazy about. I probably won’t bother to read anything else by him.

[Lisa Cullinan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another heartwarming read

Whenever I’m stressed, my first choice is always to dive into a Sean Ashcroft book. Every one of them are sweet and sexy and have tons of feels with the most likable characters who always try to do the right thing.
In The Substitute, Aiden and Flynn wind up together by a less-than-perfect situation. For two people who weren’t supposed to be a couple at all, they sure wound up to be perfect for one another.
Sean’s books are like sitting by a fireplace and relaxing with a warm cup of hot cocoa. They never disappoint and guarantee to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. This one is no exception!

[Sakuko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was pretty sweet. A bit repetitive in some phrases (they always had to elaborate how Flynn likes to take care of people and feel useful and how Zach wanted to take care of him in exchange, it is mentioned about every time they interact) to the point where it felt a bit moralizing. The storyline is not very likely at all and the emotions develop very fast, but it's not insta-love at least. Maybe a bit of one-sided insta-crush.
But it's just all kinds of heart-warming and sweet, and if you factor out the drama caused by Aiden in the beginning and end, Flynn and Zach's relationship is rather drama-free and easygoing.

[Ridley · Rating 2 out of 5]

d'uhh... this is kind of dull.
Sarah basically says it all in her review

The one thing I don't get, why is everyone so stuck on that Flynn is straight? I why can't he even entertain the thought of maybe being not all that straight? Why is he supposed to be straight? This is really annoying.

It is all so shallow the story, dialogues... and there is no subtlety at all. Just not really worth it.

38% and I call it quits. (Yeah maybe I should not rate, but this was disappointing. I could finish it but at this point nothing could make it better)

[Erin]

I love an "accidentally married" story, which is why I picked this up. It's maybe more of a marriage of convenience story, but the relationship between the two guys was charming. Zach was going to marry Flynn's brother, Aiden, but when Aiden flaked, Flynn offered to step in so that Zach could still go to school (it's kinda WUT but also works for the story so just go with it). Flynn thinks he's totally straight, so this is a bi-awakening story, too. Once Flynn realizes that he's interested in Zach, things move really quickly, but the bi-awakening doesn't completely gloss over Flynn's emotional journey.

[Esther Alayeto · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really cute and sweet story that I really enjoyed. Flynn is such a caring and selfless person who offers to help out Zach without a second thought. Zach is super sweet and I love that he doesn't take Flynn for granted and that he really cares. They truly deserve each other and make a great couple. It's a great story with some angst, hot scenes, and a wonderful HEA!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

[Anu · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful, low-angst cutesy story. Flynn steps in to marry Zack when his younger brother Aiden leaves him the day before the wedding. The fake marriage soon becomes all too real and the pair fall in love for real.

I like how Flynn's sexual awakening is not so much about 'turning gay' but realising that when you have strong feelings for someone, your preconceived notions of sexual attraction start to shift. And this was particularly wonderfully done.