Pants Optional

Dark Little Town #2

by Sam LaRose

"So, I think it goes without saying we shouldn't talk about the happy couple," Heath stated, folding his hands together on top of the table.

"I have nothing to say about them anyway." Jack shrugged.

"Tell me what a guy like you is doing out on Christmas Eve then."



Jack Piper is eighteen years old, living with his mother and twin sisters in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. He attends a selective private school, where he's honing his skills as a writer, aided greatly by his eidetic memory. It's been three years since his father passed away, inciting the move, and his first Christmas alone. When his friend Pixie invites him out for a Jewish Christmas, he doesn't expect the bend in the road his life is about to take.

Heath Gibson is a New Jersey transplant to the city. His band, Dark Little Town, is just inches away from real success. Since moving to the city, he's made plenty of friends and is open to making more. Especially if it means getting to forget how in love with his best friend he's been since he was thirteen.

When Jack and Heath recognize each other across a club on Christmas Eve, they don't expect to go home together. They certainly don't expect to catch feelings for one another. Jack isn't sure he wants to settle into a relationship with the older man. Heath is ready to hand over his heart, if Jack will just accept it.

And neither of them quite knows what to make of Jack's best friends; a gay polyamorous couple who want nothing more than to get one, or both, of them into bed with them.

298 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2020

About the author

Sam LaRose the non de plume of a nonbinary person living in rural Wisconsin. They currently work as a library director.

They live on a defunct Dairy Farm with 7 cats, a dog, and bunny,

Reviews

[Lauren Regenhardt]

One of my gripes (if you can even call it that) with Real Talk was that I wanted more Jack, and I disliked the way he was treated by Dylan. This second addition to the series made up for that and more! I love Jack's growth and the relationships he has with his mom and twin sisters, as well as the open portrayal of polyamory with Kyle and Markus. I love how sure Jack is of himself and the willingness he has to try new things but also to stand his ground when he knows what he wants. The editing improved from the last one, too! I truly enjoyed this one and can't wait for more! I'm hoping for a little (okay, a lot) more Mora...

[Hollis]

I liked this more than the first book because the characters seemed more lively. They develop from the first one, and the focus of the series becomes more clear. I really like the scope of the characters, who are not all the same and show the gamut of relationships available to everyone.

[Arianna]

Entertaining, funny, loveable characters. The variety of characters if fun and interesting.