Blurb
Short-tempered, arrogant heart surgeon Jason Garcia grew up wanting a close-knit family, but believes he ruined those dreams when he broke up his marriage. The benefit of divorce is having as much random sex as he wants, and it’s a benefit Jason is exploiting when he meets a sweet, shy man at a bar and convinces him to go home for a no-strings-attached night of fun.
Eight years living in Las Vegas hasn’t dimmed Abe Green’s optimism, earnestness, or desire to find the one. When a sexy man with lonely eyes propositions him, Abe decides to give himself a birthday present—one night of spontaneous fun with no thoughts of the future. But one night turns into two and then three, and Abe realizes his heart is involved.
For the first time, Abe feels safe enough with someone he respects and adores to let go of his inhibitions in the bedroom. If Jason can get past his own inhibitions and open his heart and his life to Abe, he might finally find the family he craves.
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Half-Us-Family-Book-ebook/dp/B00O6BO6KE/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1412947157&sr=1-3&keywords=cardeno+c
Review
Cardeno C. is quickly becoming my go to author for gay romance stories that are rich in dialogue and plot with steamy scenes meant to enhance the relationship of the main characters not consume it, and although The Half of Us has quite a bit of sex in it, once readers are introduced to the sex drive of the two main heroes and witness how their one time hook-up turns into so much more, the intermingling of the storyline and the passion Jason and Abe share for each other inside the bedroom flow seamlessly together.
Jason Garcia is a 36 year old surgeon who doesn’t do the whole relationship thing; he feels his one shot to be part of a family and have a happily ever after expired due to his infidelity and not truly accepting who he was back when he was married. Due to the demands of his job, he doesn’t have the time or the inclination to put himself in a position of wanting more than just sex from any of his onetime bedmates. But that all changes when he meets 26 year old Abe Green.
Abe’s a game changer for Jason in multiple ways. He may be 10 years younger than Jason, but he’s definitely more in tune with what it means to be in a relationship and the type of man he needs to be to be Jason’s partner. He may have been shy and reserved when they first met, but with Jason at the reigns, Abe feels comfortable exploring his sexual needs with him, and this is what first shows Jason how compatible they are together and makes him think about extending their time together to more than just one night.
The biggest obstacle in Jason’s way is himself. He’s so stuck on the fact that he ruined his marriage and prevented a good woman from finding happiness the first time around due to his treatment of her before their divorce. He truly believes that he’s not programmed to be in a monogamous relationship based on how he was back when he was married to Angela, but what he doesn’t seem to understand is that he doesn’t need to seek out other willing men to curb his sexual appetite when the one person he actually wants to be with, Abe, continually does that for him.
Abe is such a fantastic character, and he’s also the perfect man to show Jason that he can have the family and the kind of relationship that he wanted all those years ago. Abe is always patient with Jason, never pushing Jason to define their relationship too soon or tell him what he needs to do, which is one of the main reasons Jason falls for him.
The Half of Us is a fantastic addition to Cardeno C.’s family series. Jason’s ex wife and two children play a determining factor in Jason’s willingness to give his relationship with Abe a chance, and Abe is also a big part of helping their fractured family have a chance to heal. I love the fact that there wasn’t a big blowout or betrayal in the book; Jason struggled enough trying to figure out what he truly wanted and if he was ready to take that step, so I’m glad nothing else was added into the mix to mess it up. It’s the perfect feel good romance story about one person who finally figures out what he wants and the guy he wants it with and the courage to finally step up and take it.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 poison apples
Excerpt
“This is kind of weird, isn’t it?” Abe asked as they sat in the quiet car.
“No,” Jason assured Abe and himself. It was sex. That was a basic bodily need. In, out, done. That was his motto and he followed it religiously. There was nothing weird about it that couldn’t be attributed to his current state of sobriety. He made a mental note to never again pick up a guy until after he’d had a couple of drinks. With that decision made, Jason grabbed the door handle. “Ready?”
Abe looked at him again, one of his quiet stares. Jason tried not to wriggle under that scrutiny.
“You’re really attractive,” Abe said.
Not sure how he was supposed to respond, Jason went with the simple approach. “Thanks.” When Abe didn’t say anything or make a move to leave the car or stop staring at him, Jason added, “That’s a good thing, right?”
“Yes.” Abe nodded. “But it’s not why I agreed to bring you home.” Before Jason could decide if he should probe for an answer, Abe grinned at him and said, “But it sure helped. Come on.” He opened his door and stepped out of the car.
It wasn’t too late to leave. Jason could put the car in reverse, drive away, and either hit another bar or find someone online who wanted to fuck without talking or laughing or smiling. He had three apps on his phone for just that purpose. But he didn’t back away or reach for his phone. Instead, he got out of the car, locked it, and followed Abe into his apartment.
“Nice place,” Jason said as soon as he walked inside.
“I haven’t turned the lights on yet,” Abe answered with a laugh. “You can’t see anything. The walls could be fuchsia and mint-green polka dots for all you know.”
Jason didn’t care about the walls. He cared about getting Abe naked. The comment was something he said just to have something to say. But when Abe turned around and gave him a half hug to take the sting out of his teasing response, Jason found himself grinning and hugging Abe in return.
“What if I like fuchsia and mint green?” he asked. “Those could be my favorite colors.”
Crinkling his nose, Abe shifted until he was right in front of Jason, their chests touching. “Hmm. Those are your favorite colors?” He wrapped his arms around Jason’s neck, stretched up, and kissed the base of Jason’s throat. “I never would have guessed. You seem more like the tan-walls, blue-shirts type.”
His walls were in fact tan and the majority of his shirts were in fact blue. Slowly, Jason curled his arms around Abe’s waist, and then he goosed him hard.
“Ah!” Abe shouted and tried to move away.
Holding on tight, Jason said, “Not so smug now, are you?”
“I didn’t know it was such a sensitive topic.” Abe’s breath came out faster as he kept trying to escape.
Jason squeezed his ass again for fun and then again because he liked doing it.
“I’ll never tell,” Abe said. “I promise. Your secret is safe with me.” “Are you making fun of me?” Jason asked, enjoying the interaction more than he would have expected. “Because that seems like an incredibly bad idea.” He dug his fingers into Abe’s sides. “Tell you what. Just to show you I’m a good guy, I’ll let go and give you a sixty-second head start to get to your bedroom. If you manage to get naked in that time, I’ll let you off the hook.”
“What a gentleman,” Abe said breathlessly.
“I’m pretty sure you won’t say that after you see what I plan to do to you once I catch you.” Jason winked and stepped away. “Time starts now. Go!”
Cardeno C. – CC to friends – is a hopeless romantic who wants to add a lot of happiness and a few “awwws” into a reader’s day. Writing is a nice break from real life as a corporate type and volunteer work with gay rights organizations. Cardeno’s stories range from sweet to intense, contemporary to paranormal, long to short, but they always include strong relationships and walks into the happily-ever-after sunset.
Cardeno’s Home, Family, and Mates series have received awards from Love Romances and More Golden Roses, Rainbow Awards, the Goodreads M/Romance Group, and various reviewers. But even more special to CC are heartfelt reactions from readers, like, “You bring joy and love and make it part of the every day.”
Fairest Of All Book Reviews 
I too love Cardeno C. books! They make us just feel good as so many point out. Sexy and sweet at the same time ❤