Author: Dahlia Donovan
Title: Stubbed Toes & Dating Woes
Release Date: May 19, 2023
Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing
Cover Reveal: BookSmith Design
All Links: books2read.com/stubbedtoesanddatingwoes
Will their treasure hunt lead them to true love or fool’s gold?
Niclas Ruiz loves digging in the dirt for ancient artifacts. He’s obsessed with old words and lives in his own world. His summers are often spent traveling to new places to hunt for treasure with his trusty metal detector while trying not to get lost or stumble off a cliff.
Love has never been high on his priority list. His being autistic and asexual has often been a hurdle for other people. But he’s happy enough to plod along on his own with his horde like a fairy-tale dragon.
But sometimes, he allows himself to dream about a man out of his reach.
Two things about Falk “Grizz” Evensen are certain. He runs a successful security firm and has been hopelessly in love with his best friend’s younger brother for many years. Neither of them has ever dared to test the waters.
When Niclas plans to visit Cornwall for the summer, his older brother convinces Falk to join him under the auspices of keeping him safe.
Is this May-December romance doomed to be derailed by fears of unrequited love?
Will their treasure hunt lead them to true love or fool’s gold?
All Links: books2read.com/stubbedtoesanddatingwoes
The drive to Tintagel took no time at all. They arrived to find all the parking spaces in and around the castle jam-packed. Niclas seemed to shrink at the sounds of the tourists swarming around them.
“Like ants.”
“Sunburnt, shouting ants,” Niclas added to his comment. “Maybe we could go a little further up the coast to Backways Cove? Usually not as crowded. I’m not up to dodging my way through all these people.”
“I don’t blame you at all.” Falk pulled back onto the road and began heading in the direction Niclas pointed out to him. “Never been interested in mingling with the sunburnt and shouting.”
Niclas’s gaze darted over to him, then back to staring out the window. “They’re all a bit overwhelming. People always want to ask questions even when I’ve got my headphones on.”
“Tell you what. I’ll hang around behind you, glowering at all of them. It’ll put them off.” Falk had no doubts even the bravest person would steer clear of him, if only because of his height and his tendency to glower at people. “Or so I’m told.”
“Hmm.” Niclas leaned his head against the window. “Are we dating?”
“We’re going on one tonight, so I’d say we’re dating.” Falk always kept in mind that Niclas needed him to be clear and precise. He wasn’t going to read subtle well; he never had. “Definitely. And if I managed not to chase you off with my bad habits, maybe we’ll see where it develops.”
“What bad habits?”
“I’m told I’m too particular with how I fold my clothes—and make my bed.” Falk smiled when Niclas snickered at him. “Fastidious, I think, is the word your brother threw at me.”
“He used the word of the month calendar I got him.” Niclas grinned even wider when Falk laughed loudly. “He kept complaining about my using phrases that no one else did. So I figured it might help him expand his vocabulary.”
“Why do you love old words so much?”
“It’s history. Words mean something. We forget them like the items I find buried in the ground and rivers. There are some magnificent ones.”
Dahlia Donovan wrote her first romance series after a crazy dream about shifters and damsels in distress. She prefers irreverent humour and unconventional characters. An autistic and occasional hermit, her life wouldn’t be complete without her husband and her massive collection of books and video games.
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