Never a Hero

By Marie Sexton

A Tucker Springs Novel

Owen Meade is in need of a hero. Sheltered, ashamed, and ridiculed by his own mother for his sexuality, his stutter, and his congenital arm amputation, Owen lives like a hermit, rarely leaving his apartment. He hardly dares to hope for more… until veterinarian Nick Reynolds moves in downstairs.

Charming, handsome Nick steals past Owen’s defenses and makes him feel almost normal. Meeting his fiery, determined little sister, June, who was born with a similar amputation, helps too. June always seems to get her way—she even convinces Owen to sign up for piano lessons with her. Suddenly the only thing standing between Owen and his perfect life is Nick. No matter how much he flirts, how attracted to Owen he seems to be, or how much time they spend together, Nick always pulls away.

Caught between his mother’s contempt and Nick’s stubbornness, Owen makes a decision. It’s time to be the hero of his own story, and that means going after what he wants: not just Nick, but the full life he deserves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
• Release date: Jul 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9781640809079

Marie Sexton

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

Reviews for Never a Hero

[shazov-133293 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this one! It could have been an angst fest, full of drama and tragedy. Instead, all the issues were handled with dignity, compassion and even a touch of humour where appropriate.

Truly another great story in the Tucker Springs series.

[drez-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars. Spoilerish, so read with caution. I tried to be vague, but I still think you can easily figure it out. I was very disappointed and angry with Owen's reaction to Nick's admission. I do understand being scared, but with all of Owen's talk about how other peoples' reactions affect him, you'd think he'd be more sympathetic. Nick kind of bothered me by the end too by acting like he was dying and/or condemning anyone who got involved with him to death as well. Listen, I wouldn't want to live with what he has to, but it's not the death sentence it used to be, and I don't understand why an intelligent, confident, and sweet man just couldn't figure that out, and that lots of people in his situation have relationships and if you're careful, it doesn't have to affect the other person. Other than that and Owen's mother (could someone please smack her?!), I loved this story. I liked the way Nick treated Owen from the beginning. It was great that he was blunt and didn't seem to stumble over the missing limb issue. And I loved how Owen grew in this book. He really came out of his shell, playing at the recital, not allowing Nick to push him away and stay in his cage, and standing up to his mother. Could she have been any worse?! Glad his dad came to his senses too. I had to laugh at the ending with Regina showing up. Wasn't expecting that.

Any chance we get Owen's dad's story?