Dana and Erryn review ‘Wynn (Single Dads of Gaynor Beach Book #3)’ by Amelia Hayden. The book was self-published on May 24, 2022 and is 220 pages.
Why Dana read: I liked the first two books, so I wanted to keep reading.
Why Erryn read: I’m invested in this new series.
Wynn left home after a bitter fight with his father over his plans for marriage and his future career. Now he’s back nearly twenty years later, divorced, with a son he barely knows, to settle his father’s estate. He hopes to make a new life in Gaynor Beach and perhaps experience what he’d denied himself for years.
Lance Willis was the spoiled child of the mayor of Gaynor Beach. Known to snub those he thought were beneath him and to use his father’s position to get what he wanted. Until one night he went too far and his family sent him away. Or so the town thought…
Wynn is a MM gay romance featuring a man coming to grips with the loss of his estranged father through the most unlikely source, while another tries to find who he is instead of who he’s been told to be, and a lighthouse that perhaps holds the answer for them both.
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Erryn’s review:
I have a fondness for lighthouses. We used to visit and island every summer while I was growing up and the edge of the island had a lighthouse. When I was older, I looked into becoming a lightkeeper. Since the job required mechanical skills, I gave up on that dream pretty quickly.
Why am I reminiscing now? Because Wynn centers around the lighthouse in Gaynor Beach – a town I fall more in love with each time I visit. I also might’ve fallen in love with Wynn and Lance a little bit as well.
Lance seems to have everything in life – a rich family, a huge house he lives in with his mother, and he’s about to come upon a nice tidy trust fund. In truth, he’s miserable. His mother claims his homosexuality put his father into an early grave. She berates him continuously, yet also expects the twenty-four-year-old to marry a socialite and become mayor in town. Is it any wonder he’s close to the edge? When he discovers the old lightkeeper – for whom he had a great fondness – has died, he loses it. He goes to the place where he’s most comfortable in the world. And then, in an epic moment, he meets Wynn.
Wynn resented his father – the lightkeeper. After his mother’s death, Wynn’s father folded in on himself and then when Wynn brought home his prospective bride, his father said he was making a huge mistake. Sometimes love blinds us, and Wynn resented his father’s attitude. All these years later, he’s willing to admit the marriage was a mistake. But he has his beautiful son. He can’t reconcile with his father, but he can move back to Gaynor Beach to start a new life. Far away from the pressures of city living. Far away from his ex who is so focused on work that she barely notices their child.
So Wynn meets Lance and it’s attraction at first sight. But there’s a good distance in their ages – Lance is closer in age to Wynn’s son than he is to Wynn. And Lance also needs to figure out how to stand on his own two feet. It’d be very easy to go from his mother’s dominance to Wynn’s without having to make the tough decisions for himself. Wynn is patient and only wants what’s best for Lance. Wynn has always known he’s bi and Lance has always known he’s gay, but that doesn’t mean they’re experienced. As they make their way, they have treacherous waters to navigate – not the least is Lance’s mother and Wynn’s son.
I loved watching this relationship develop. When things finally sorted out, I saw how perfect the men were for each other. Again, I hope to see more of them as the series continues.
Erryn’s Rating:
10/10 Points of Gold (100% Recommended) – Compares to 5/5 Stars
Dana’s review:
So far this series has all been new to me authors, and I have enjoyed reading their individual writing styles. Wynn is the first one in which both main characters didn’t have kids they were in charge of or the parent of. But, as it is the Single Dads of Gaynor Beach series, one mc is a father.
Wynn comes back to Gaynor Beach after his dad died, and after he got burned out practicing corporate law. When he left Gaynor Beach, he and his dad had fought over who Wynn was meant to be. His dad meant well, but after Wynn’s mom died, he had been somewhat absent. It didn’t endear Wynn to his father’s plan. If Wynn hadn’t left, though, he wouldn’t have his son or his life experiences that have him ready for the quieter pace of Gaynor Beach, so I can’t say things aren’t how they were meant to be. Wynn’s own relationship with his son, Shaun, is strained because of Wynn’s former career and the time it took away from his family.
Lance is in his early twenties, a bit younger than Wynn. His parents have had little use for him besides trying to fulfill their desires for familial wealth and power through Lance. His life has been controlled from early on and after a potentially embarrassing incident as a teen, Lance was sent away to boarding school where his parents could keep tabs on him without having to see him. Immediately I was drawn to this character because his inner turmoil was so strong and it made me hurt for him. It’s just Lance and his mom, in the present, and she is a very unlikable character, putting it lightly.
Lance and Wynn’s meeting is kind of a strange one. Wynn rescues Lance in a similar way that Wynn’s dad had also rescued Lance. Shared body heat had them experiencing an erotic and intimate moment, but the morning has things feeling uncomfortable. After that they try to resume their normal lives as if they hadn’t met, but they just keep running into each other.
It’s not a smooth ride and Lance, rightly, needs some time to discover who he is without influence. It is a romance though, and things do get good. I have to say that I really love Wynn’s son, Shaun. He takes the news of his father’s bisexuality really well, and throws all his support behind Wynn and Lance. He also is a good friend to Lance in all his own self-discovery. Shaun is an excellent side character, though he is pretty much the only one.
I found it a little sad there wasn’t one single likable female in this story. Perhaps Wynn’s mom was loving when she was alive but her loss impacted Wynn and his father badly. Wynn’s female best friend and Lance’s mother behaved horridly, and Wynn’s ex-wife doesn’t seem like much to talk about. Female representation in this book was poor, but I did really love Lance and Shaun and Wynn.
This book did bring back a little bit more description of the town and there is a cute story about the lighthouse that grasped my heart. I have to say that I am enjoying the series and I recommend this book. I’m looking forward to the next one.
Dana’s Rating:
9/10 Pots of Gold (90% Recommended) – Compares to 4.5/5 Stars
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