Heroes in Love

The story of Daniel and Billy is so real. It may start with a classic meet-cute, crashing into one another’s arms, but the story dives so much deeper into their lives and fills the novel with so much raw emotion and love. It has me as a reader feeling very connected with almost every character in the story.

We’ve all read the cutesy, lovey-dovey romance that sends us head over heels, but we are not often gifted with the nitty-gritty that is the actual glue of romantic relationships. Daniel and Billy are both struggling in their personal lives with not only their careers, but also with their past relationships. They both have a lot to learn about communication, even if they already seem to have the intimacy part down pat!

The fiery passion between these two is only exemplified by how sweet they are as characters. They are both so caring that naturally when Chuck comes along with a mysterious past and a secret lost love, Billy and Daniel together find the key that may just be able to open up this grumpy old man’s heart again.

David C. Dawson does an excellent job creating characters that make an impactful story. Incredibly saucy sex scenes cannot even compare to the vibrant sauciness of Daniel’s good friend Maggie, whose biting wit and sincerity help craft this from a story of lust to a wonderfully memorable piece of romance. Not to mention Billy’s mother Sarah, who is an incredibly light and caring character with a set of unfortunate circumstances that just help guide Billy to be his best self. But trust me, there are many lusty moments too! The plot was thick with moments all over the spectrum of happy, sexy, and sad, and it was written so well that I was able to really let my heart laugh, love, and grieve the parts of the story that required me to do so.

Heroes in Love is an encouraging story about love, future aspirations, and forgiveness. It gives a wonderful assortment of queer representation that is so important to a much wider audience, and a story that is as well-written as it is H.O.T! David C. Dawson wrote true, REAL, love that takes hard work and care to cultivate, and it was such a pleasure to read along as the characters find their way to their true happiness. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who believes that love can find you at any time or place, and that true love will wait for you as long as you open your heart to the possibilities.

Billy Walsh retired from an acting career at an early age, to take care of his ailing mother. He’s very caring, selfless and has a shyness about him and most importantly he’s a loving son. To be closer and able to care for his mother, Billy works as a social worker in North East London. As if his client list isn’t already overloaded he’s given a new client, Chuck Stuart. Billy actually likes his visits with his elderly clients and enjoys listening to their stories.

On a visit with his Mother, he meets with Dr. Jerome. Unfortunately, the update on her is not good and Billy is just overwhelmed. While he’s trying to compose himself from the upsetting news, he’s approached by Daniel, who he had already ran into at the hospital.

Daniel Richards has a wonderful job as a musical director. He’s produced “Therapy on Stage” that works with all special needs youngsters. It seems he has hopes to spread out his production to more places. Daniel seems somewhat dominant, fun and a little hyper. He has a very close friend in Maggie who brings some very colorful items to decorate his home.As David and Billy start to get acquainted, Billy notices a sort of rudeness in Daniel when he get’s texts messages. It always seems Daniel breaks dates or has to immediately leave. Billy makes one mistake that could possibly end their exploration of a relationship.

Even with all the situations going on in Billy’s life, he befriends the cranky older man, Chuck Stuart. He finds out that Chuck is an American war veteran and has been holding on to a secret for over fifty years.

David C. Dawson is known for his “Delingpole Mysteries” about mystery, murder, and espionage. “Heroes In Love” was a wonderful surprise! This is his first, strictly, romantic novel and he did a spectacular job. It’s a warm, heartfelt, love story, filled with emotions and the ups and downs of these two men’s lives. David gives a very in-depth look at both Billy and Daniel’s lives, as very young boys and how they survived to where they are now.

There’s minor drama between Billy and Daniel but they always seem to take the time to talk things out and be honest with each other. I like the conversation that they have about love and what it really means to both of them. They both have to deal with things from their pasts and how to make amends.

David created such a wonderful character, Chuck Stuart, he absolutely stole my heart. This novel also brings art and music to the forefront. I was curious about the David Hockney painting “Peter Getting Out of Nick’s Pool” and looked it up.

I could just go on about this novel but I don’t want to reveal too much more because there’s so many great moments that are revealed in this novel. All I can say is if you’re looking for a superbly written romance story this is it!

Billy’s life is in a bit of a rut. He’s left his life as a fairly successful actor behind for his job as a social worker with a boss from hell. Add to that his mother is dying from cancer and he’s not had a social life for a year and yeah, things are not going well. He’s been assigned another new case at work and he’s barely got time for the cases he has! But what can he do?

He literally runs into Daniel while late to visit his mother at the hospital. Daniel the catches him in an emotional moment and offers to get him a coffee. They kind of hit it off and decide to go to a show and dinner together. Billy thinks why not? He could use a diversion. An surprise run in with his ex almost derails the evening, but they end up having a good time. Although Daniel bizarrely runs off.

When they next meet for dinner, things go better and they end up spending more time together. But they are trying to keep it casual. In the meantime, Daniel is super busy with work in music and Billy’s got his hands full with Chuck, his new elderly client. When Daniel suggests they do something nice for Chuck and take him to Cambridge for his birthday celebration, Billy is all for it. They meet up with some of Billy’s old acting friends and Chuck seems good with things. Until they go off for a bit and return to find Chuck arguing with another elderly gentleman.

Daniel decides he wants to solve the mystery of Chuck and the gentleman he was fighting with. There are some misgivings about butting into a client’s life, but Billy has a hard time staying out of it. When the mystery is somewhat solved, Billy confront Chuck. But tragedy strikes and Billy sees things more clearly – even if he’s number. Daniel’s life is about the change and Billy and Daniel need to figure out if their paths will diverge.

Well I really enjoyed this book! There are two love stories here – one just starting out and one that seems to be ending. But all is not lost! Billy and Daniel are both great characters. Billy is a bit self-sacrificing for his mum and Daniel is supportive and has a very compassionate heart we learn as well. Their story moves along at a reasonable and believable pace. Chuck and his guy are entertaining as well. Daniel’s friend Maggie and Billy’s mother round out the secondary characters that make the story real. Ultimately, decisions have to be made for the right reasons and sometimes, even if the wrong decisions are made, there is time to fix them. While there are sad moments, there are also moments of triumph in this story. This is the first book I’ve read from this author and hopefully it won’t be the last.

This was a sweet contemporary romance, interspersed with bittersweet moments that happen to just about all of us on this journey called LIFE.

Our two MCs, Daniel and Billy both work in healthcare to a degree. Daniel on the more artistic end of the spectrum as he incorporates music as a form of therapy and performance art into the lives of youth with disabilities of various types either mental or physical.

Billy is a once TV star turned social worker who left acting behind so he could be closer to his mom when she became ill. Now he visits clients each day to ensure they are having their medical needs met, as much as the health care system will allow, and hoping he is at least making some difference. The rest of the time he devotes to his mom and taking care of her.

As a mom who relies on her sons to take care of her, because of illness and disability, this book moved me in more ways than I intended for it to. It was filled with all kinds of wonderful emotions that ebbed and flowed like a gentle tide. There was never a feeling of being brow beaten with any particular one over another, however each one gave a slight tug on my soul.

This was a new to me author, and I enjoyed the experience of his storytelling immensely. I will be back for more in the future.