Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review and giveaway for a new contemporary M/M/M menage romance from AT Brennan. HEALING HIM is the second in her The Den Boys series, and features a survivor of child sex abuse finding love and healthy intimacy with not one but two men of his dreams. It’s a standalone steamer!

Scroll down to meet two of this triad in a sweet excerpt and to enter the backlist book giveaway!
About the book:
“I hated that I was like this, but after years of trying to work through it I was beginning to feel like I’d never be normal.” ~ Cody
Hiding the fact that I was in love with my best friend Isaac used to be the most complicated part of my day, until a chance meeting with a handsome stranger named Jonah sent my life into a tailspin. Scars from my past have stopped me from giving in to my desires for so long, but I’m done being afraid. I want both men. I just don’t know if I’ll be able to trust that anyone can love me.

“I knew it was a bit messed up, but there was no jealousy or envy when I thought of my men together.” ~ Isaac
I’ve loved Cody for as long as I’ve known him, but have always held back because of his past. Then I met Jonah and I knew there was no way I could choose between them. I want it all—the man I’ve loved for so long, and the one I’m quickly falling for. It’s not going to be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is.

“I wanted to believe it was all true, but I couldn’t push aside the fear that I was just a distraction until the two of them got together.” ~ Jonah
After having my heart broken I never thought I’d find love again. I wasn’t looking for anything real, and then I met not one, but two men I can’t resist. Isaac and Cody are everything I ever wanted but didn’t know I could have. I want to believe the three of us can work, but a part of me can’t get past the fear that I’ll be the odd man out, again.

*This is Book 2 of The Den Boys series, but can be read as a standalone – no cliffhangers.

How about a little taste?

“So, start with Insidious?” I asked Cody as we flopped on his small couch.

“You’re evil.”

“What? We’ve seen it so many times you should know when the freaky parts happen. I could have said I Spit On Your Grave.”

“That movie was messed up, not scary.” Cody shook his head and took the beer I held out to him. “I’m never watching that one again.”

“True, how about The Grudge?”

“Fine, but I swear to god, if you change my ringtone to that creepy moaning noise, I’ll never speak to you again.”

I grinned and opened my computer to cue up the movie. We might be able to joke about that incident now, but at the time it had been anything but funny.

The first time we’d watched it together we’d only been friends for about a month. I’d waited until Cody had fallen asleep then downloaded the moaning sound the demon character made as his ringtone. Then I’d snuck into the bathroom, blocked my number and called his phone. We’d been at my place that night, and he’d flipped out.

I’d felt terrible at how badly I’d scared him. I’d thought he’d get a good laugh out of it and that would be the end of things, but he’d been so freaked out he hadn’t been able to sleep for hours.

That was the night I’d learned a little bit about Cody’s past, and why he hadn’t handled the joke well. It wasn’t so much the ringtone that had scared him, it had been waking up in my bed alone, scared and disoriented.

It had taken a few more months for Cody to open up and tell me more about his past, and every time he told me something new my heart broke a little bit more for him. Even now I’d learn about something he hadn’t told me yet, and I’d wish I could take away his pain.

The more time I’d spent with Cody, the more I’d realized that he was an incredible person. He wasn’t just sweet and kind, he was caring and fiercely loyal. He was also beautiful.

At five-nine he wasn’t short, but with his slender build and cherubic face he seemed so much younger than twenty-one. His big blue eyes were wide and expressive. He wore his blond hair shaved close on the sides but long on top, so it was constantly falling over his forehead and brushing the tops of his cheeks if he didn’t continuously push it back. Everything about him was so beautiful it was almost painful, and it hadn’t taken me long to fall in love with him.

If he’d been any other guy I would have asked him out on a date, and gotten to know him as a romantic interest instead of as a friend.

My Review:
Cody is a 21 year old man who has just gotten his first apartment, and thrives in his job as a bartender at The Den. He’s a survivor of forced child prostitution and abuse, and fled the foster care system before getting help and counseling at Open Arms, an LGBT-centered shelter in his town. It’s where he met the owner of The Den, who hired him and set him up with living arrangements. Cody suffers nightmares of his abuse, and has an aversion to touch that he’s been working through slowly and carefully with his best friend, Isaac. And, Cody has a big crush on Isaac, though he’s sure he can’t be a real partner for him. He’s never even had a first kiss, let alone a voluntary sexual encounter, and the idea of being physical with anyone induces panic-attacks and guilt.

Isaac is gone over Cody, but he’s content with the close friendship they have developed if that’s all Cody can ever handle. He knows some of Cody’s history and has been instigating little touches and platonic contact at Cody’s request for the past year. That said, when Isaac meets the newest counselor at Open Arms, Jonah, who’s come to visit Cody at The Den, Isaac isn’t a little turned on. He’s a lot. And Jonah, well, he can’t get over how sexy Cody and Isaac are. He expects they are a couple, but he’s happy to go home with Isaac when Isaac admits to being single.

Cody is a little sad that Isaac and Jonah might hook up, but he’s confused regarding how aroused that prospect makes him. He’s hardly noticed attraction for himself, but the idea of Isaac and Jonah together pushed all his “on” buttons. When he and Isaac discuss it, Isaac’s floored that Cody has feelings for him, and he’s overjoyed when Cody wants to kiss him! Their discussions lead to more than kissing–Jonah’s attracted to both Cody and Issac, and is down for expanding their sexytimes, to allow Cody to watch, and participate as much as he can.

Yep, sexual healing is the nature of this book. I’ll be truthful, this one is all about the feels, and getting it on. There were some accessory intrigues, and some other characters do interact with our budding trio, but it’s really focused on how they can fashion a relationship that counts them as equal shares in the experience. You’re going to want to keep a squeegee handy so all the steam doesn’t cloud the screen. I liked how carefully Jonah and Isaac were with Cody, and how they let him join them at his pace. For me, considering how pervasive and horrific the abuse Cody suffered, I though he came around a little quicker than I’d expected. Jonah has some reservations, too, thinking he’s just a passing fancy for Cody and Isaac. He’s been broken-hearted by a couple guys and is sure they won’t want him around long-term either. It’s sweet when they convince him it’s not true.

This one ends with an HEA, times three, and I liked this story enough to want to read new books down the road, especially whenever Isaac’s twin Noah get his own book.

Interested? You can find HEALING HIM on Goodreads and Amazon: US and UK.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a backlist book from AT Brennan.
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:
A.T. Brennan, who also writes under the name Mandie Mills, is a romance and erotica author. A native of Ottawa, Canada, she enjoys picking up and moving from city to city every few years. A former member of the Canadian Armed Forces, current entrepreneur and freelance writer, she enjoys spending her days working on her many projects and her nights writing and not getting enough sleep. Currently she lives on Canada’s East Coast with her family, both two- and four-legged. She enjoys collecting books and exploring the different sides of romance and romantic expression in her works.

You can visit her at website, or on Facebook for AT Brennan and Author Mandie Mills.