A FOUND AT THE BOOKSTORE Friday Five....

The characters:Stig Age: 38Occupation: Owner of Minton GalleriesBackground:Stig is a complex character. He was raised in an affluent home where his mother was a huge professional artist. He grew up with certain expectations on his deportment in all things. As a result, Stig is a bit of a wild-child...yes, even at 38. He doesn't make friends easily and can be what appears to be a really shallow guy. But all that facade he's putting on is hiding his vulnerable underbelly. Stig desperately wants a family...someone to belong to...love, and he's never even come close to that. He thought he might have a chance with that with Mac, but they were truly never right for one another. He just wants a connection, but he builds walls using snark and self deprecation that make it hard for anyone to get close.
Ryder Age: 26Occupation: Inspirational SpeakerBackground:Ryder was on his way with a full academic scholarship to MIT when he took a bad hit during the final football game of his senior year in high school. The traumatic brain injury left him physically and mentally handicapped with symptoms that come and go depending on how tired he is. It's been 8 years and he's given up on things ever getting better, which is why he tried to commit suicide last year (side-plot in Found at the Library). Because of his physical restrictions, it's difficult for Ryder to go out and make friends. He does speaking engagements, but they tend to be with service organizations with older members or high school kids. 

^^^This quote starts the book and personifies the inner battle that Ryder is fighting throughout.
Ties to the first book... First....just to clarify. Both of these books work as stand-alones. They each feature different couples, so you don't have to have read Found at the Library to enjoy Found at the Bookstore, or vice versa.
But this will explain how the two books tie together. Found at the Library featured Mac & Tommy a year before Found at the Bookstore takes place, although the epilogue of Found at the Library overlaps the opening scene in Found at the Bookstore.
Tommy is Ryder's older brother.Mac is Stig's ex-boyfriend and they remain pseudo-friends (their relationship is complicated).Because all their lives tie together, you will definitely see quite a bit of Mac & Tommy in this second book. In fact...there happens to be a quick weekend trip to Vegas...
So, yeah, that happens. :)
Also, for fans who like longer books...Found at the Library was ~55,000 words.Found at the Bookstore was ~90,000 words when I sent it to the editor. (we'll see if she recommends cutting it any.)
Amazon link for Found at the Library.
Why I love this book so much...Before I even finished writing Found at the Library, I knew there would be a sequel and exactly who I wanted to pair up. 
On the surface, Stig and Ryder may not be a likely couple. Stig is seriously experienced and jaded. Ryder is young and because of the circumstances of his life has led a pretty sheltered existence, but that has left him with his own version of being jaded. There's also a thirteen year difference between their ages. 
But they fit. They both have people in their lives, but continue to feel so alone. 
Their romance is a slow build. First, they become friends. I love that, because I make it no secret that I love friends to lovers tropes. It's provides such a phenomenally strong base for romance. And both Stig and Ryder are most definitely better together. 
They both have demons in their backgrounds, but together they overcome.And that makes them one of my favorite couples. *happy sigh*

The blurb...
After suffering a traumatic brain injury the final football game his senior year in high school, Ryder Garrett’s life was never normal again. Most days he’s happy when he can remember the way home. There’s no room in his life for romance or love, which means he’s destined to die a virgin.


Stig Minton doesn’t remember what virginity felt like. Twelve years older than Ryder, he’s been around the block too many times to count and has the scars to prove it...both physically and mentally.


But as these two men come together to help with a wedding, they forge a friendship, a friendship they both desperately need. As their relationship evolves, feelings go deeper. But is it stupid to risk this new—and, yes necessary—bond in pursuit of something that’s doomed to fail?


They both think they’re too broken to make this work. But what if they’re wrong?


Two broken souls may just be able to find reparation in one another.
Book #2 in the Found Series.  And now what you've all been waiting for...The cover reveal.
Cover designer: Amanda Matthews (AM Design Studios)Cover model and photographer: Nathan Hainline
Add FOUND AT THE BOOKSTORE to your Goodreads shelf... HERE
I don't have a set release date for this book yet, but I'll have a better idea once I have the edits back and will set up a preorder for it.
Have a great weekend, everyone!smiles,Christi