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1Night Stand #240
Saving the Date
After a vicious gay bashing, Morgan has spent the last three years working hard to survive and thrive. His latest plan? Using Madame Evangeline’s high-end dating service, 1NightStand, to take the anniversary of the worst night of his life and replace it with a good—and maybe even sexy—memory.
Zach, a police officer with the Hate Bias Crime Unit, is still coming to terms with his divorce and struggling to move on with his life. Using a matchmaking service is so very not his style, but sometimes a guy has to trust his friends—even if they don't know everything about him, and he's not sure they ever will.
Face-to-face, however, it becomes clear that despite an attraction, there's a problem. Morgan and Zach have already met—three years ago. But with some courage, a couple of pairs of skates, and a leap of faith? Morgan and Zach have a shot at saving more than one day. Together? They might just make a future
Zach, a police officer with the Hate Bias Crime Unit, is still coming to terms with his divorce and struggling to move on with his life. Using a matchmaking service is so very not his style, but sometimes a guy has to trust his friends—even if they don't know everything about him, and he's not sure they ever will.
Face-to-face, however, it becomes clear that despite an attraction, there's a problem. Morgan and Zach have already met—three years ago. But with some courage, a couple of pairs of skates, and a leap of faith? Morgan and Zach have a shot at saving more than one day. Together? They might just make a future
ebook
First published February 23, 2018
3 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
'Nathan Burgoine
50 books457 followers'Nathan Burgoine grew up a reader and studied literature in university while making a living as a bookseller. His first published short story was "Heart" in the collection Fool for Love: New Gay Fiction. Since then, he has had dozens of short stories published, and despite being "the tall queer guy who writes mosly shorter queer fictions" novels have happened between the novellas and short stories.
A cat lover, 'Nathan managed to fall in love and marry Daniel, who is a confirmed dog person. Their ongoing "cat or dog?" détente ended with the rescue and adoption of huskies. They live in Ottawa, Canada, where socialized health care and gay marriage have yet to cause the sky to cave in.
You can find 'Nathan on the web at nathanburgoine.com.
A cat lover, 'Nathan managed to fall in love and marry Daniel, who is a confirmed dog person. Their ongoing "cat or dog?" détente ended with the rescue and adoption of huskies. They live in Ottawa, Canada, where socialized health care and gay marriage have yet to cause the sky to cave in.
You can find 'Nathan on the web at nathanburgoine.com.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
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February 26, 2018Edit: Today's the day! Saving the Date is now available.
Hello! It's me, the author, being all authory.
As of this morning, Saving the Date has gone live for pre-order, so I thought I’d take some time to chat about this upcoming novella, and maybe whet your interest.
Saving the Date was born thanks to Romancing the Capital, where I met Angela S. Stone, a fellow author. We were going to be on a panel together, and I always try to read something the other authors have written before a panel, and I found her 1Night Stand story, Unsportsmanlike Conduct. I hadn’t heard of 1Night Stand before, but it’s a many-authored series about a matching agency (the aforementioned 1Night Stand) run by the mysterious Madame Eve, who has an uncanny knack of matching people perfectly for a night (and often, longer thereafter, even if they go in expecting just one night.) They’re fun, and short, and sexy, and when Angela suggested we could co-author one, it seemed like a really neat idea, and I started pondering for a character.
We split the book into Point-of-View. She’d write Character A, I’d write Character B, and before long we both had our ideas in place: her character, Zach, would be a divorced and closeted bi fellow; I was writing Morgan, a surviving (and thriving) victim of violence who’d reached the point where he was ready for some intimacy (though maybe not much more than that). From there, the ideas grew, deciding on complications took a while, and we went forward. Spin this up two years or so, and here we are with Saving the Date.
My goals for Morgan were specific. I wanted to write a character thriving post-bashing, but also pay some attention to what it’s like to carry scars and have a conflicted level of emotion about them. I wanted to write a character who’d done emotional and physical work recovering and recognizing he was ready for something more, with the guidance of a therapist and friends. I wanted to write a character who screws up a bit on this path, but recovers and gets through thanks to communicating with someone who understands at least a part of his struggle. And, most of all, I wanted to show one character who’d been hurt, not a representative of some nebulous everyone, because there is no one reaction or path or result.
Oh, and for those who read Handmade Holidays? There’s also a cameo or two to look forward to.
Hello! It's me, the author, being all authory.
As of this morning, Saving the Date has gone live for pre-order, so I thought I’d take some time to chat about this upcoming novella, and maybe whet your interest.
Saving the Date was born thanks to Romancing the Capital, where I met Angela S. Stone, a fellow author. We were going to be on a panel together, and I always try to read something the other authors have written before a panel, and I found her 1Night Stand story, Unsportsmanlike Conduct. I hadn’t heard of 1Night Stand before, but it’s a many-authored series about a matching agency (the aforementioned 1Night Stand) run by the mysterious Madame Eve, who has an uncanny knack of matching people perfectly for a night (and often, longer thereafter, even if they go in expecting just one night.) They’re fun, and short, and sexy, and when Angela suggested we could co-author one, it seemed like a really neat idea, and I started pondering for a character.
We split the book into Point-of-View. She’d write Character A, I’d write Character B, and before long we both had our ideas in place: her character, Zach, would be a divorced and closeted bi fellow; I was writing Morgan, a surviving (and thriving) victim of violence who’d reached the point where he was ready for some intimacy (though maybe not much more than that). From there, the ideas grew, deciding on complications took a while, and we went forward. Spin this up two years or so, and here we are with Saving the Date.
My goals for Morgan were specific. I wanted to write a character thriving post-bashing, but also pay some attention to what it’s like to carry scars and have a conflicted level of emotion about them. I wanted to write a character who’d done emotional and physical work recovering and recognizing he was ready for something more, with the guidance of a therapist and friends. I wanted to write a character who screws up a bit on this path, but recovers and gets through thanks to communicating with someone who understands at least a part of his struggle. And, most of all, I wanted to show one character who’d been hurt, not a representative of some nebulous everyone, because there is no one reaction or path or result.
Oh, and for those who read Handmade Holidays? There’s also a cameo or two to look forward to.
June 13, 2019
I loved this short but sexy read - the two heroes are both facing their own issues but they are ready to embrace love for themselves. I loved this. The premise of meeting through an app that is for one night stands and the mistaken identity (is that the right word?) at the meet-cute was delightful. The sex was hot and tender - and respectful of the challenge faced by one of the heroes after a violent gay-bashing.
I loved this story and recommend it highly!
Note: I picked this book as part of my 2019 Diverse Reading Challenge and this was suggested by the author for the category, "author and character living with a mental illness".
You can track my progress and my challenge here: https://robincovingtonromance.com/201...
I loved this story and recommend it highly!
Note: I picked this book as part of my 2019 Diverse Reading Challenge and this was suggested by the author for the category, "author and character living with a mental illness".
You can track my progress and my challenge here: https://robincovingtonromance.com/201...
February 24, 2018
4 stars
May 3, 2021
The end alone was so swoon worthy, I may just reread that bit repeatedly when I need a melty moment.
February 17, 2019
Sweet and sexy - perfect!
This was my first book in my 2019 Diverse Reading Challenge and it was the perfect start! The heroes were both real and their attraction and affection was tender. Morgan was brave and Zach was understanding - both were brave.
This was my first book in my 2019 Diverse Reading Challenge and it was the perfect start! The heroes were both real and their attraction and affection was tender. Morgan was brave and Zach was understanding - both were brave.
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August 28, 2018Loved it! It's a little novella, so it only took me about 2 hours to read (with slight breaks) but it's also one of those stories you just want to keep going with because it just has that kind of pace. The characters are great and feel very real, like you could wander into the coffee shop in the story and run into them, especially with the little quirks that make them feel that way. Also loved the physical and emotional connection that the two of them share as the night progresses. Sweet, hot, fun, and sexy, this one definitely has them all.
August 5, 2018
I bought this today and finished it in one read. I really love that this wasn't some one-dimensional hookup story. Woven into the sexual attraction were moments of vulnerability, compassion, sweetness, and fun. I really loved the way consent played a big role as well. That was well done and organic to the story.
A good collaboration of these two authors. Reads seamlessly. Btw, I've also read 'Nathan Burgoine's Handmade Holidays, so it was cool to see the links to that story as well.
A good collaboration of these two authors. Reads seamlessly. Btw, I've also read 'Nathan Burgoine's Handmade Holidays, so it was cool to see the links to that story as well.
August 7, 2018
Absolutely loved this from cover to cover. The references, the cute rambling, the characters. All of it was just amazing. The author's have completely out done themselves.
August 27, 2018
This was an extremely sexy read that also completely engages your emotions. Even our characters, Morgan and Zach, a little stunned by how quickly their hearts come into play. Highly recommend this wonderful book!
February 24, 2018
This was such a sweet story and romance. The love aspect was pretty sudden but I found it rather easy to believe thanks to Morgan and Zach's personalities/chemistry and the really wonderful epilogue.
My one minor complaint - and this is a *me* thing - I hate when characters, especially in a romance, describe each other as - the other man/woman, the larger/smaller man/woman etc so often that it ends up sounding impersonal to me. It works at first for this story - since they had just met on a blind date - but after a while it felt distracting. But very minor...I loved both of the men, their individual stories and their chosen family.
My one minor complaint - and this is a *me* thing - I hate when characters, especially in a romance, describe each other as - the other man/woman, the larger/smaller man/woman etc so often that it ends up sounding impersonal to me. It works at first for this story - since they had just met on a blind date - but after a while it felt distracting. But very minor...I loved both of the men, their individual stories and their chosen family.
December 30, 2018
The collaboration of these two authors is phenomenal. The story pulls you in and holds you tight. As a person who also has a semi colon tattoo this story spoke volumes to what the project means to people. ❤️ to both Angela and Nathan for this story.
December 11, 2022
Introduces characters I need to know for some books I’m reading over the next couple of weeks. Skimmed over a few pages, but the Misfit Toys/Phoebe sections were well worth it. I’m never the target audience for these but solid stuff.
December 22, 2024
Oh my heart!! Morgan is the sweetest, gentlest, kindest man, and some horrible bigot beat the shit out of him. Three years later this where we meet him, preparing to date again. What a touching tale this is, and of all people to be hooked up with!!!
March 11, 2019
Sexy fun
July 22, 2022
I enjoyed this story about a former victim of severe gay-bashing moving past the trauma and reclaiming that date on the calendar with a one night stand that shows surprising potential for more.
November 25, 2022
Love the "misfits" universe Burgoine has created... found family is everything.
December 2, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up. Could've really done with an editor to clear up all the 'him's' used in various paragraphs, but liked the fact that Morgan and Zach seemed made for each other.
June 17, 2024
Charming and sexy and kind; like all of Burgoine's work that I have read so far (this also has a co-author, Angela S. Stone) who I did not know prior but will check out.
July 11, 2022
3.5
It's clear that many of the plot decisions are very intentionally made by the authors to go against some of the often used toxic tropes in romance genre and books with queer characters in general (for example: no GFY, carefully discussed consent, experienced violence (hate crime) as event with life-changing consequences and not a plot device, comment about gate-keeping in queer community, MCs aren't the only queer characters etc). I just personally didn't like some of the descriptions, some of the other plot decisions.
One of the authors 'Nathan Burgoine has a wonderful blog with some of the posts commenting aforementioned (and not only) tropes and tendencies:
about Gay For You trope
how queer isn’t synonymous with romance (and a bit about how the well-meaning slogan "love is love" (when used as encompassing the whole spectre of identities) is inherently exclusionary)
about (seldom seen) queer friendships and platonic relationships
about reconciliation with abuser as necessary for your personal growth because family is acceptance narrative
I Shouldn’t Have to Tell You Queer Bashers Aren’t Hot
Pseudonyms vs. Identities
role of scars in Saving the Date
It's clear that many of the plot decisions are very intentionally made by the authors to go against some of the often used toxic tropes in romance genre and books with queer characters in general (for example: no GFY, carefully discussed consent, experienced violence (hate crime) as event with life-changing consequences and not a plot device, comment about gate-keeping in queer community, MCs aren't the only queer characters etc). I just personally didn't like some of the descriptions, some of the other plot decisions.
One of the authors 'Nathan Burgoine has a wonderful blog with some of the posts commenting aforementioned (and not only) tropes and tendencies:
about Gay For You trope
how queer isn’t synonymous with romance (and a bit about how the well-meaning slogan "love is love" (when used as encompassing the whole spectre of identities) is inherently exclusionary)
about (seldom seen) queer friendships and platonic relationships
about reconciliation with abuser as necessary for your personal growth because family is acceptance narrative
I Shouldn’t Have to Tell You Queer Bashers Aren’t Hot
Pseudonyms vs. Identities
role of scars in Saving the Date
May 23, 2024
3.5 rounded up. Extra points for the subject matter being very sensitively written, while still having a light touch. This is a sweet book, and I loved the ending, but there were a few points I wasn't 100% sure about while reading
October 8, 2018
I really enjoyed this novella. Great writing and the two author’s voices blended seamlessly. It was also a nice change to have a main character who wasn’t perfect physically. Definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an engaging shorter read.
February 26, 2018
Really liked this one. Short and sweet.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews