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Book Title: Full Balance (The Peachtree Series, Book 3)
Author: Brigham Vaughn
Publisher: Two Peninsulas Press
Cover Artist: Brigham Vaughn
Genre/s: Contemporary M/M Romance
Trope/s: May/December, age gap, hurt comfort, workplace romance,
found family,
Themes: Marriage equality, family acceptance/homophobia,
exploring light kink, friends and chosen family, emotional baggage,
established couple, adoption.
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 108 000 words
Goodreads
Buy Links
Universal Link | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Love doesn’t always look like you expect.
Russ Bishop and Stephen Parker have settled into wedded bliss.
They've moved into a spacious new condo, found professional success, and their connection in the bedroom is as sizzling as ever.
Neither of them ever expected to become parents but when their volunteer work at the Open Doors Shelter makes them realize how many LGBTQ youth are in desperate need of a home, they begin to reconsider.
After a snarky teenager named Austin comes into their lives, their future together will never be the same. ________________________________________________________________
My Rating - 5 Stars!
Full Balance, the third book in the Peachtree series, is a wonderful read. This Brigham Vaughn book easily picks up on Russ and Stephen's life a couple years after their wedding.
Now married, Russ and Stephen are in a great place in their lives. But things are ever changing and they need to deal with Russ's new interest in being foster parents.
Austin's a teen at the LGBT center who suddenly he needs a new foster home. His backstory is heart wrenching, and his abandonment issues had me wanting to take care of him myself. If anyone needs some love and stability infused into their lives, it's Austin. He's a fantastic addition to their lives with the author exploring some of the natural complications that arise.
Russ and Stephen continue to be a great couple who perfectly balance one another. Loving. Supportive. Encouraging. And of course they're still sizzling together. They are just perfect for each other.
I adore the way the author explores that change is okay. Change happens and the unknown doesn't always have bad results. The men have to deal with some inconveniences, but know the benefits outweigh the negatives.
The writing is great, just as we've come to expect from this author. The characters and storyline are well developed. There are some secondary characters who add a lot of charm to the story. It's a long read, with plenty of details, but I enjoyed it all.
Full Balance is a sweet and heart-warming book by Brigham Vaughn. It's a long read so be prepared to spend so time with this family. You won't be disappointed. And the epilogue is beautiful!
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“I swear it just gets better with time,” Stephen said.
Russ kissed him. “Me too. I had no idea married sex would be so good. If I did, I might have been more eager to get married when I was younger.”
Stephen chuckled.
“This is going to change, won’t it?”
Stephen slipped an arm around his waist, pulling him even closer as he studied his face. Russ’s expression was soft but there was a little edge of worry in his gaze.
“It will,” Stephen said, knowing he was talking about how becoming parents would change their sex life. He ran his thumb across Russ’s cheek. “We’ll have additional responsibilities and stressors. Much less privacy. But it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It’ll be tougher but that doesn’t mean we can’t find some benefits along the way.”
“Like what?” Russ gave him a curious, inquisitive look.
“Like … it may bring us even closer.” He took Russ’s hand and brought his palm to his lips. “It may deepen our relationship further.”
“I like that.” Russ pulled him closer.
“I think going into this with our eyes wide open is our best chance of success. We need our relationship to stay solid so we can give whoever we bring into our lives the best, most stable home we can. Which means working together to solve problems.”
“Agreed,” Russ said.
“No running away.”
Russ gave him a wry grin. “Got it.”
“Hey that’s not just a reminder for you,” Stephen said gently. “I’ve pushed you away at times too. And I think this will probably bring up a lot of baggage we both have about the ways we were raised.”
“True.” Russ’s expression turned serious.
“So we can’t let that overwhelm us. Or come between us.”
“Absolutely.” Russ hesitated. “Are you excited about this at all though?”
“About the idea of becoming parents? Yeah, I am,” Stephen said. “I remember how satisfying it was to see Evan grow into himself and he was an adult and only with us for a month and a half. The idea of being able to watch that growth over years in someone who needs it even more … well that’s a challenge I never expected to take on. But I am excited about it.”
“Me too.” Russ grinned. “I am really looking forward to calling my sister and telling her she’ll be Aunt Addie.”
Stephen chuckled. “I look forward to that as well. Jeremy is going to be shocked. That should be fun.”
“We have a lot to look forward to, don’t we?”
“We do.” Russ pulled him in for a kiss and Stephen went willingly. “Thank you for making this a very happy Valentine’s Day.”
“You know, if someone had asked me five years ago how I’d feel about making the person I’m married to a father, I would have kindly assured them they were very, very confused,” Stephen said drily.
Russ’s laugh was loud and genuine. “I would imagine.”
“And yet …” Stephen couldn’t quite finish the thought. His heart was too full.
Russ smiled as if he understood. So Stephen leaned in to kiss him again. They had the whole night ahead of them to celebrate this happiness. Why not take the time while they had it?
Their lives were about to change in a very big way.
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GAY BOOK PROMOTIONS
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
AUTHOR NAME: BRIGHAM VAUGHN
Tell us a little about yourself.
I am a full-time author. I am single (divorced) with no kids and I live with my parents. Not exactly where I pictured being at the age of 38, but it’s actually been a really great experience for me. I moved in with them after my divorce/when I quit my day job to write full time and it’s been a really unique opportunity to get to know them as adults and to pursue making a living as an author without the pressure of paying for rent, etc. I’ve been exceptionally fortunate.
Long term, I am working toward the goal of not just moving out but moving to Ireland! I have a lot of work to do before that happens but I’m hopeful and I’ve made great progress in the past six months or so that has me feeling really encouraged that I can achieve that.
In my free time, I love to cook, do yoga, run, hike, paint, sew, and do other crafty things.
I write contemporary LGBTQ romance. I primarily write m/m but I also have a few f/f and m/m/f stories.
Do you have a favorite quote (either from your own books or one’s you’ve read)?
One of my favorite lines that I’ve ever written was from Trust the Connection. Evan, who is a twenty-one-year old guy working for a funeral home and he’s talking about how working there has put things in perspective for him. He’s talking to Jeremy, who is fifteen years older and in a very rough place coming to terms with injuries he dealt with after a devastating car accident. He says: “Life is fragile and weird and confusing, and the only thing I know that makes any sense at all is to hold on to what matters.”
That really resonated with me. You have to go after what you want and fight for it and you can’t count on there being a tomorrow. I think it’s especially important to remember right now.
How long have you been writing and what made you fall in love with writing?
Although I didn’t write down my stories on paper as a kid, I told them constantly. I acted them out with dolls/Barbies and made up stories in my head all the time. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t do that. My parents read to me a lot and took me to the library/bought me books a lot so I am sure that’s where it came from.
Did you always want to be a writer?
No. I know a lot of writers say they grew up wanting to be a writer but it never occurred to me. I knew I loved books, I loved reading, I knew I had stories in my head but it never really clicked that I could be a writer until I was writing fanfiction in my late 20s/early 30s and had multiple people suggest I start publishing. Even then, I never dreamed it would turn into a career!
What are your ambitions for your writing career?
To sell enough books that I can move to Ireland and have enough left over to have a comfortable living and travel a little. I want to write and have people fall in love with my characters but not be so rushed to put out releases that I can’t enjoy the process. Basically, find that happy medium where it’s an enjoyable career but still self-supporting. Which is not easy but I’m determined.
What’s your favorite part of writing?
Seeing the characters come alive on the page and then having readers respond to them exactly the way I did. It’s so gratifying. It’s like they aren’t even MY characters anymore, they’re just real people whose story I told and that feels amazing.
When/where is your favorite time/place to write?
Earlier this year, I got invited to be a part of a writing sprint group. We (generally) write in the mornings from roughly eight in the morning to noon. That’s a flexible thing and we don’t always stick to it but it’s gotten me into a great routine. I have a really nice ergonomic setup at a desk in my bedroom. I have a comfy desk chair, two monitors, and a docking station for my laptop. It really makes it more comfortable to spend a good chunk of my day there.
What genre/s do you enjoy reading in your free time?
I am actually reading a non m/m series by C.S. Harris called the Sebastian St. Cyr series. It’s a thriller/mystery series set in Regency England. It’s a nice break from thinking about contemporary m/m books and it’s my “go to” genre outside of that.
What was the last book you read? What did you like about it?
There are 16 books in the Sebastian St. Cyr series and I just started book 10, Who Buries the Dead.
What I love about the series is that not only is it an excellent mystery with a ton of amazingly well-researched history, it’s set in Regency England and discusses political issues like race, poverty, slavery, women’s rights, the treatment of the Irish, etc. from what would seem like a modern stance but the author very deftly created a character whose backstory makes it perfectly logical he’d come to those conclusions. It’s really brilliant and deftly done.
Have you held any interesting jobs while you worked on your books?
When I first began publishing, I worked at a hospital doing patient registration. Since then, I’ve done some transcription and house/pet sitting to fill in the gaps in my writing income. I really enjoyed the house and pet sitting. I miss being able to do that now (because of the pandemic).
How do you relax?
Not very well? *laughs* it’s something I really have to work at, to be honest. Once I get started working I find it difficult to stop and wind down. I am trying though. Lighter TV shows help (like The Great British Bake Off). I do yoga. I bake/cook. And I like to paint.
THANK YOU
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Brigham Vaughn is on the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time author. She devours books at an alarming rate and hasn't let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga. She makes a killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can't wait to discover everything else life has to offer her.
Her books range from short stories to novellas to novels. They explore gay, bisexual, lesbian, and polyamorous romance in contemporary settings.
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