Place to Belong

The Flanagan Sisters #4

by Claire Boston

Sean Flanagan has spent a lifetime alone and rejected, constantly hiding who he really is.

With a father who deserted him and a mother who despised him, Sean didn’t think things could get much worse … until he was kicked out of home for being gay. Now he’s discovered he has three half-sisters on the other side of the world. This might be his last chance to find people who will love and accept him. But he’s terrified that if they find out who he really is then they’ll reject him like the rest of his family.

Sean arrives in Houston and is stunned by the warm welcome he receives from his sisters. He begins to hope that maybe this time things will be different. That’s when he meets Hayden Johnson. To follow his heart means risking everything with his newfound family.

Hayden is tired of endless dating. He’s looking for a man to love, someone to spend the rest of his life with. His boss’s new brother ticks all the boxes on the attraction scale, but there’s just one problem – he’s not gay.

Will Sean let his fears rule him, or will he let in the chance of love and find a place where he belongs?

I love this family and it is only getting better with the addition of Sean.  Those that have read the rest of The Flanagan Sisters series will know what to expect – great characters, smooth writing, and a realistic story that draws you in from the start.  Boston hasn’t turned away from difficult issues before and she doesn’t here either.  She does a great job of putting a face to some hard social issues – like homosexuality, homelessness, teen pregnancy, abuse.

I feel so bad for Sean, that he thinks he has to hide his sexuality and that’s he’s afraid that he won’t be loved if anyone finds out.  I know that this isn’t such an uncommon thing, even today (or maybe especially today), but it breaks my heart to have it laid out so well and with such an endearing character.  Boston does an amazing job of capturing his fear and showing us why he feels the way he does.  You know that he’s wrong about the Flanagan’s but he doesn’t and she makes sure you understand that.

Hayden has a lot of patience and is willing to give Sean the time he needs to see that it’s OK to be gay, that his newfound family will still accept him.  It’s not easy to hide their attraction but he’s willing to do it for now.  It’s a nice contrast of the man who feels comfortable with who he is, loved and accepted by his friends & family, with the man who has been shunned for the same thing.

While Hayden is just so completely awesome (which returning readers already know), it is really Sean’s journey that we are here for.  The moment that Sean realizes that he’s going to be OK is so touching and, as he gets some resolution with his present and his past, you feel such joy for him to be able to have that.  Even while it is a heartbreaker that he had to be there at all.

Although this is part of a series, it isn’t necessary to have read the rest to enjoy this story but it will help you understand the rest of the characters.  And they are such great stories, so why wouldn’t you want to read them all!