MY PERFECT SCREWUP

by Ryan Taylor & Joshua Harwood

Cover & Excerpt Reveal

Release Date: August 9, 2023

Cover Design:

Cate Ashwood Designs
Photo:

Xram Ragde
Model:

Edu Volpato

Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance

Trope: Second chance, age-gap, found family, college professor/student, HEA

Synopsis

Daniel

I got my Ph.D. and a fantastic teaching job by keeping my nose to the grindstone and avoiding relationships. Not that I didn’t like men—quite the opposite—but getting involved took time I didn’t have.

One summer evening, I went out for a drink and met the most beautiful guy I’d ever seen. After an unforgettable night, I couldn’t wait to meet up again, but I missed our date. Imagine my panic when I realized we’d forgotten to trade numbers.

Caleb

A summer job as a law firm intern kept me busy, but one night, I needed to blow off some steam. At the bar, a gorgeous man saved me from an overzealous admirer. My rescuer gave me the kiss of my life, and I wound up in his bed. After the night turned out to be even better than the kiss, we made a date to meet again. Unfortunately, he no-showed on me, leaving me disappointed and confused for months.

The following spring, when I showed up for a class taught by some hotshot new professor, a breathtaking man walked into the room. My heart stopped because my new professor was the guy who stood me up last summer. Was I glad to see him? I wasn’t sure. But one thing was certain—I was the very last person he wanted in his class.

One man is trying to get tenure in the job of his dreams; the other is set to graduate and begin law school. Life brought them together under random circumstances, and their path isn’t an easy one. How can they make a relationship work without sacrificing everything?

My Perfect Screwup is a contemporary gay romance involving a missed opportunity and second chance to get it right. The book includes a relationship between a college professor and student, age gap, unwavering connection, incendiary heat, found family, and dreamy HEA.

Excerpt

Eager to see Marlowe’s new history whiz, I put on a big smile and sat up. A man walked to the lectern, and my eyes nearly popped out of my head. He was stunning, with a hard, muscular body, short brown hair, and sultry dark eyes. When he glanced around, shock hit me like a brick wall, and it was like all the air had been sucked out of the room. Fuck the hell out of me!

On second thought, there’s no need. He already did. Several times.

There was no doubt it was Daniel; I’d have recognized him anywhere. But realizing he was a faculty member at Marlowe was the surprise of the year. I’d known he was a teacher, but not what he taught. When I left his apartment that day in New York, he’d said he had a meeting at NYU, so I wondered if there was a connection there.

Shit, what am I going to do? I need this class, but I can’t stay here, looking at him every day and remembering what we did. Even if I could stand it, he may not let me. Isn’t there a rule about teaching someone you’ve hooked up with? This could be a disaster because if I don’t take this class, I won’t graduate in May.

While I struggled for air, he smiled, lighting up the entire room. Oh my God, he’s even better looking now than he was last summer.

“Good morning. I’m Dr. Quinn, and I’m glad to see so many of you out on a snowy day.”

The sound of his voice unleashed a flood of memories. It had been June. The day was a scorcher, and after work, I went to a bar near NYU. I’d been there a few times, and it was a good place to get a cold drink and talk to people. I’d never found a hookup there, and I wasn’t looking for one the night I met Daniel.

An older man had tried to convince me to go to dinner with him. He spooked me when he said he knew what young guys wanted, and when I tried to get away, he started following me around. I’d ducked into a corner and lost him when I saw an empty stool at the bar. The guy sitting next to it was hunched over like he was alone, a perfect five-minute boyfriend. I ran for the seat.

Daniel raised his voice, bringing me back to the present. “I’ll pass around the syllabus while I call the roll.” He handed a stack of papers to a girl in the front row and returned to the lectern. “Okay, let’s see who’s here.”

Oh, honey, you’re about to find out.

I braced myself as he began calling names. It wouldn’t be long.

Anderson, Aubuchon, Bennet, Carson…

I looked down and didn’t respond.

“Caleb Carson?” he repeated.

“Here,” I said, raising my head and meeting his eyes.

Daniel’s jaw dropped. His lips moved, and when no words came out, he cleared his throat.

“Thank you.”

MY PERFECT SCREWUP: Copyright © 2023 Ryan Taylor & Joshua Harwood. All rights reserved.

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