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    Made Man
    Made Man
    Made Man
    Ebook98 pages1 hour

    Made Man

    By Evan Gilbert

    2/5

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    About this ebook

    Twenty years ago, Eli Calero fell in love with Kevin Murphy, a jock whose mob boss father physically and emotionally abused him. Twenty years ago, Eli Calero got his heart broken, and he’s never gotten over it.

    Now, after a career as an investigative reporter, Eli is a true crime author living in Pasadena. He has no interest in attending a reunion back in St. Louis, but he ends up going anyway—and since he’s in the area, Eli decides to settle an old score. He’s determined to gather enough evidence to take down Kevin's father.

    But Eli doesn’t have all the facts, and there are a few things he didn’t count on: Kevin’s still in town. He still has feelings for Eli. And he’s about to get caught in the crossfire.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamspinner Press
    Release dateJun 13, 2012
    ISBN9781613725498
    Made Man

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    Reviews for Made Man

    2/5

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    • 2/5
      I must admit that I had trouble reading and liking this book. The end result is an 'okay' rating, because I am really split about what to think about it.

      On one hand, it is well-written, the characters come alive, the plot is interesting, and the suspense almost killed me. On the other hand, even though the men seem to connect and they are undoubtedly passionate about each other, there is something missing. Kevin tries to be all gentleman-like and doesn't want to endanger Eli. Eli couldn't care less and forges ahead. Neither listens to the other or takes into account what they want. There is lots of angst and suffering and sheer emotional torment over what Kevin did and how Eli reacted.

      But what really messed it up for me was the ending. When they finally seem to 'get it', they are separated one last time, there is the hint of a solution - and BAM. The book ends. That was truly upsetting and I am still mad. I needed to see them happy and together after all that!!!

      However, if you like suspenseful stories with lots of twists, if you enjoy watching the main characters go through emotional torment, and if you are not as 'devoted' to happy endings as I am, you may like this book. After that ending, I just could not quite get there.
    • 2/5
      I liked the premise, but the story didn't live up to the blurb. The ending was abrupt - it just seemed to stop - and it was a bit choppy throughout. I didn't really like the POV MC much or feel the chemistry between the two men, and the cover seems to have nothing to do with the actual story. I usually love hags but I wanted to smack this one. She was bossy and controlling rather than supportive.

      I did like Murphy, though, and would really like to have been able to read more about him. Both MC's lacked depth.

    Book preview

    Made Man - Evan Gilbert

    Chapter One

    ELI CALERO was grating cheese when he heard the front door open. He knew who it was. He’d given her a key to his house years ago, and the only time she ever rang the bell was when he tied a sock on the doorknob to let her know he was entertaining.

    Hi, she called out from the living room. I brought in your mail.

    Thanks, Sandy.

    Where are you?

    Kitchen.

    Sandy entered moments later, studying the cover of the latest World Enquirer. Hm. Betty White’s pregnant with a fetus cloned from a strand of Michael Jackson’s hair. She rolled up the tabloid and swatted Eli over the head. You should be ashamed of yourself, subscribing to this crap.

    I am, Eli replied. I wish it came in a plain brown wrapper. He started chopping green onions over the grated cheese.

    Sandy sniffed, and then frowned. What’s for dinner? she asked, looking suspiciously at the covered pot simmering on the stove.

    My three-alarm chili.

    Sandy froze for a moment. She turned to Eli slowly. Are you insane?

    It’s winter. My mom always served chili in winter to warm us up.

    It’s ninety degrees outside!

    Eli shrugged. Christmas was only three days away, but he had not decorated his home with so much as a potted poinsettia. He didn’t see the point. For him, the holiday season was about people bundling up in overcoats to spend more money than they should, gathering around fires to sip eggnog spiked with rum, and filling houses with the scent of fresh-baked spice cakes while frost kissed the windows. He’d grown up in Missouri. Living now in Pasadena, he missed the snow. Chili in winter. That’s tradition.

    Whatever. Sandy tossed the magazine on the counter and started flipping through the envelopes in her hand. She was thirty-three, a slender, pretty, dark-haired woman dressed in black shorts, a white T-shirt, and sandals. Hey. What’s this?

    "Sandy, you asked me to let you know when you’re being nosy. Well, here it is: You’re being nosy."

    Thanks. She held up the envelope that had caught her eye. What’s this from the Committee for the Elites in Forest Lake, Missouri?

    Eli groaned, rolling his eyes. Damn.

    Ooh. I smell dirt. Sandy slipped a thumbnail under the flap and started to open it.

    Eli snatched the envelope from her. It’s not ‘dirt’. It’s just an invitation to my stupid high school reunion. He raised the lid on the trash can and tossed in the offending mail.

    I’m guessing you don’t plan to attend.

    I skipped the ten-year reunion, so it’s a pretty safe bet that I’m skipping the twenty-year too. And the fucking thirty-, forty-, and—God help us all—fifty-year reunions.

    Well, aren’t your pantyhose in a twist. Sandy reached around him and delicately retrieved the invitation from the trash. Come on. You have to be dying to see what everybody looks like twenty years down the line.

    Not really.

    Yes, you are. I know you. I can see it in your eyes. She ripped the envelope open and pulled out the neatly folded invitation.

    Opening other people’s mail is a federal crime, Sandy.

    You tossed this, remember? It’s not mail now, it’s trash. She started reading. You have nothing to be ashamed of, you know. That cute little baby face makes you look twenty-seven instead of thirty-seven. You’re nice and slim. I’ll bet you don’t weigh an ounce more now than you did in high school.

    I don’t. That’s part of the problem. I’m still a skinny nerd.

    Oh, you are not. Sandy continued reading. Hey, this sounds like it will be fun. They’re having a dinner and dance the first day, and the second day, there’s a pool party. She gave Eli an excited smile. You have to go to this.

    Eli got plates and bowls from one of the cabinets and started setting the kitchen table.

    Eli, are you listening to me?

    No.

    What in the world are you so afraid of?

    Eli sighed. Sandy, high school was hell for me.

    High school is hell for just about everybody—

    "Shit, don’t patronize me. I’m not talking about getting teased or worrying about pimples. The first guy I fell in love with, the one I was so crazy about… that was in high school."

    Sandy paused. She could see the sudden pain that opened in Eli’s tan face, the same pain that appeared every time he mentioned his first boyfriend. You’ve never told me what that was all about.

    I don’t want to talk about it, Eli said curtly. He took the bowl of cheese and onions and slapped it down in the middle of the table. Then he yanked open a drawer and began snatching up silverware.

    Eli? Sandy said patiently. Honey?

    What?

    If you’re still upset about this guy twenty damn years after the fact, it may be a good idea for you to talk about the whole thing. Either that or you’ll crack like that bowl you just put down.

    Eli turned, reaching for the bowl of cheese and onion. It had split neatly in two, the halves spread apart like some strange blossom. Shit, he muttered.

    SANDY dished up a big helping of chili and placed it before Eli. Would you prefer crackers or bread, good sir?

    Crackers, please.

    Sandy knew her way around Eli’s kitchen as well as he did. She opened the pantry, pulled out a sleeve of saltines, and put it on the table. What will sir have to drink? Iced tea? Sprite?

    Gimme a double shot of bourbon.

    Ah. Sir is building up his courage. Very wise. She dashed bourbon into a glass over ice and handed it to Eli. Then she poured herself a glass of iced tea and sat down at the opposite side of the table with the spinach and tomato salad she had hastily assembled. God bless, she intoned with a brief nod.

    They ate in silence for nearly ten minutes.

    Eli, you can start talking any time now, Sandy said finally. Tell me about Humphrey.

    Eli sighed. "Murphy, not Humphrey. Kevin Murphy, but everybody called him by his last name. He was hot as hell. He transferred from some private school to Forest Lake High in our sophomore year. Tall, lean, black-haired, and mean. That’s what I thought the first time I saw him. He walked around with this scowl, and everybody just knew he was bad to the core. God, how I wanted him. We were in the same gym class. He was a natural athlete, and the first time I saw him naked, I swear to you I almost fainted. He had long, thick muscle everywhere. And I do mean everywhere."

    Sandy wiggled in her chair. Ooh. I get the picture. Thanks.

    "The coach wanted him for the basketball team. Girls crawled over each other trying to set themselves up on dates with him. He could’ve had just about anything or anybody he wanted, could have been a hot jock ladies’ man, but he kept to himself mostly. I didn’t even speak to him at first. I’d already made the mistake of hitting on a guy I liked at school, Garvin Mitchell. My mom always told me that life is about taking chances. I suspected Garvin might swing for my team, so I took a chance. Garvin turned out to be as straight as they come, and

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