Hope Series by Cardeno C.

Wealthy, attractive Lucas Reika treats life like a party, moving from bar to bar and man to man. Thumbing his nose at his restaurateur father's demand that he earn his keep, Lucas instead seduces a valued employee in the kitchen of their flagship restaurant, earning himself an ultimatum: lose access to his father's money or stay in the middle of nowhere with a man he has secretly lusted over from afar... moreWealthy, attractive Lucas Reika treats life like a party, moving from bar to bar and man to man. Thumbing his nose at his restaurateur father's demand that he earn his keep, Lucas instead seduces a valued employee in the kitchen of their flagship restaurant, earning himself an ultimatum: lose access to his father's money or stay in the middle of nowhere with a man he has secretly lusted over from afar. Quiet, hard-working Jared McFarland loves his farm on the outskirts of Hope, Arizona, but he aches to have someone to come home to at the end of the day. Jared agrees to take in his longtime crush as a favor. But when Lucas invades his heart in addition to his space, Jared has to decide how much of himself he's willing to risk and figure out if he can offer Lucas enough to keep him after his father's punishment is over. less

Two men with a shared history and a mutual attraction must be honest with themselves and each other so both their dreams come true. Quiet, unassuming Tanner Sellers spends his time running a diner in Hope, Arizona. Not particularly social, twenty-two-year-old Tanner keeps to himself and enjoys his simple life, but he longs for someone to call his own. In his most secret fantasy, that someone is sexy Steve Faus. But Steve is his friend’s father and mentor’s widower and therefore off-limits... moreTwo men with a shared history and a mutual attraction must be honest with themselves and each other so both their dreams come true. Quiet, unassuming Tanner Sellers spends his time running a diner in Hope, Arizona. Not particularly social, twenty-two-year-old Tanner keeps to himself and enjoys his simple life, but he longs for someone to call his own. In his most secret fantasy, that someone is sexy Steve Faus. But Steve is his friend’s father and mentor’s widower and therefore off-limits. Despite some challenges, thirty-nine-year-old Steve Faus has had a good life. He’s extremely successful at work, has a great relationship with his college-age son, and lives in a wonderful town. Eighteen months after losing his partner, the one thing Steve lacks is someone to share his life. If Steve is honest with himself, that someone is the young man he has known and cared about for years. Steve and Tanner want one another, all they need is a little push in the right direction to make both their dreams come true. less

Todd is too flakey. Richard is too stubborn. Together, they're perfect. A May-December couple get a second chance at love. Retired soldier Richard Davis wants a stable life in a quiet town with a forever man. Becoming the sheriff of Hope, Arizona, accomplishes two of his three goals, but instead of finding a serious partner, he falls for too-young-to-be-committed and too-flakey-to-be-serious Todd Smitty... moreTodd is too flakey. Richard is too stubborn. Together, they're perfect. A May-December couple get a second chance at love. Retired soldier Richard Davis wants a stable life in a quiet town with a forever man. Becoming the sheriff of Hope, Arizona, accomplishes two of his three goals, but instead of finding a serious partner, he falls for too-young-to-be-committed and too-flakey-to-be-serious Todd Smitty. Richard won’t find the right man if he’s obsessed with the wrong one, so he walks away from Todd. It’s lust at first sight when Todd meets his sister’s army friend. He sets his sights on the worldly, strong, stable older man, and the more time he spends with Richard, the harder he falls. But after three years together, Richard cuts off all contact with no explanation. When a mutual obligation requires Todd to move into Richard’s house, he’s thrilled at the opportunity to earn a second chance. Ignoring Todd from across town was hard enough. Can Richard resist temptation under his own roof? Word Count: 33,297. less

Two decades after escaping his hometown to avoid familial expectations, confirmed bachelor Seamus makes a silly decision that has serious break his parents’ hearts or agree to an arranged marriage he had run from since childhood. Local bar owner Seamus Devlin moved across the country at age eighteen, wanting to forge a new life for himself away from familial expectations... moreTwo decades after escaping his hometown to avoid familial expectations, confirmed bachelor Seamus makes a silly decision that has serious break his parents’ hearts or agree to an arranged marriage he had run from since childhood. Local bar owner Seamus Devlin moved across the country at age eighteen, wanting to forge a new life for himself away from familial expectations. After nearly two decades, he’s confident he succeeded in meeting all his he lives in a great small town, has good friends, and most importantly, he’s single and able to keep it that way. Unfortunately, his family doesn’t agree and even from thousands of miles away, they hound him with marital prospects, certain he needs to be married to be happy. Between his three jobs and his family debts, DJ Johnston can’t get any rest, physically or mentally. With his only living relative on the other side of the country, DJ relies solely on himself. Keeping a positive outlook, he works as hard and as much as he can, knowing from lifelong experience that the only way to get through hard times is to go through them. When Seamus’s misguided effort to get his family off his back backfires and leads him straight to DJ, he has a choice to make—disappoint his worried family or do the one thing he’d sworn off since childhood and agree to an arranged marriage. less