The new Brigs Ferry Bay series have made their way onto my favourites list! Sheriff’s Secret by K. Webster sucked me right into the cute little town with its surprisingly active and vibrant gay community.
Jaxon Bell is the town sheriff, and the son of the town’s current mayor (who was previously the town sheriff). One of 4 kids, he was always the one his parents counted on to do exactly what was expected of him. The lifelong threat of having his parents disown him if he steps out of line, as they did with his other siblings, keeps him in the closet and afraid. The fact that he’s gay and his parents are hatefully homophobic has completely messed him up. He’s so deeply in the closet that when confident, gorgeous and happily out-and-proud Dante Kincaid arrives in town, Jax doesn’t know how to cope with his feelings. It doesn’t help that Dante enjoys getting under Jax’s skin by flirting shamelessly with Kian, Jax’s former best friend and secret high-school boyfriend, who Jax still loves.
Dante, who moved to town with his sister and high-school aged brother to try to start over after the death of their father, is building a luxury bed and breakfast in little Briggs Ferry Bay. – Not everyone is happy about the new development. But it becomes obvious that the vandalism against the new b&b isn’t only about opposing development. It’s about hate. As the acts of homophobia in town start to get bolder and more violent, Jax and Dante’s relationship grows from grudging respect, to acknowledging their attraction, to real feelings.
Jax and Dante have incredible chemistry, and at first, Dante is fine with sneaking around and hiding in order to allow Jax to stay buried in the closet. But as they grow closer, Dante isn’t sure he can cope with hiding his feelings anymore. Jax has spent the years since high-school believing himself to still be in love with Kian, but he realizes that his feelings for Dante go beyond what he ever felt for Kian. Maybe losing Dante because he’s too afraid to come out of the closet would be a much worse fate than dealing with the consequences of coming out to his family and the town.
Both Jax and Dante have issues, but I loved watching Jax come to realize that he was hiding to keep the wrong people happy. His parents are full of hate, and he realizes leaving their opinions behind is the ticket to a life he didn’t think he could have – an authentic life where he can be himself. I LOVED Sheriff’s Secret, and I’ll be eagerly waiting for the next books in the series!
