"The Game Changer" by Kay Simone

This is the second Kay Simone book that I have read, and although it felt very different from the first ("The Company We Keep," which was great), I really enjoyed it.  Malcolm Rodgers is a professional quarterback who's having a very bad week.  First, he's injured in a game that will require him to undergo weeks of intensive physical therapy causing him to miss at least six games in the season.  Second, his fiancee calls off their wedding and breaks up with him for reasons he can't quite comprehend.  Malcolm ends up spending most of his time with Vance Coberly, his team's head physical therapist, just trying to get his leg back in shape as fast as he can. Although different in the way they approach life, the two men become friends.  However, when the seemingly straight Malcolm kisses the out-and-proud Vance, the two will never be the same.

This novel was about a lot of things: self-discovery, family obligations, friendship, homophobia, professional football, and love.  The author takes time to flesh out the two main characters, why they are the way they are, their fears, and their faults, which doesn't always happen in character driven novels.  This was another winner from Simone that had me hooked from beginning to end.  403 pages (Kindle edition).

"God, If You're Not Up There, I'm F*cked" by Darrell Hammond

In his record setting 14 year stint on Saturday Night Live, Hammond did 107 impressions, most famously Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Chris Mathews, and Sean Connery.  I watched many of those episodes live and in reruns and was always impressed with how accurate he was with so many diverse and very real people.  In this autobiography, Hammond explains what he looks for and how he prepares each new impression as well as all of the hard work so many people contribute to put a new episode of SNL on air each week.  As a long time SNL fan, I really enjoyed his explanations of how the writers, performers, make-up, hair, wardrobe, interns, hosts, and Lorne Michaels work together to make it all look so fun and effortless.  He doesn't throw any of his former colleagues under the bus and even has good things to say about the hosts with whom he appeared.

However, the most compelling part of Hammond's autobiography is his continuing fight with mental illness, alcoholism, drug abuse, and cutting due to his physical and psychological torture by his parents all through his childhood growing up in Melbourne, FL.  His mother was a cruel and damaged person who took out her demons on her son, even when he was a toddler, by cutting his tongue with a knife, slamming his hands in doors, and more.  She said awful things to him and purposely scared him.  Hammond's father was a vet from WWII and Korea who suffered from flashbacks and untreated PTSD and constantly threatened to kill people who made him mad, even his own son.  His rages were terrifying, and Hammond coped by drinking beer at a young age and escaping into baseball, which his father loved.  His impressions also started at a young age, as that was how he was able to connect with his mother, who also liked to do impressions of their neighbors.  The only love he felt as a boy was from the family's African-American maid, Myrtise, to whom this book in dedicated.

Hammond's road to SNL was a long one; he was 39 when he was hired.  How he got there and stayed so long while battling mental illness and substance abuse throughout his tenure is fascinating, sad, horrifying, and incredibly impressive.  I highly recommend this book, especially to SNL fans.  Hammond is a true survivor.  273 pages.

"A Restored Man" by Jaime Reese

This is the third book in the Men of Halfway House series and focuses on Cole Renzo, who has spent the last two years in prison for car theft.  He moves to Halfway House to finish his sentence but must find and keep a job.  He gets a position at a car restoration shop owned by Ty Calloway, brother of Aiden Calloway, a Miami detective who is trying to keep Cole in line.  Cole notices that the two brothers are very different and have a fractured relationship due to an accident in the family a couple of years ago that physically and emotionally damaged Ty.  But Cole's non-stop mouth and overconfidence help Ty come out of his shell, much to the brothers' surprise.  However, someone from Ty's past is trying to blackmail him and force him out of business.  Can Cole and Aiden help him defeat his blackmailer and find happiness again?

This is the best book of the series (so far) with two main characters whose personalities are very different but complement each other.  Ty and Cole have both suffered personal losses and have families that love them but don't always know how to show it.  There were well written secondary characters, especially Cole's siblings and Ty's main mechanic, who added layers to the story.  It was also great to see Julian and Matt, who run Halfway House.  I can't wait to read the next in the series.  362 pages.

"A Hunted Man" by Jaime Reese

This is the second book in the Men of Halfway House series, and I didn't like it as much as the first, "A Better Man".  Cam is just out of prison for serving 10 years for manslaughter and has moved into Halfway House to adjust to life on the outside.  He's only 27, so he has no real skills or formal work experience.  Luckily, Matt, who runs Halfway House, gets him a job at a mom and pop coffee shop where Cam meets Hunter Donovan, Assistant State Attorney and regular customer.  Soon, Hunter is trying to clear Cam's name when he realizes that a drug cartel and dirty judge railroaded him into prison for what was clearly self-defense.  Then dangerous men start following Cam around, showing up at his work and even breaking into Halfway House and Hunter's home to get to him.  Action and suspense dominate the second half of the book, but I would have rather had it focus on Cam's adjustment to the real world and dealing with his PTSD after his abuse in prison.  Still, there were great supporting characters, especially Hunter's dad, and we got to see some of Matt and Julian from the first book.  I'll be reading book three soon.  378 pages.

World Gone By by Dennis Lehane

I was not familiar with this author, but picked up the ARC at ALA MidWinter.  This is the third in a trilogy about Joe Coughlin and the gangster families in the Tampa, Florida area.  The story drips with gritty realism and southern atmosphere.  Lehane does an excellent job of combining plot and character study into a gripping story.  While there is no shortage of violence, Lehane portrays the family and personal concerns of his characters, and their considerations of the moral dilemmas of the gangster life.  I will be looking for his other books.  308 pages.

"Keep Swimming" by Kade Boehme

Cary Whitmore owns a dog treat bakery and works hard to raise his toddler son, Gus, alone after his partner walks out.  Heath Cummings is an off shore oil driller two weeks on and two weeks off, but his dream is to own a charter boat service.  He plans to stay in the closet for another year until he can make enough money to quit the oil rig and escape his homophobic coworkers, but Cary and Gus may make him throw those plans to the wind.  This was a well written story with three dimensional characters and two very likable leads.  Little Gus was adorable and played an integral part in Heath's maturation.  And it was very cute every time he called him, "Heaf."  I enjoyed this author's voice and would like to read more by him.  Luckily, there's a sequel available.  130 page (Kindle edition).