Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks) | Ship Happens: A Novel
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Ship Happens: A Novel
Mason Deaver
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From bestselling and award-winning author Mason Deaver comes a delightful second-chance romance with trans representation!
Trapped on a cruise together, exes Owen and Jacob are forced to confront why their relationship went off course…but in such close quarters, maybe they’ll finally be able to right the ship.
A year ago, Owen Henson had a close-knit group of friends who felt like family and a boyfriend who made his heart race just by walking into the room. But now? Everything’s unraveling. His friends seem to be moving forward without him, and his happily-ever-after shattered when his boyfriend Jacob packed up and left for North Carolina to join a research team.
The last thing Owen needs is for Jacob to waltz back into the city like nothing happened, showing up at their friends’ annual Christmas party looking just as annoyingly handsome as the day he left. Or for their friends to spring a surprise six-day, seven-night cruise up the West Coast to Alaska as a bonding trip for the group. How is Owen supposed to keep it together around the man who broke his heart, all while pretending he’s fine? Totally fine.
But then Jacob tells Owen that he’d like to be something even more complicated than exes. He wants to be friends. Skeptical, Owen agrees to the plan but as they spend time together among the gorgeous Alaskan backdrop and cruise-mandated activities, Owen feels his walls coming down and he might just discover that he can’t help but fall in love again.
An emotional second-chance romance set on a breathtaking cruise, where two former flames must decide whether to let go or risk it all for a love that refuses to sink.
Tropes
Forced proximity
Exes
Second chance
Cruises
Dating in secret
Meddling friends
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Posts about this title from Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks)
Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks)\ \ Alex (he/him/his)\ \ • Jun 28
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Over 50 trans book recommendations for the Trans Rights Readathon and Trans Reading Challenge ranging from memoirs, nonfiction, romance, contemporary, YA and middle grade, and some SFF.
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Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks)\ \ Alex (he/him/his)\ \ • Jun 1
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Posts about this book from across Bindery
Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks)\ \ Alex (he/him/his)\ \ • Jun 28
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Not A Phase Books\ \ Sawyer Cole Hobson\ \ • Jun 18
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[Hi Friends, and happy Trans Joy Thursday. This newsletter will look a little different today. There are two very special people I would like to honor.\ \ On Tuesday, June 16 my beloved Memaw left this earth. If you've read Coming Home, you have read the chapter dedicated to her, and our relationship spanning my entire life. If you haven't read it yet, she was my fiercest protector, my first best friend, my A1 since day 1, my favorite person on this entire planet, and the one I admired the most. She was my confidante, the one who made me laugh the most, and the only one who was allowed to misgender and deadname me (She was diagnosed with Dementia and in a memory care unit when I came out with my name change and trans non-binary identity and pronouns.) She was diagnosed with Stage 3C colon cancer, and I literally dropped my entire life in my mid-20's to be there for her on this journey and be one of her care-takers before she was moved to an assisted living facility, and then to the memory care unit.\ \ \ \ I could share so many stories of how she took care of me spanning my entire life, from wanting to adopt me from my mother (that was family drama) to always sneaking me $20 bills in my hand every single time I visited her. She bought me books. I still have a box of books that I kept from when we went through her belongings at her house. She was my rock and my motivation. She never agreed with my "lifestyle" but always asked me how "gay sex worked." We would have this conversation often, and it never failed to make me laugh. She always, always made sure I knew she loved me the most.\ \ \ \ The above photo was taken exactly two years ago today - which makes it even more bittersweet. I took Alisha and the kids to NC during the summer of 2024 to meet some of the family I still remain in contact with, and while they were napping, I went to visit Memaw. In my heart, I knew this would be the last time I saw her, and still, I remained hopeful of another visit face-to-face. I will hold these special memories close to my heart and know she's at peace. I will always do my best to honor her love for me.\ \ In that same breath, Alisha and I are celebrating our 5 year mark of meeting. It's so funny to me that while I am grieving a significant loss of love, I am also celebrating a significant love that walked into my life (with 3 little loves, to boot.) She has shown me a type of love and peace and comfort that I didn't know was possible. I know my Memaw didn't agree with how I lived my life, but I just know that she would be happy with how happy I am - both internally and externally. Alisha has shown up and provided a type of nurturing and love that I never knew I needed.\ \ \ \ I love my life now. It's so weird that two things are colliding, my two favorite people - Memaw, my grandmother, and Alisha, my wife, are showing me simultaneously what grief and love look like. \ \ With that being said, for those of you on my social media, I may be absent for a while, as I've stated on there, due to returning to North Carolina for the funeral services. I will more than likely be traveling Saturday to my birthday on Wednesday. Not really how I imagined spending my birthday in airports, but my Memaw deserves all the things. \ \ If you have your grandparents or loved ones you consider close to you, I hope you hug them extra tight for me. Memaw was the last living grandparent of mine, and that's an extra shock to my system. \ \ As I navigate my immense grief of losing my Memaw, and celebrate my birthday next week, and my anniversary today, I hope you all remember that grief is ultimately just love with no place to go. \ \ I will be traveling with some books, and figured I would also share with you in case you needed some recommendations. Not all are queer, but I believe they deserve a place on the feed:\ \
- My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman\ \
- Ship Happens by Mason Deaver\ \
- Among The Wildflowers by Anita Kelly\ \
- The Lovers, The Liars, And Me by DeAndra Davis\ \ \ I hope you all have an incredible Thursday and the rest of your week. \ \ With all the trans joy I can muster,\ \ Sawyer Cole\ \ Join for free or login](https://notaphase.binderybooks.com/item/lFYl5dneXe4kgqwzhZPG/)
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Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks)\ \ Alex (he/him/his)\ \ • Jun 1
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\ \ Join for free or login](https://queerasbooks.binderybooks.com/item/05s0epaElQ6yhgYiZXEs/)
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