HELLO THERE FRIENDS! I HAVE A TREAT FOR YOU, IT'S RELEASE DAY (MY FAVE!) AND I HAVE TWO BY TWO; HIDING BEHIND THE COUCH SEASON SIX, BY DEBBIE McGOWAN! THIS IS AN EPIC STORY AND YOU WILL LOVE IT JUST AS MUCH AS I DID! I HAVE MY REVIEW, BUY LINKS, EXCERPT, AN AUTHOR BIO, AND EVEN A LOOK AT THE ORDER OF THIS GROUNDBREAKING, WONDERFUL SERIES! HERE WE GO!!
THIS IS SIMPLY PERFECT FOR THIS BOOK, AND THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE AS A WHOLE! HERE IS MY REVIEW:
Two by Two (Hiding Behind the Couch Season Six)
by: Debbie McGowan; reviewed by: Becky
Published: 31st March, 2015
Length: 250,000 words (820 pages)
Two pregnancies, two babies, two trouble teens. Two psychologists hunting down the leader of a deadly cult.
When Libby takes a stand against her abusive parents, Josh and George readily make her a part of their family. However, it transpires that her parents might have been involved in something altogether more sinister, and The Circle has to draw together to protect both Libby and her friend Adam.
Meanwhile, two unexpected guests seek sanctuary in Shaunna and Andy's new home, but that's only a part of it, and they soon realise something is very wrong. Someone is watching them...
All this and more in Two By Two: Season Six of Hiding Behind The Couch.
Where to start, there is so much going on in this book, but never does it get confusing, or crowded as some books with several different story lines tend to be. Debbie is a master at telling a clean concise story within a story, and this is really, really hard to do!
My heart goes out to Libby, who we met in A Midnight Clear, she is a young woman who has gone through things a teenager should never have to. In this book Libby's world gets shaken up once again, will she ever be able to be truly happy and to live without being afraid that she will be taken away forever from the dads that love her?
Shaunna and Andy move and they have something special to look forward to, but is someone more interested in their lives than they should be? You have all this then you add in the story line of a crazy cult, Libby's parents and what they are really involved in, and so much more.
I think everyone that is as enraptured with this series as I am has a character they feel really connected to and identify with, mine is Josh. Even though Josh is bi-polar, and sometimes has trouble relating and with his moods, he is such a genuine person, and so strong, this story is a showcase for all that strength, and you will see just what an amazing person this guy is!
I could go on and on about this story, please read it and you will be so glad you did. If you are new to the Hiding Behind the Couch Series, these men and women will grab you and not let go! Thanks Deb, for more of the same brilliance that makes me love you so!
I HAD TO DO THE GOAT RATING IN HONOR OF LITTLE BO! HERE ARE THE BUY LINKS FOR TWO BY TWO FOLLOWED BY THE SERIES ORDER:
BUY LINKS
Beaten Track:Book Page (with all purchase links): www.beatentrackpublishing.com/
Paperback: http://beatentrackpublishing.
Ebook: http://beatentrackpublishing.
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/
All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.
The series to date:
- Beginnings
- Ruminations
- Hiding Behind The Couch (Book One)
- No Time Like The Present (Book Two)
- The Harder They Fall (Book Three)
- Crying in the Rain
- First Christmas
- In The Stars Part I: Capricorn-Gemini (Book Four)
- Breaking Waves
- In The Stars Part II: Cancer-Sagittarius (Book Five)
- A Midnight Clear
- Red Hot Christmas
- Two By Two (Season Six)
NOW HERE IS AN EXCERPT FROM TWO BY TWO:
1.6: Lonely Cowboy
“Fine! Run away!”
George slammed the gate of the goat pen and stormed across the yard, watching Little Bo duck between the slats of the paddock fence and head straight for the ponies’ feeding trough, even though George had fed the goats not more than half an hour ago. He really couldn’t be bothered with this today, or yesterday, or any other day since Libby went back to her parents. The annoying thing was that he’d mastered the art of extracting himself from the goat enclosure with all of them, including Little Bo, on the inside, but a split-second lapse in concentration was all the little tyrant needed to put Operation Fleeing Pygmy Goat into action. George leaned his arms on the paddock fence, resting a boot on the slat Bo had just cleared, and gazed through hazy eyes as she dodged around the ponies’ hooves, snatching mouthfuls of hay. She was waiting for him to give chase. He wasn’t in the mood to play.
“Is this a private mope, or can anyone join in?”
George jumped. He hadn’t realised he had company. “Hey, Soph. What you doing here?”
“I was on my way to Sean’s and thought I’d drop in and see a good friend of mine.”
“OK?”
“Yeah. He’s about six foot tall, got a kind of sexy cowboy thang going on? Big happy grin, sparkling green eyes? Don’t suppose you’ve seen him around, have you?”
“Can’t say as I have,” George said, attempting a smile. He sighed. “Sorry, Soph. I’m being a miserable bastard.”
She nodded in agreement and leaned her head on his shoulder, blinking up at him. “Yes, you are, but it’s to be expected in the circumstances. And I do understand why you keep it bottled up, but you don’t have to.”
“I don’t want to call you just to moan. It’s not fair.”
“Would I be here now if I thought it wasn’t fair?”
“No. I guess not. I still can’t believe she’s gone, Soph. I mean, why? She was safe. She was away from them. Why go back, when all she had to do was tell someone?”
Sophie shrugged. “Who knows? Perhaps it wasn’t as bad as she made out. Just a bit of teenage rebellion.”
“Do you think so?”
“No,” Sophie confirmed regretfully. “I don’t.”
They both stayed where they were, watching the ponies have their fill and plod back up to the other end of the paddock. It was a chilly day, and they needed to go back to the stables soon—before it got dark—but George was putting it off for as long as he could, just to give him something to do to fill the void.
“I’ve got my wellies in the car,” Sophie said. “I’ll give you a hand.”
“You don’t need to.”
“But I want to.”
George looked at her doubtfully.
“At least I can catch Bo for you.”
“You’ll get filthy.”
“I’ll wash.”
“Soph—”
“George! Just let me in!”
He stopped protesting, not that she was paying any attention to him, as she was already on her way back to her car for her wellies, and she was absolutely right. He’d been avoiding her, because it hurt to talk about it, to face how helpless and guilty he felt, not just about his powerlessness to help Libby either, but for how it was affecting Josh too. More than that, it made him angry, to the point of losing control. Libby’s parents had almost destroyed her, and it was wrong that they were getting a chance to finish the job. They needed punishing, and he could imagine too well how that might be accomplished.
Sophie arrived in the nick of time to stop the rage swelling, and she and George headed into the paddock, first to apprehend Little Bo, who came straight over—she always did like Sophie more than anyone else, and definitely remembered her.
“Come on, Bo,” Sophie said, walking back across the yard. The little goat trotted along obediently, right up until they reached the pen, at which point she decided she wasn’t done wandering yet and attempted to dodge away. Quick as a flash, Sophie grabbed her around the neck and held on tightly, Bo bleating pathetically at her imminent incarceration. Sophie got her through the gate and hastily closed it.
“I’ll get them inside in a sec,” she said.
George nodded. “Thanks.”
“No problem. What time do you finish today?”
“Six.”
Sophie took her phone out and checked the time: it was just coming up to five.
“I’ll stick around and give you a lift home.”
“It’s another hour yet, Soph.”
“It’s fine. Dylan’s with Sean, and neither of us have got plans for this evening, beyond eating and watching a bit of TV. Unless you want me to go.”
George rolled his eyes. “What do you think?”
Sophie stretched on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. She knew him well enough to accept that he didn’t want to talk about it, and she was happy to offer him a distraction, whilst wishing she could do more.
“Let’s get these guys inside and I’ll tell you all about my boring research.”
“Great,” George said, sounding droll, not that Sophie’s research for her Masters thesis was especially interesting, but it beat being stuck with his own misery, and it was always good to spend time with her. She was so upbeat, refusing to let anything drag her down. She’d been there too, when Libby left with the social worker. She and Sean stayed late into the evening, keeping Josh and George company, intervening when their minds idled on their terrible loss. And they had come back the next day to do it all over again, and the day after, and the day after that, until the sense of bereavement eased enough for them to try and get some semblance of normality back. That was three weeks ago; Libby had been with them for eight life-changing days, and the pain was less intense now, but it hadn’t gone away; it probably never would.
Once the ponies were all safely back in their stables, George checked the heaters were on, whilst Sophie went and put the goats inside. All of the other animals were back in their various shelters for the night, so there was only a bit of swilling down left to do. George hosed and Sophie brushed, clearing the mud from the paths and yard, ready for tomorrow, with George sharing stories about the nightly rituals at the ranch, which didn’t involve swilling down, but did involve a lot of manure shovelling, and a tour of the paddocks to check all was secure—especially tough work at the end of a twelve-hour-long winter’s day, making what they did at Farmer Jake’s something of a vacation by comparison.
It was dark now, the floodlights on the outside of the barns creating a hazy yellow glow, bright enough to blot out the blackness beyond. George locked up and headed across to the farmhouse to return the keys.
“All done, Jake,” he called through.
“Cheers, George,” came the response from inside, along with a waft of heat and the crackle of a real fire.
“See you tomorrow.”
“I thought you were off tomorrow.”
“Am I?”
“Well, it’s Saturday.”
“Oh yeah.” George tutted at himself. He had no idea what day it was anymore. They’d all blurred into one.
Back across the yard and out to Sophie’s car: he stopped to padlock the main gate and glanced up at the sky, exhaling slowly, his breath forming a mist above him. It was the same sky, wherever Libby was now. The same moon; the same stars. Nick, the social worker who took her home, had assured them that Libby’s named social worker was going to be visiting regularly. If anything had happened to her they’d know.
“What were you thinking about?” Sophie asked when he got in the car.
“Same as always.”
They drove home with only the sound of the blowers and the radio. It was Friday night, and the songs were those of clubland, not heart-rending ballads, so there was nothing new to add to George’s misery. Sophie indicated and pulled up in front of Josh’s car.
“Thanks,” George said, reaching over to give her a hug.
“It’ll get better.”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
He got out of the car and hugged her again, watching until she was inside Sean’s house before he went inside himself.
“Mow.”
“Hey, Jinj.” George stepped around the cat and crouched down to give both Jinja and Blue some fuss. “How are you guys?” he asked them.
“Mow,” Jinja replied.
“Oof,” Blue sounded—his gentlest woof, tail swinging low, happy to see his dad.
George peered up at Josh, leaning against the lounge door jamb. “Hi.”
“Hi, yourself. A good day?”
“It was OK. Soph came by, kept me occupied for the last hour. That’s always the worst. How was your day?”
“Not great. I’ve accepted Farrar’s job offer.”
“Why?”
Josh shrugged. “I have to, and I can’t even explain why.”
They’d already discussed Farrar’s proposal and the potential breach of their ‘no secrets, no lies’ pact. Neither was happy about it, but it was a necessary evil in order to get the job done, and if it proved damaging, then Josh would leave Farrar’s team.
“How are you feeling?” Josh asked.
“Sad.”
“Me too.”
George stood up again. “We need to move on.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t mean forget about her.”
“I know.”
“We just need to start living again.”
Josh nodded. “Farrar said he’d help if we need it.”
“That’s something. I just wish we could have—” George closed his eyes. Wishing was all he’d done for weeks, and what was the point?
Josh pulled him close and stroked his head. “She knows we’re here for her, ma moitié.”
“I hope so. I really do.”
George slammed the gate of the goat pen and stormed across the yard, watching Little Bo duck between the slats of the paddock fence and head straight for the ponies’ feeding trough, even though George had fed the goats not more than half an hour ago. He really couldn’t be bothered with this today, or yesterday, or any other day since Libby went back to her parents. The annoying thing was that he’d mastered the art of extracting himself from the goat enclosure with all of them, including Little Bo, on the inside, but a split-second lapse in concentration was all the little tyrant needed to put Operation Fleeing Pygmy Goat into action. George leaned his arms on the paddock fence, resting a boot on the slat Bo had just cleared, and gazed through hazy eyes as she dodged around the ponies’ hooves, snatching mouthfuls of hay. She was waiting for him to give chase. He wasn’t in the mood to play.
“Is this a private mope, or can anyone join in?”
George jumped. He hadn’t realised he had company. “Hey, Soph. What you doing here?”
“I was on my way to Sean’s and thought I’d drop in and see a good friend of mine.”
“OK?”
“Yeah. He’s about six foot tall, got a kind of sexy cowboy thang going on? Big happy grin, sparkling green eyes? Don’t suppose you’ve seen him around, have you?”
“Can’t say as I have,” George said, attempting a smile. He sighed. “Sorry, Soph. I’m being a miserable bastard.”
She nodded in agreement and leaned her head on his shoulder, blinking up at him. “Yes, you are, but it’s to be expected in the circumstances. And I do understand why you keep it bottled up, but you don’t have to.”
“I don’t want to call you just to moan. It’s not fair.”
“Would I be here now if I thought it wasn’t fair?”
“No. I guess not. I still can’t believe she’s gone, Soph. I mean, why? She was safe. She was away from them. Why go back, when all she had to do was tell someone?”
Sophie shrugged. “Who knows? Perhaps it wasn’t as bad as she made out. Just a bit of teenage rebellion.”
“Do you think so?”
“No,” Sophie confirmed regretfully. “I don’t.”
They both stayed where they were, watching the ponies have their fill and plod back up to the other end of the paddock. It was a chilly day, and they needed to go back to the stables soon—before it got dark—but George was putting it off for as long as he could, just to give him something to do to fill the void.
“I’ve got my wellies in the car,” Sophie said. “I’ll give you a hand.”
“You don’t need to.”
“But I want to.”
George looked at her doubtfully.
“At least I can catch Bo for you.”
“You’ll get filthy.”
“I’ll wash.”
“Soph—”
“George! Just let me in!”
He stopped protesting, not that she was paying any attention to him, as she was already on her way back to her car for her wellies, and she was absolutely right. He’d been avoiding her, because it hurt to talk about it, to face how helpless and guilty he felt, not just about his powerlessness to help Libby either, but for how it was affecting Josh too. More than that, it made him angry, to the point of losing control. Libby’s parents had almost destroyed her, and it was wrong that they were getting a chance to finish the job. They needed punishing, and he could imagine too well how that might be accomplished.
Sophie arrived in the nick of time to stop the rage swelling, and she and George headed into the paddock, first to apprehend Little Bo, who came straight over—she always did like Sophie more than anyone else, and definitely remembered her.
“Come on, Bo,” Sophie said, walking back across the yard. The little goat trotted along obediently, right up until they reached the pen, at which point she decided she wasn’t done wandering yet and attempted to dodge away. Quick as a flash, Sophie grabbed her around the neck and held on tightly, Bo bleating pathetically at her imminent incarceration. Sophie got her through the gate and hastily closed it.
“I’ll get them inside in a sec,” she said.
George nodded. “Thanks.”
“No problem. What time do you finish today?”
“Six.”
Sophie took her phone out and checked the time: it was just coming up to five.
“I’ll stick around and give you a lift home.”
“It’s another hour yet, Soph.”
“It’s fine. Dylan’s with Sean, and neither of us have got plans for this evening, beyond eating and watching a bit of TV. Unless you want me to go.”
George rolled his eyes. “What do you think?”
Sophie stretched on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. She knew him well enough to accept that he didn’t want to talk about it, and she was happy to offer him a distraction, whilst wishing she could do more.
“Let’s get these guys inside and I’ll tell you all about my boring research.”
“Great,” George said, sounding droll, not that Sophie’s research for her Masters thesis was especially interesting, but it beat being stuck with his own misery, and it was always good to spend time with her. She was so upbeat, refusing to let anything drag her down. She’d been there too, when Libby left with the social worker. She and Sean stayed late into the evening, keeping Josh and George company, intervening when their minds idled on their terrible loss. And they had come back the next day to do it all over again, and the day after, and the day after that, until the sense of bereavement eased enough for them to try and get some semblance of normality back. That was three weeks ago; Libby had been with them for eight life-changing days, and the pain was less intense now, but it hadn’t gone away; it probably never would.
Once the ponies were all safely back in their stables, George checked the heaters were on, whilst Sophie went and put the goats inside. All of the other animals were back in their various shelters for the night, so there was only a bit of swilling down left to do. George hosed and Sophie brushed, clearing the mud from the paths and yard, ready for tomorrow, with George sharing stories about the nightly rituals at the ranch, which didn’t involve swilling down, but did involve a lot of manure shovelling, and a tour of the paddocks to check all was secure—especially tough work at the end of a twelve-hour-long winter’s day, making what they did at Farmer Jake’s something of a vacation by comparison.
It was dark now, the floodlights on the outside of the barns creating a hazy yellow glow, bright enough to blot out the blackness beyond. George locked up and headed across to the farmhouse to return the keys.
“All done, Jake,” he called through.
“Cheers, George,” came the response from inside, along with a waft of heat and the crackle of a real fire.
“See you tomorrow.”
“I thought you were off tomorrow.”
“Am I?”
“Well, it’s Saturday.”
“Oh yeah.” George tutted at himself. He had no idea what day it was anymore. They’d all blurred into one.
Back across the yard and out to Sophie’s car: he stopped to padlock the main gate and glanced up at the sky, exhaling slowly, his breath forming a mist above him. It was the same sky, wherever Libby was now. The same moon; the same stars. Nick, the social worker who took her home, had assured them that Libby’s named social worker was going to be visiting regularly. If anything had happened to her they’d know.
“What were you thinking about?” Sophie asked when he got in the car.
“Same as always.”
They drove home with only the sound of the blowers and the radio. It was Friday night, and the songs were those of clubland, not heart-rending ballads, so there was nothing new to add to George’s misery. Sophie indicated and pulled up in front of Josh’s car.
“Thanks,” George said, reaching over to give her a hug.
“It’ll get better.”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
He got out of the car and hugged her again, watching until she was inside Sean’s house before he went inside himself.
“Mow.”
“Hey, Jinj.” George stepped around the cat and crouched down to give both Jinja and Blue some fuss. “How are you guys?” he asked them.
“Mow,” Jinja replied.
“Oof,” Blue sounded—his gentlest woof, tail swinging low, happy to see his dad.
George peered up at Josh, leaning against the lounge door jamb. “Hi.”
“Hi, yourself. A good day?”
“It was OK. Soph came by, kept me occupied for the last hour. That’s always the worst. How was your day?”
“Not great. I’ve accepted Farrar’s job offer.”
“Why?”
Josh shrugged. “I have to, and I can’t even explain why.”
They’d already discussed Farrar’s proposal and the potential breach of their ‘no secrets, no lies’ pact. Neither was happy about it, but it was a necessary evil in order to get the job done, and if it proved damaging, then Josh would leave Farrar’s team.
“How are you feeling?” Josh asked.
“Sad.”
“Me too.”
George stood up again. “We need to move on.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t mean forget about her.”
“I know.”
“We just need to start living again.”
Josh nodded. “Farrar said he’d help if we need it.”
“That’s something. I just wish we could have—” George closed his eyes. Wishing was all he’d done for weeks, and what was the point?
Josh pulled him close and stroked his head. “She knows we’re here for her, ma moitié.”
“I hope so. I really do.”
OH YES MY FRIENDS, YOU HAVE TO READ THIS ONE! HERE IS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT DEBBIE:
I am an author, publisher and a social scientist. My academic specialism is gender and sexual politics and identity, so you can expect this to crop up now and then in my writing too! Not in an "in your face" kind of way - subtlety wins hearts and minds.
I write character-based/driven fiction - mostly general/contemporary, some (M/M & F/M) romance and a bit of sci-fi fantasy (light). Basically, I write about life. I've written a few stand alone novels and short stories, but my main work is the Hiding Behind The Couch series, which these days I'm referring to as a literary soap opera.
I write character-based/driven fiction - mostly general/contemporary, some (M/M & F/M) romance and a bit of sci-fi fantasy (light). Basically, I write about life. I've written a few stand alone novels and short stories, but my main work is the Hiding Behind The Couch series, which these days I'm referring to as a literary soap opera.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING ME FOR THIS RELEASE DAY REVIEW, I REALLY HOPE YOU START THIS SERIES IF YOU HAVEN'T, AND IF YOU ARE A FAN, YOU NEED THIS BOOK!
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