The trip was free. The falling wasn’t.
Mark Delgado doesn’t do vacations. He takes meetings and schedules inspections.
So when his best friend Finn drags him to a charity drag show and a queen named Ineeda Phalis diagnoses him as the saddest man in Tampa, Mark figures the night can't get any worse.
Then he wins the raffle.
His prize? A week at an all-inclusive tropical resort.
Mark arrives with three suitcases, a first aid kit, and the only collared shirt on the entire island. He's ready to flee . . . until he spots another overdressed man in the lobby.
Wes, a travel photographer with an easy grin, has absolutely no idea what he's about to do to a man who has spent his whole, careful life keeping his armor on.
The trip includes four days, a hidden cove, and a flame that burns far too hot for two grown men who both know better.
It's also the best week of Mark's life.
Warm, funny, and shamelessly feel-good, Comped! is the Barbacks series prequel that finally tells the story of how the bar's gruff co-owner learned to ‘get in the pool.’ Expect a meddling Irishman, a retiree with a betting habit, the most overpacked suitcase in tropical history. Oh—and a happily-ever-after worth the wait.
What Readers Love About This Book/Series
This opposites-attract MM romance delivers the perfect blend of laugh-out-loud comedy and melt-your-heart warmth, wrapped in the everybody-knows-your-name charm of Cheers meets Schitt's Creek. A grumpy-sunshine, fish-out-of-water vacation romance set at a chaotic clothing-optional resort, this fast-burn love story serves up forced proximity, found family, and authentic queer joy on every page. Perfect for readers who crave a daddy/silver-fox love interest, a himbo-free hero with real emotional depth, and a low-angst gay romance that trades manufactured drama for genuine swoon. With banter that'll have you snort-laughing on your lunch break and a tender slow-thaw that'll have you grinning like a fool, fans describe the Barbacks series as the comfort read that makes them laugh out loud and ugly-cry in the best possible way. A standalone prequel to the Barbacks series, fully readable on its own, each book features a brand-new couple finding love, laughter, and belonging in one Tampa gay bar.
What Readers Love About the Characters in Comped!
Mark and Wes are the opposites-attract pairing readers didn't know they needed, the big, gruff, salt-and-pepper contractor who measures everything and trusts nothing he can't hold, meets the rootless travel photographer who's never landed anywhere long enough to call it home. Watching this stoic, intimidating bear of a man slowly set down his armor, one terrible romantic speech at a time, is the warm, funny, deeply satisfying heart of the book. But it's Finn who steals every scene he's in, the meddling Irish best friend with a thick Dublin accent, a bottomless capacity for mischief, and a heart bigger than the whole resort. Add a scene-stealing supporting cast, a betting pool, a betrayed mango, and one unforgettable drag queen, and you get characters so real and so lovable you'll finish the book desperate for a barstool at Barbacks of your own.
Genre: Romance
Mark Delgado doesn’t do vacations. He takes meetings and schedules inspections.
So when his best friend Finn drags him to a charity drag show and a queen named Ineeda Phalis diagnoses him as the saddest man in Tampa, Mark figures the night can't get any worse.
Then he wins the raffle.
His prize? A week at an all-inclusive tropical resort.
Mark arrives with three suitcases, a first aid kit, and the only collared shirt on the entire island. He's ready to flee . . . until he spots another overdressed man in the lobby.
Wes, a travel photographer with an easy grin, has absolutely no idea what he's about to do to a man who has spent his whole, careful life keeping his armor on.
The trip includes four days, a hidden cove, and a flame that burns far too hot for two grown men who both know better.
It's also the best week of Mark's life.
Warm, funny, and shamelessly feel-good, Comped! is the Barbacks series prequel that finally tells the story of how the bar's gruff co-owner learned to ‘get in the pool.’ Expect a meddling Irishman, a retiree with a betting habit, the most overpacked suitcase in tropical history. Oh—and a happily-ever-after worth the wait.
What Readers Love About This Book/Series
This opposites-attract MM romance delivers the perfect blend of laugh-out-loud comedy and melt-your-heart warmth, wrapped in the everybody-knows-your-name charm of Cheers meets Schitt's Creek. A grumpy-sunshine, fish-out-of-water vacation romance set at a chaotic clothing-optional resort, this fast-burn love story serves up forced proximity, found family, and authentic queer joy on every page. Perfect for readers who crave a daddy/silver-fox love interest, a himbo-free hero with real emotional depth, and a low-angst gay romance that trades manufactured drama for genuine swoon. With banter that'll have you snort-laughing on your lunch break and a tender slow-thaw that'll have you grinning like a fool, fans describe the Barbacks series as the comfort read that makes them laugh out loud and ugly-cry in the best possible way. A standalone prequel to the Barbacks series, fully readable on its own, each book features a brand-new couple finding love, laughter, and belonging in one Tampa gay bar.
What Readers Love About the Characters in Comped!
Mark and Wes are the opposites-attract pairing readers didn't know they needed, the big, gruff, salt-and-pepper contractor who measures everything and trusts nothing he can't hold, meets the rootless travel photographer who's never landed anywhere long enough to call it home. Watching this stoic, intimidating bear of a man slowly set down his armor, one terrible romantic speech at a time, is the warm, funny, deeply satisfying heart of the book. But it's Finn who steals every scene he's in, the meddling Irish best friend with a thick Dublin accent, a bottomless capacity for mischief, and a heart bigger than the whole resort. Add a scene-stealing supporting cast, a betting pool, a betrayed mango, and one unforgettable drag queen, and you get characters so real and so lovable you'll finish the book desperate for a barstool at Barbacks of your own.
Genre: Romance