Release Blitz: Double Dared: Raquel Riley
Double Dared
Raquel Riley
Amazon
Release Date January 23, 2026
Raquel Riley
Amazon
Release Date January 23, 2026
First love. First betrayal. One dare away from unraveling everything.
Truen "Tru" Jameson:
I was twelve when I realized I loved him.
Thirteen when I kissed him.
And the next day, he made me hate myself for it.
Darien turned our friendship into a weapon.
Now he calls me his stepbrother and looks right through me like I’m nothing.
He pretends he doesn’t remember that night in the closet.
But I do.
I still taste him like blood in my mouth.
I remember how he kissed me back—and how he made sure I paid for it.
If Darien taught me anything, it’s that love isn’t a game.
The first dare broke us. The second dare might set us free.
Darien "Dare" Carter:
I kissed him back.
Because I wanted to.
Because it felt like falling, and I wanted to crash.
But wanting him meant admitting too much, so I crushed it.
I burned the bridge and left him on the other side, holding the match I lit.
He thinks I forgot. I didn’t.
I remember everything—his mouth, his breath, the sound he made when our lips touched.
I’ve hated him ever since for making it matter.
But I hate myself more for wanting it again.
And God help me, I do.
This isn’t a love story.
It’s a reckoning.
Double Dared is a standalone M/M romance packed with longing, banter, emotional gut punches, and heat that burns.
Oh my goodness. These two just killed me. From the sweetest friendship to enemies to step brothers to two people who never could really rid themselves of the connection that they had. It's heartfelt and heartbreaking, beautiful and terrible, obsessive and toxic.
Darien and Truman were the best of friends in their tween years until one event changed everything. It sent Dare running and icing out Tru because of his own fears and insecurities. But instead of just hiding, it made him angry at Tru and at himself, and that self-loathing led to years of terrible behavior from Dare. I actually hated his actions, but at the same time could tell how deeply wounded and scared he was.
And poor sweet baby Tru, he was so enamored of his best friend, and it was heartbreaking to see what he had to deal with. Eventually he had to reinvent himself, find new friends and deal with the loneliness and being picked on. But deep down, he still had these unresolved feelings for Dare.
Their story is organized into parts, and each part just broke my heart in some way, whether it be the emotions and it being beautiful, or it hurting so bad, and finally starting to heal. But it’s not an easy journey. But I really got invested in these characters, and they were very well developed, and their voices really came across through the pages, even though they were keeping so much from each other. They’re basically obsessed with each other, whether they’re getting good or bad attention. And the way some of the family dynamics developed also impacted their relationship and increased the forced proximity at a time when they weren’t ready for it.
This is a heartbreaking and heartfelt, emotional, angsty, hurt-comfort, soulmates, best-friends-to-enemies-to-stepbrother-to-lovers romance that spans years and a myriad of raw emotions. It's a long book (and sometimes I was not sure I could take any more) about first love, betrayal, loss, hope, and second chances. It's got dares, drama, aching, pining, bullying, brooding, and a whole lot of big feels. It is frustrating and awful at times, and it really hurt. But these two have such a powerful connection skating the line between love and hate. I came to love these broken boys who really just needed each other in order to hope, heal, have their self-worth, and to feel whole. They were truly two halves of a whole.
Darien and Truman were the best of friends in their tween years until one event changed everything. It sent Dare running and icing out Tru because of his own fears and insecurities. But instead of just hiding, it made him angry at Tru and at himself, and that self-loathing led to years of terrible behavior from Dare. I actually hated his actions, but at the same time could tell how deeply wounded and scared he was.
And poor sweet baby Tru, he was so enamored of his best friend, and it was heartbreaking to see what he had to deal with. Eventually he had to reinvent himself, find new friends and deal with the loneliness and being picked on. But deep down, he still had these unresolved feelings for Dare.
Their story is organized into parts, and each part just broke my heart in some way, whether it be the emotions and it being beautiful, or it hurting so bad, and finally starting to heal. But it’s not an easy journey. But I really got invested in these characters, and they were very well developed, and their voices really came across through the pages, even though they were keeping so much from each other. They’re basically obsessed with each other, whether they’re getting good or bad attention. And the way some of the family dynamics developed also impacted their relationship and increased the forced proximity at a time when they weren’t ready for it.
This is a heartbreaking and heartfelt, emotional, angsty, hurt-comfort, soulmates, best-friends-to-enemies-to-stepbrother-to-lovers romance that spans years and a myriad of raw emotions. It's a long book (and sometimes I was not sure I could take any more) about first love, betrayal, loss, hope, and second chances. It's got dares, drama, aching, pining, bullying, brooding, and a whole lot of big feels. It is frustrating and awful at times, and it really hurt. But these two have such a powerful connection skating the line between love and hate. I came to love these broken boys who really just needed each other in order to hope, heal, have their self-worth, and to feel whole. They were truly two halves of a whole.
Direct from Raquel's shop, you can order the special edition book box.
Box includes:
Foiled hardcover with jacket, sprayed edges, colored end pages, special formatting, and six pieces of art printed inside. Also includes bonus scenes. 
Audiobook includes bonus scenes. Performed by Zachary Zaba.  
NSFW art, tattoo, stickers, double-sided comic zine flyer, double-sided wedding vows postcard, and name doodle paper.
**You can also bundle the paperback with ebook, or the audio with e-book. Or you can purchase the e-book independently. All editions purchased from my shop include bonus scenes, discount, and early release.
Raquel Riley is a native of South Florida but now calls North Carolina home. She is an avid reader and loves to travel. Most often, she writes gay romance stories with an HEA but characters of all types can be found in her books. Raquel weaves pieces of herself, her family, and her travels into every story she writes.
Stop by her author page on Facebook for the exclusive updates, new releases, and excerpts of her current work in progress. You can also visit Raquel and her characters from Cooper’s Cove in her Facebook reader group Raquel Riley’s Romantics.
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