18 Candles

By Jason M Buss

For Ian Mitchell, June 1995 should be unforgettable. He's just finished high school, summer drifts in on the breeze from Lake St. Clair, carrying the pulse of Detroit just down the road, and turning eighteen should feel like freedom. Instead, his birthday vanishes under the glitter of his brother Gavin's three-hundred-guest wedding, his parents totally forget, and the one secret that burns brightest stays locked away: Ian is hopelessly in love with Derek Lawson.

Derek-the boy who once stuck glow-in-the-dark stars to Ian's ceiling. Derek-the larger-than-life best friend of Ian's brother. Derek-the confident, out-and-proud heartbreaker who seems forever just out of reach.

But Derek Lawson has his own shadows. He's the best man juggling tux fittings and champagne toasts, an ex who won't stop circling, and a reputation built on one-night stands with guys who's names he barely remembers by morning. Love is complicated, and Derek's sworn it off-until late-night talks, stolen glances, and the summer breeze off the Detroit River make Gavin's little brother impossible to ignore.

Between wedding chaos, starlit confessions, and the flicker of eighteen candles, Ian and Derek discover a spark that feels a lot like destiny. If they're brave enough to step into the light, they just might find a love that changes everything.

18 Candles is a heartfelt, nostalgic romance set against the neon glow and music-soaked nights of 1995 Detroit-where graduation means reinvention, coming of age means coming out, and first love burns forever.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FSKCHLP1
• ISBN13: 9798266820876
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 496 Pages
• Weight: 1.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.0" x 10.0"