BookLife Prize Semifinalist

In a high-stakes game of wealth and power, ambition can be a dangerous game. When two young men find themselves entangled in a web of manipulation, will their dreams of success lead to triumph or heartbreak?

Ted Sullivan, a former farm boy turned top wealth advisor, and Alec Young, a privileged heir seeking his own identity, find themselves entangled in a high-stakes game at Kauffman Schwartz. As they rise through the ranks at the investment bank, their secret romance fuels their ambition to create a revolutionary new company. But when Ted is snubbed for an Innovator Award and Alec's manipulative relationship with the daughter of a wealthy investor threatens their bond, both their relationship and moral integrity are at stake.

Haunted by their past traumas, Ted must confront his fears and learn to assert himself against toxic colleagues, while Alec grapples with the weight of his father's expectations. As they exploit connections and manipulate their way to success, they risk losing everything: their company, their relationship, and their very souls.

In a world where loyalty is tested and ambition can lead to ruin, will their love be enough to save them, or will their dreams turn into nightmares?

The BookLife Prize Assessment:  SEMIFINALIST 

Plot/Idea: Valuing Only Us tells a riveting story of two men–Ted Sullivan and Alec Young–who develop an enduring relationship during a banking internship. Desmond Wolfe examines ambition, family traumas, and magnetic attraction in this wholly engrossing work.

Prose: Desmond Wolfe's prose is exquisite: polished, captivating, literary, and steeped in tension.

Originality: Valuing Only Us is an unconventional love story, a stirring mystery, and a portrait of a striving power couple determined to rise together at all costs.

Character/Execution: Both Ted and Alec are brilliantly realized characters, individually complex and electrifying together. Desmond Wolfe manages to make both men likable–and their relationship tender–despite the backdrop of the cut-throat finance world.

“In Wolfe’s novel, friends and partners dive headfirst into the fierce corporate world to realize their dream of starting their own company. This all leads to a final act and an ending that readers won’t likely forget anytime soon. An uncompromising and engrossing tale of striving for success among greedy opportunists.”

- Kirkus

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