Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Cupid is visiting Bluewater Bay, and he’s leaving chaos in his wake.
Nothing’s been the same in this sleepy little logging town since Hollywood came to shoot the hit TV show Wolf’s Landing—especially Valentine’s Day.
In L.A. Witt’s Just Another Day, beloved actors Levi Pritchard and Carter Samuels have an announcement for their fans, while in Z.A. Maxfield’s I’ll Be There, actor Spencer Kepler and his boyfriend Nash Holly brave a blizzard and a fan convention to spend their first February the 14th together.
Of course, it’s not just TV stars celebrating the day. In Anne Tenino’s Helping Hand, an aspiring artist eager to escape Bluewater Bay decides he just might have a reason to stay: lust-inspiring logger Gabriel Savage. In SE Jakes’s No Easy Way, a local teacher reconnects with an old lover working security on the film set. And in Amy Lane’s Nascha, a Bluewater Bay elder recalls how his own unconventional family used to celebrate the holiday.
Real life may be nothing like TV, but when Cupid comes to town, there’s plenty of romance and drama to go around.
This was a nice collection of stories; it was nice seeing a few characters again along with a few new ones. These stories can mostly be read as stand-alone, but events from the characters books could be helpful and, after looking ahead, some of the other stories are kind of a pre-quel to some more books later in the series.
Just Another Day by LA Witt – 5 stars out of 5
It was great to see Levi and Carter again. Levi learns that Valentine’s Day isn’t always about a token expensive gift, but being with the one you love. Levi continues to struggle with being in an actual relationship, but can see everywhere he turns how perfect it is to have Carter in his life.
Nascha by Amy Lane – 4 stars out of 5
This was a nice, but very depressing. We get a look at the life of Nascha and his family. He gave up a lot to take care of his niece and her family, but in the end gets the chance to re-connect with his lover Raw. I loved Nascha and my heart broke when he had to give up his lovers and then the death of one after they had reconnected.
No Easy Way by SE Jakes – 3 stars out of 5
Cary has pretty much been just been existing since his boyfriend, Dylan, left. Dylan has been in the military for years and finally got the courage to come home and try to win Cary back. That Dylan was willing to take the verbal abuse from Cary for so long without explaining was a miracle. Though this was an interesting story, I had trouble connecting with the characters.
Helping Hand by Anne Tenino – 3 stars out of 5
Lucas cannot wait for the chance to get out of Bluewater Bay, he has nothing to keep him here. He feels like the outsider in his family and the town. It isn’t until after he is pretty much forced to come out to his family that he finds out he isn’t quite as different as he thought. When Lucas and Gabe connect and then Gabe pushes Lucas away my heart just absolutely broke for him. I am interested to see what happens to them when I get to their book.
I’ll Be There by ZA Maxfield – 5 stars out of 5
I loved Nash and Spencer in their book and it was great to see them again. They both need and love each other so much, it’s wonderful. I loved the look we got at Nash’s twin, Healey, too.
Nick Russo and Dorian Bane did a nice job narrating these story. They really brought the characters to life through the voices and emotions they portrayed.
Cover art by LC Chase is nice and follows the pattern for the series.
Sales Links: Riptide | Audible | Amazon | iTunes
Audiobook Details:
Audiobook, 6 hrs 22 min
Published: September 26, 2016 (ebook first published February 9, 2015)
Edition Language: English
Series: A Bluewater Bay Story
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