Category: M/M Romance

Review: On the Wings of War (Soulbound #5) by Hailey Turner

Rating: 5🌈

On the Wings of War brings us to the fifth installment of Hailey Turner’s Soulbound series and an ever enlarging canvas of mythology, gods, countries and their treasured heritage sites. As the author’s scope of her arc and

individual story storylines expand exponentially, the events are characters are involved in become more clouded with politics, both human and godly, and therefore, more cruel, costly, and painful.

Here the pack must travel to Europe in search of Morrigan’s staff. It’s not merely an artifact of extreme power but a potential element of imbalance. With its owner looking to reclaim it as well.

This story brought more unexpected surprises and shockers then any of the others yet. That’s as it should be as we’re getting closer to the ending. But these surprises range from the humorous to the emotionally devastating and shocking. What a grand ending!

While the London section was terrific and added to Jono’s history as well as moved their entire pack forward as a unit, it’s the Paris journey that’s such an incredible aspect of this book in every way. From the descriptions of the city and citizens to all the actions that follow…literally a tour de force.

Turner’s murky tapestry of supernatural beings, gods of every pantheon and religious affiliation, demons, witches, power mad humans , and hidden agendas continues to captivate even as the author ramps up the anxiety and fear for all we’ve come to care about.

New gods get added each book and possibly to each Alliance too. I’m keeping a sheet , are you?

What a superb series and book! What a absolutely brilliant journey we are on!

This is one more example of why this is one of the best series I’ve read lately in this genre. Read them in the order they are written. A must read!

Highly recommended!

https://www.goodreads.com › showOn the Wings of War (Soulbound, #5) by Hailey Turner – Goodreads

Soulbound series:

✓ A Ferry of Bones & Gold #1

✓ All Souls Near & Nigh #2

✓ A Crown of Iron & Silver #3

✓ A Vigil in the Mourning #4

✓ On the Wings of War #5

◦ An Echo in the Sorrow #6

◦ A Veiled & Hallowed Eve #7

Synopsis:

Remembering the dead will always give them life.

The coveted Morrígan’s staff is up for sale on the black market to the highest bidder, and SOA Special Agent Patrick Collins will do whatever it takes to ensure the Dominion Sect doesn’t get their hands on it. Returning the weapon to its rightful owner is another step on the long road toward clearing Patrick’s soul debt, but he won’t walk it alone. Jonothon de Vere won’t let him.

Obeying the gods means Patrick must travel to London. For Jono, it means facing a past he thought he’d left behind forever. His return to England isn’t welcome, and neither is their pack, but Jono and Patrick will face the antagonism together. Politics aside, their priority must be the mission, but the bone-chilling secret they uncover in the London god pack will have far-reaching repercussions no one can ignore.

A race against time takes Patrick and Jono from the streets of London to the bright lights of Paris, where hospitality is thin on the ground, the air is filled with whispered prayers for the missing, and the Morrígan’s staff will end up in the one place it should never have gone—a graveyard.

For beneath Paris lie the long-forgotten dead, and when they rise to walk again, the living can only hope to die.

Review: Christmas Wish List (Hartbridge Christmas #2) by N.R. Walker

Rating: 5🌈⛄️

Ever read a book that feels like all your favorite Hallmark movies gathered together with extra helpings of the sounds of carolers and the sight of fresh falling snow on Christmas Eve? Well, if you haven’t before, you will once you’ve read the heartwarming holiday romance Christmas Wish List!

N.R. Walker returns to that most Hallmark like of small towns, Hartbridge, Montana for her second and, honestly my favorite novel, in her Hartbridge Christmas series. A series that finds out of place Aussies stumbling into a Christmas wonderland and their HEA . Ok sighing again

Walker created a remarkably believable Hartbridge in her first novel in this series, Tic-Tac Mistletoe Christmas We learned about its families, it’s stores, it’s diners, it’s community and traditions.

I was ready to grab up a plane ticket…it’s so real.

Now we return with chef Jayden Turner. He’s been hired as a new B&B chef through the holidays, which happens to be n Hartbridge.

A Aussie who’s been rootless and now wants a home is coming into a place that will fill him with wonder , warming him with magical Christmas scenes that bring home the holiday spirit and a place where suddenly it starts to feel like home.

A huge part of that is Carter “Cass” Campion and his renovated grand house, Arabella Manor. Cass is a man who’s poured his heart into this renovation and new business but he needs assistance . Cass also has a personal issue he’s dealing with that’s causing him enormous guilt and isolation. Help for everything arrives in the form of Jayden.

I can’t begin to tell you how right Walker gets their relationship . How believable it is as they navigate first their working and personal relationship then as they move through each man’s issues by communicating and effort to arrive at their HEA.

I DID NOT want this to end. I absolutely fell madly in love with Jayden and Cass.

That I adore Hartbridge goes without saying, more of Carl, his diner, and the community.

Plus of course, there’s our other couple too. Can’t forget Hamish and

Ren from Tic-Tac Mistletoe Christmas. Love them too.

So yes. Need a book or two to make you sigh happily, grab for the hot chocolate, and maybe want to listen for the sound of tiny silver bells?

These are must reads for the holidays or any time of the year! I highly recommended them both.

⛄️Hart ridge Christmas series:

✓ Tic-Tac Mistletoe Christmas #1

✓ Christmas Wish List #2

Synopsis:

In need of work and a change of scenery, Aussie ex-pat Jayden Turner agrees to a short-term chef position at a Bed and Breakfast over the Christmas holidays. After all, how hard could it be in a small town in the mountains of Montana? What he finds is a grand old house in a beautiful town, and his new boss is gorgeous, gay, and single.

After his divorce, Carter “Cass” Campion bought his great-aunt’s rundown country manor in his home town, and he’s determined to get it ready for the busy holiday period. Recently out as gay, he’s been focused solely on his business and hasn’t had time for a man. Not that many gay men come through Hartbridge . . .

As his new clients arrive, and being away from his two kids, celebrating Christmas is the last thing on Cass’s mind. But his new chef has other ideas. And if there’s one thing on his Christmas Wish List this year, Jayden can make it come true.

N.R. Walker

Review: Brandon’s Very Merry Haunted Christmas (Mack’s Marvelous Manifestations #1) by A.J.Sherwood

Rating: 4🌈

Here’s another one I just fell into. Didn’t even realize it was a Sherwood story until later. But honestly I should have as the style, dialogue and format scream 😂 A.J. Sherwood.

So does the topic(s) and the manner in which they are handled. Ghosts, ghost hunting, psychics, the paranormal! Treated with respect, a bent towards the humorous situations it can lend itself, and the commonality of spookiness that automatically comes to mind.

Throw in a romance, a new partnership, and sone intriguing back story that I’m sure will emerge over the next book and this is a keeper.

I liked Mack and it’s his background we only get hints of that I want to know more of. Doesn’t sound very pleasant.

Brandon Havili, and his family, is amazing. I love the Tongan element as well as the Glossary in the back. That adds a richness to his character and his family and a culture I’m not familiar with. I’m looking forward to learning more through my journey with him.

This is a fun, quick romance at the holidays and I can’t wait for more.

I’ll also be picking up the books in Jon’s series that preceded this one. Two new series at the same time!

Mack’s Marvelous Manifestations Series:

◦ Brandon’s Very Merry Haunted Christmas

◦ Mack’s Perfectly Ghastly Homecoming

Connected Prior Series:

Synopsis:

When Brandon Havili gets recruited by the FBI, he’s immediately assigned to shadow his brother and the psychic Donovan’s anchored to. Brandon doesn’t mind this in the slightest. He loves his brother, Jon seems cool, and it’s a great way to learn how to be an anchor, which is what the FBI wants him for. It’s supposedly three weeks of just following people around and observing.

But there’s a hitch in the plans. Brandon accidentally picks up a hitchhiker of the ghostly variety. Donovan is NOT pleased. Jon is amused to no end.

Dealing with the ghost means going back to the place Brandon accidentally got it from, Eureka Springs, Arkansas. They expect to meet up with an FBI medium, exorcise said ghost, and go home again.

FBI Medium Mackenzie Lafayette is not at all what Brandon expects. And for once, he’s quite happy to ditch the plan. Returning to Nashville can wait. He’s got a sexy medium to figure out first

https://www.goodreads.com › showBrandon’s Very Merry Haunted Christmas

Review: Keeping Promises by Jodi Payne and B.A. Tortuga

Rating: 4🌈

Cowboys n Kids rides again in a new release from authors Jodi Payne and B.A.Tortuga. This time is a pair of divorced dads, one’s a rodeo cowboy, who get their second chance at HEA. With a very cute couple of kids very much a part of the mixture.

This works well primarily because of a sense of established relationship between Jeremy M. Dunn and his ex rodeo cowboy West Belen.

You do get the sense that, however much time has passed, feelings were never the issue. So as a death and injury drives one home and the other to reach out for help, it feels real instead of rushed.

What’s nice is the slower pace here towards a permanent situation. It needs communication, something they weren’t very good at when younger.

The story has many sweet and delightful elements. The kids are great, each taking the reappearance and talks of permanence in their own ways. There’s also a pair of younger adorable rodeo cowboys who end up at Jeremy and West’s home like a couple of lost Golden Retrievers.

I would love to see them again.

Overall, a terrific heartwarming romance of lovers reunited and happy second chances of HEA.

And holidays!

It’s a treat to read. And it’s one I’m recommending.

Keeping Promises by Jodi Payne – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Jeremy M. Dunn III has the single dad thing down, so the last thing he wants to do is call his ex-husband to ask for help with their two kids. They didn’t part on good terms, and they’ve barely spoken since the divorce. But with a cast on his arm that goes up past his elbow, Jeremy has no choice. He needs a few days to figure out how to bathe their daughter, make school lunches and parent their son one-armed, and there isn’t anyone else he can ask for help.

Former rodeo cowboy West Belen was already on his way back to his kids, and to Trey (“the third”, his nickname for Jeremy). He made a promise to try again, and he means to keep it, so when he sees his chance to move back into his family’s life, he grabs it like the brass ring he knows it is. He’s determined to be more than an “every other weekend” dad to his children, and he doesn’t want to keep on living with regret about how he and Trey ended.

Jeremy still desires West, but he isn’t sure he can trust West to be responsible and available. West still thinks Trey is the hottest thing he’s ever seen, but he has no idea how to convince the man he’s ready to settle down. The two of them have never had trouble butting heads, but now they need to learn to work together to make a home for themselves and their kids where they both belong

Review: All Souls Near & Nigh (Soulbound #2) by Hailey Turner

Rating: 5 🌈

All Souls Near & Nigh, the second in Hailey Turner’s outstanding urban fantasy series, is everything a second book in a series should be. It moves the overall series arc forward while capturing our attention and, at times taking our breath away, with the plot for this novel.

It includes all the major characters we expect and want to see while introducing new and what I anticipate to be important players/beings going forward.

And it wraps up this story’s plot while setting the characters and readers firmly on the path to the journey into the next book and arc storylines.

Hailey Turner accomplishes all that in a novel that’s highly packed with tough emotional scenes, amazing magical action, some very complex mythological god relationships, as well as much painful, personal dynamics between Jono and Patrick.

At times this will not be an easy book to read. There is an on page sexual assault for a major character. As this has the definite possibility of being a trigger for some people, I commend the author for putting a warning about this scene at the beginning of the book where it can’t be missed. I won’t lie. It’s hard to read.

And it’s ramifications for the character emotionally and those around that character are done with respect and sensitivity, as well as in keeping with that person’s personality.

Here , the ordeals, the trauma, the past, it weighs upon each person or being. It’s not sloughed off but given it’s very real impact. That translates into a realism for these characters and the events they encounter.

In fact, the people and beings are now fully embedded in my heart that after I finish a story, I’m full of “what if’s…” so engaged is my imagination.

I also find myself looking up various gods I’m unfamiliar with and their religion/history. That’s another huge plus.

Patrick and Jono have a difficult developing relationship and dynamic that’s gripping because it’s as fraught with peril as it is with hope. Always a sharp dagger edge away from absolute disaster it’s also the first real relationship Patrick has ever had. Something that makes the reader fear for them both even more.

Increased hope, great fear, unbearable pain and loss in the past, present and coming future. All laid out in an incredibly , increasingly complex plot. All surrounding characters we care more and more for.

What a book and series.

I have other novels to read but all I want to do is curl up and read right through to the end.

I’ll let you know if temptation wins out.

In the meantime, definitely read this but only after book 1. They need to be read in the order they were written.

Great writing, outstanding characters. Highly recommended!

Don’t forget about the warning.

Soulbound series:

✓ A Ferry of Bones & Gold #1

✓ All Souls Near & Nigh #2

◦ A Crown of Iron & Silver #3

◦ A Vigil in the Mourning #4

◦ On the Wings of War #5

◦ An Echo in the Sorrow #6

◦ A Veiled & Hallowed Eve #7

Synopsis:

You can’t bargain with death if you’ve already sold your soul.

Special Agent Patrick Collins has been reassigned by the Supernatural Operations Agency to New York City. Navigating his new relationship with Jonothon de Vere, the werewolf he’s now soulbound to, is nothing compared to dealing with territorial disputes between the vampires and werecreatures who call the five boroughs home. But the delicate treaties that have kept the preternatural world in check are fraying at the edges, and the fallout is spilling into the mundane world.

Manhattan’s club scene is overrun with the vampire drug known as shine and the subways have become a dumping ground for bodies. When the dead are revealed as missing werecreatures, Patrick and Jono find themselves entangled in pack politics twisted by vampire machinations.

Learning to trust each other comes with problems for both of them, and the gods with a stake in Patrick’s soul debt aren’t finished with him yet. Bound by promises they can’t break, Patrick and Jono must find a way to survive a threat that takes no prisoners and is stalking them relentlessly through the city streets.

Old and new betrayals are coming home to roost but the truth—buried in blood—is more poisonous than the lies being spun. Trying to outrun death is a nightmare—one Patrick may never wake up from.

All Souls Near & Nigh is a 104k word m/m urban fantasy with a gay romantic subplot and a HFN ending. It is a direct sequel to A Ferry of Bones & Gold, and reading the first book in the series would be helpful in enjoying this one. Please see the disclaimer at the beginning of the book for content some readers may find triggering.

https://www.goodreads.com › showAll Souls Near & Nigh (Soulbound, #2) by Hailey Turner – Goodreads

Review: A Ferry of Bones & Gold (Soulbound #1) by Hailey Turner

Rating: 5🌈

I absolutely love it when I stumble across a book by a new author and become a fan of the writer as well as a reader highly invested in a series and characters after only finishing book one.

That’s what occurred after Hailey Turner’s A Ferry of Bones & Gold got it’s narrative hooks into me. Once I found myself absolutely engaged with the lives of Patrick Collins, Jono, and all the rest of the beings fighting against the Dominion Sect , I was full on part of that universe and fight as well.

Turner has a terrific way with dialogue and descriptions that makes these people. beings, crackle with life, energy, vibrancy or in the case of the vampire s, chilling magnetic power, that flies off the pages.

And the sense of urgency, and suspense is incredible when it comes to the battles and chases. Whether it’s mundane or magical. From great fight scenes to the devastation left behind, the author brings a sense of authenticity to her writing that makes us believe!

The plots here are many and varied. Also as convoluted as the famous Labyrinth of Crete, which is perfect because on top of werecreatures, vampires, elves, dragons and such, the story’s man elements include the gods of various mythologies. Albeit vary much alive.

The first book deals primarily with Greek although the Egyptian Ra and Norse gods are mentioned.

Here they are quite the meddling group, and the layers (as well as god pantheon politics) flow through the story.

That’s a lot to pack into a story and this book holds that weight easily. Along side a beginning relationship with Patrick with a were, and a small group of beings as he starts to find himself a unofficial “team” and circle of friends.

However, the author also allows a continual thread of loss, death, isolation, to run faintly through. It’s in Patrick’s history, and the reader is aware is most likely in the fighting still to come.

A sobering awareness that never leaves, giving this story a severity and somber note you hear over the laughter.

I appreciate that and wonder how this extremely complicated relationship and many layered arc storylines will play out.

I can’t wait to read on and find out.

What an amazing start.

Highly recommend this story and author.

Soulbound series:

✓ A Ferry of Bones & Gold #1

◦ All Souls Near & Nigh #2

◦ A Crown of Iron & Silver #3

◦ A Vigil in the Mourning #4

◦ On the Wings of War #5

◦ An Echo in the Sorrow #6

◦ A Veiled & Hallowed Eve #7

Synopsis:

When the gods come calling, you don’t get to say no.

Patrick Collins is three years into a career as a special agent for the Supernatural Operations Agency when the gods come calling to collect a soul debt he owes them. An immortal has gone missing in New York City and bodies are showing up in the wake of demon-led ritual killings that Patrick recognizes all too easily from his nightmares.

Unable to walk away, Patrick finds himself once again facing off against mercenary magic users belonging to the Dominion Sect. Standing his ground alone has never been a winning option in Patrick’s experience, but it’s been years since he’s had a partner he could trust.

Looking for allies in all the wrong places, Patrick discovers the Dominion Sect’s next target is the same werewolf the Fates themselves have thrown into his path. Patrick has been inexplicably attracted to the man from their first meeting, but desire has no place in war. That doesn’t stop Patrick from wanting what he shouldn’t have. Jonothon de Vere is gorgeous, dangerous, and nothing but trouble—to the case, to the fight against every hell, and ultimately, to Patrick’s heart and soul.

In the end, all debts must be paid, and Patrick can only do what he does best—cheat death.

A Ferry of Bones & Gold is a 115k word m/m urban fantasy with a gay romantic subplot and a HFN ending

https://www.goodreads.com › showA Ferry of Bones & Gold (Soulbound, #1) by Hailey Turner – Goodreads

Review: The Cuckoo’s Call by Lily Morton

Rating: 5 🌈

I’m not sure why this sat a few days on my shelf before I got to it because it has to be one of my favorite romances yet this year.

Lily Morton really ticked every box for me here on contemporary romances and then further with not one but two love letters to Majorca and Venice. These settings are clearly places the author is familiar with and loves. And it shows in each warmly described location and all the finely etched details. The lagoons of Venice, history, the twisty roads and beaches along with local foods… all folded in with a memorable, heartwarming romance.

That Prologue! Honestly. Starting a story with a prologue almost guaranteed to make you sniffle ! Blink and you are already invested 100 percent in Wren Robert’s story, why he’s fog bound at that airport. And bereft.

Then comes the story.

And what a fantastic, romantic, grand story it is.

I laughed, cried, laughed some more… sighed a lot. And was ultimately thrilled at the ending.

Lily Morton gives us a spectacular cast of characters here.

Wren Morton, the Cuckoo of the title. The foster child forever being deposited in someone else’s “nest”, but who grew up without self pity, self-sufficient, kind, and with a love for learning. How I fell deeply in love with this character.

Mateo Rossi, extremely wealthy hotelier, bored, multidimensional. Of an ancient Venice family as well as one in Majorca. A man of divided hearts. Watching Mateo interact with Wren, changing as he reveals more of his real self? Amazing.

While the story is told mostly from Wren’s perspective, every now and then we get Mateo’s pov, just when it’s needed. To see Wren outside of how he sees himself. I grew to anticipate those!

The other characters like Mateo’s mother and grandfather are people that are so well developed that I felt I just didn’t get enough of them. Same about Alfie and a certain glass artist.

I really hope to see a sequel to this story.

The Cuckoo’s Call by Lily Morton is such a remarkable romance that I felt 5 stars wasn’t nearly enough.

I’m highly recommending it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Synopsis:

Can a summer romance last forever?

Wren Roberts thought he’d found his fairy tale when he met Mateo Rossi on holiday in Majorca. The wealthy and successful older man swept him off his feet, and before he knew it, he’d thrown caution to the wind and was living in Mateo’s waterside apartment in Venice. It’s a far cry from his harsh upbringing and crummy flat in London.

But as the summer turns to autumn, cracks begin to show. Mateo’s family aren’t welcoming, and there doesn’t seem to be a place for Wren in Mateo’s world. He could have coped with all of that, but Mateo himself seems like a different person away from the sunshine island.

Should Wren have been more cautious in riding off into the sunset when he wasn’t sure what lay over the horizon?

From bestselling author Lily Morton comes a romance about two men who find that sometimes happily ever after doesn’t end there.

https://www.goodreads.com › showThe Cuckoo’s Call by Lily Morton – Goodreads

Review: Hot as Heller (Aster Valley #3) by Lucy Lennox

The man asked me to valet his damn car

Rating: 3.5 🌈

Hot as Heller by Lucy Lennox is a new release I happened to grab up as it’s tag line caught my attention.

Of course, it’s a middle book in a series. But I found this time that really didn’t make a difference for me understanding the characters or for getting a feel of place and community. Lennox does a good job of laying out her foundation universe. It’s folded into this story so well that it includes enough of all preceding storylines and history that the reader doesn’t feel lost when past events or people are mentioned.

Also each book represents a different couple so while minor threads appear from previous novels, each story can stand somewhat alone, with a support cast you can become familiar with if this is your first book. Or one you already know because you’ve read their stories. Either way, it works.

I enjoyed this story and felt that one of the elements was excellently on topic , especially given the timing. I’m talking about the current tragedy on the now shut down movie set of “Rust”, and the intense and much needed movie industry discussions going on about safety, stunts .and overall actor/support control.

I wonder if the author knew how on point and current this aspect of the story would be.

It was excellently written and the suspense almost made the romance take a backseat for me. It did have the effect of making me care about a character I was having trouble connecting with.

That would be Finn Heller, the child actor who’s the lead in this action movie being filmed in Aster Valley. Finn is/was a very problematic character for me. Most doormat personalities are. For the majority of this book , Finn let’s everyone make decisions for him. Whether to go to a bar when he doesn’t want to. He says no and goes anyway. He says no and does it anyway. For everything.

While the author is doing her best to explain his actions, that very personality is turning into white noise for me. Not good when he’s half of a main romance.

Better is Sheriff Declan Stone. Recently of LA’s PD, a corruption scandal involving his partner and just sick of Hollywood and its denizens, he’s relocated to small town Aster Valley for a saner, better lifestyle.

I liked this character immediately. He comes across as realistic, competent. At home in his skill set and person. He’s, in short, believable and someone we can connect with.

Which begs the question as to why he’s attaching himself to a doormat, however attractive. Finn does find himself undergoing a sea change before the story ends but I still found him not as fascinating a person. Oh well.

What I did fall in love with? The small town community of Aster Valley. I need dispatcher Penny to finish filling me in on the romance drama between Charlene Candy, her ex wife Clara Corn ( yep you see that coming), and her new love Clara’s brother. Plus there’s that thing with Colman and his wildlife…

Never a dull , funny , or just small town human moments. This book and the Sheriffs time of full of them. Those made it for me

The town, it’s people, the secondary romances, as well as other interesting , warm-hearted aspects to Aster Valley pulled me in and engaged my imagination to make me want to explore the rest of the series.

This has so many different terrific elements that I can definitely recommend it as a contemporary romance people will enjoy.

Aster Valley Series:

◦ Winter Waites #0.5

◦ Right as Raine #1

◦ Sweet as Honey #2

✓ Hot as Heller #3

◦ Thick as Thieves #4 – coming 2022

Synopsis:

The man asked me to valet his damn car.

Look, I left LA for a reason. I’ve had my fill of big Hollywood stars and their even bigger egos. I want something genuine. Something real. And it doesn’t get any realer than being the new sheriff of Aster Valley, Colorado.

That is, until entitled Finn Heller appears on the scene, handing me the keys to his convertible like I’m his personal servant.

The former child star and wannabe action hero is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. He’s also a snarky party animal with legions of adoring fans and attitude for days.

Or so I thought.

The longer the film crew stays in town, the more I begin to wonder if Finn is hiding his true self, one that’s as beautiful inside as out. He’s a star alright, but the kind that shines bright enough to light up the night sky… the kind I want to make a wish on.

A wish Finn will find a way to make things work with me, even if it means his next role is my very own leading man.

https://www.goodreads.com › showHot as Heller (Aster Valley, #3) by Lucy Lennox | Goodreads

◦

Review: Bigger Than Us by B.A. Tortuga and Jodi Payne

Rating: 4 🌈⛄️

Artist Daniel McCaverty and businessman Mitchell Brown were both close friends of Adam who has just died of cancer. His Will has irrecoverably changed both mens lives forever, leaving them intertwined with those of two young children, one a baby. Two men, two children, and one house . That’s equals a family…

Bigger Than Us is among the latest of what authors Jodi Payne and B.A. Tortuga are calling their “shoe stories “ and I call their cowboys n kids books.

They have cowboys, a city boy, kids, a second chance at love, and a major drama/trauma that pulls the two men together to form a family.

Here , as it’s been in several stories, it’s been a death by cancer of a guardian or parent, that lets the men step in and take charge.

I liked both characters of Dan and Mitch, both very different from each other. Dan for me was more fascinating and his background and history raised a lot of questions that were never satisfactorily answered. I think if I had gotten more of Dan’s past, it would have raised the rating higher. Because I felt we were going to get his background then the authors never came back to it. Too bad. He’s a compelling personality.

Dan and Mitch’s love story also comes about quickly. But they acknowledge the fast pace, communicate their doubts and questions about their situation, the kids, their relationship, everything that’s been fast tracked… just as adults should. And that element, the ability for the men to voice their own issues with everything that happened so fast actually makes the reader happier and ok with the love and warmth occurring on the pages in front of us.

The kids? Priceless. Act and talk like kids. Especially Vicki who’s hurting and acting up because she’s scared and mad and little. And wants her Dad back. Your heart will ache for her.

This story runs through Thanksgiving and ends at Christmas so for me it’s a holiday story. Sweet, sad, heartwarming, and loving.

I enjoyed it, especially the ending even if it stopped a bit abruptly. Still happy.

Side note. What is going on in Burlington, Vermont? Did I miss the heart eyes text for Burlington where it’s now the romance destination ?

Anyway, add this to your holiday TBR pile. You will absolutely enjoy it.

Bigger Than Us

Synopsis:

When Daniel McCaverty gets the call that his best friend and mentor up in Vermont has cancer, he expects to have plenty of time to go help. He never expects that Adam will be gone before he gets there, or that he will suddenly be in charge of Adam’s two small children. He’s a loner, an artist, and a wanderer. What’s he supposed to do now?

Mitchell Brown is a white-collar kind of guy. Organized. Careful. He has a plan in place for Adam’s kids long before Daniel arrives, and is shocked when Daniel is given custody. But for Vicky and Emory, he’s willing to put his hurt and confusion aside to help Daniel figure things out, to make the whole situation work.

Daniel and Mitch have to deal with a tidal wave of grief while getting one kid started in school, and keeping up with their work. But they’re going to have to figure out their unexpected attraction to each other if they’re going to build something together that’s bigger than either one of them alone

Review: Cosy & Chill by Jackie Keswick

Rating: 5🌈⛄️

Cosy & Chill by Jackie Keswick really conveys so much of what I really think is authentic when it comes to the holidays. It’s never just that glitteringly happy, fun filled holiday. full of congenial family gatherings and mountains of gifts. No, there’s also the elements of melancholy, feelings of bitterness, loneliness, exclusion, family dysfunction, and outright pain and loss.

Yes, what the holidays can and does mean to people runs the emotional spectrum depending upon the person and their history. Judy Garland’s “Have Yourself A Merry Christmas” anyone?

Keswick brings us into Cosy & Chill as one being, a Fae, experiences the pain of betrayal, and extreme loss. She’s now trapped in the human realm by a theft of her amulet, her key home. Her anguish, loss, her rage is bone deep and as her search becomes ever fruitless… we connect deeply with her grief and loss of hope.

That’s just the beginning of this outstanding tale of renewed heart, new paths, personal growth, and learning how to reach for your dreams. While finding love and friends along the way.

Done through knitting and making ice cream! Oh, and a hunt for a silver amulet!

All the characters here are so remarkable. Whether it’s the Fae Roisen determinedly searching for her amulet through a mysterious clue, drawn to a house by magic, Finn Wooten, with his Cosy Etsy knitting store or Leo Wetherall of Chill organic ice creams, these beings and people come alive through their struggles and all the obstacles, small to large, past and present, they must overcome.

Really Keswick’s storytelling will captivate you!

Both Finn and Leo each had a wonderful supportive grandmother in their past as well as dysfunctional families. How badly dysfunctional varied. Each man’s past is rolled out and dealt with slowly as their relationship progresses and it gets closer to many important dates for all involved.

I found myself forgetting my own lists, things I really need to get to, as I sank into this tale of discovery, self determination, courage, hope, love, and, of course, Holiday spirit….in a Fae sort of way.

As the author put The End to this story I couldn’t help but hope that next Christmas Keswick sees us making a return to a certain shop on High Street, Number 13 to be exact. And all who live overtop and within.

I’d love to catch up with them. You will be enchanted and wish for that too!

Cosy & Chill by Jackie Keswick goes to my top five holiday reads this year. I’m highly recommending you out it in your own stocking and your TBR pile!

What a joy!

Synopsis:

Knitting. Ice Cream. And a Matchmaking Fae.

Quiet, industrious Finn dreams of his own knitting store. He needs Leo’s enthusiasm to make him reach for what he wants.

Cheerful, adventurous Leo sells artisan ice cream but shies away from fulfilling his grandmother’s last wish. He needs Finn’s love and support to put his past to rest for good.

Add a Saxon treasure, a fae stranded in the human world, and an empty store with very unusual rental terms – and falling in love is not the only challenge Finn and Leo have to face.

Making a dream come true takes work. But there’s magic in dreams if Finn and Leo can hold on tight.

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Tags: I’m only here for socks and ice cream. Sometimes you just click with another guy even if you’re opposites. I look at you and know what I’ll be knitting. How to share a house with someone you’ve just met. Utensils don’t sparkle, right? Grandmas rock. Making a deal with a burglar. Roisin is a decorating wiz and Finn worries about antique furniture. If you don’t talk to me, I can’t help you. Finding treasure at inopportune moments. And yes, there’s a happy ending

https://www.goodreads.com › showCosy & Chill by Jackie Keswick – Goodreads