Rating: 4 stars out of 5
When Eugene Montgomery comes to the Turtle R&R to report he found a nest of turtle eggs on the beach and it appears some eggs are already damaged, biologist Nor O’Brien rushes to save them. He can’t keep from eyeing the gorgeous eye candy either. Nor is single and frustrated. Small and nerdy, the 28-year-old is hoping to find the man of his dreams—someone who might look a lot like Eugene—big, buff, and, hopefully, interested in turtles. But it’s apparent Eugene is on vacation, and Nor doesn’t do flings.
Well, not usually, anyway. At least that’s what he tells himself when the two end up in bed. But the good news is that Eugene does indeed love turtles, and Nor eventually learns he’s been mistaken about Eugune all along. He’s not on vacation—he’s moved here permanently to start his own business. Nor may really have met the man of his dreams, after all.
This story was sweet—and almost too short. But the author, who has a way with word crafting, was able to fit in a lot of detail about the turtle sanctuary, the rescue of the loggerhead eggs, time for dating, and even a sex scene. I would have loved this to be longer, but what we got was really interesting and heartwarming. Plus, both characters were sketched-in enough that I really enjoyed being with them on this adventure.
I definitely recommend this story, especially to those of us who live in Florida and have to “make do” with sandy beaches instead of snow for the holidays.
The cover by Brooke Albrecht features Nor, a young, eyeglasses-wearing, turtle-loving nerd. The bright colors and cute picture are definitely enough to attract attention to this book.
Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon
Book Details:
Kindle Edition, Dreamspinner Press Advent Calendar
Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 139781644050392
Edition Language English
This was a little bit of a surprise. Not often are Christmas themed books full length. We get a lot of shorts and novellas. So even though the time span (not including epilogue) is less than two weeks, it is packed full enough for a regular sized book.
This is EXACTLY what I want out of a holiday short story!
Leo’s quiet vacation in Vermont is cut short by news that his beloved grandmother’s in the hospital because she tried to burn down her own house. Feeling low and depressed that she might be falling victim to dementia, Leo takes comfort in a man he meets in the hospital’s Quiet Room. The encounter’s supposed to be a one-night stand, one and done, no strings attached, but Leo’s surprised when he wants more.
I’ll start by saying that there was literally nothing about his wonderful love story that I didn’t adore. It had all the ingredients that make a perfect story for me, including slow burn and two older MCs—both around 50—one of whom is a widower of two years and the other still recovering from the heartbreak of his long-term partner leaving him after over twenty years together. Add to that, adult children who are not only kind and compassionate, but witty and fun-loving and fully supportive of their father, Joshua. 
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 