I just love this and fell deeply under the spell of Winnie Rodriquez as he conquered not only Paris but his wonderful, brilliant professor, Dr. Alistair Creighton.
One of the many things I appreciate about this novel is the absolute joy I can see the author took in writing this. Itās everywhere, in every aspect of the book. The places that Winnie and Alistair travel to and visit while in Paris are all museums, shops, and special spaces that Hayes herself has been and the affection and love shines in her descriptions. Her views of Paris and the surrounding areas mirror Winnieās in so many ways in the wonderful outlook and appreciation.
I can also see the creativity and passion for this story in the outright hilarity of the conversations, dialogueās between Winnie and Alistair as they learn about each other, that joyful and deeply rooted in how special each is.
These characters are beautifully real, aware, vividly written, gorgeous characters. I couldnāt look away from the pages and their journey into a relationship and love. And Paris was a stunning background for them to discover that they were perfect for each other and fit together.
I could see both Winnie and Alistair so clearly, their personalities and clothes were as finely detailed as everything else.
My one quibble is I wanted more. One book isnāt nearly enough for this couple whoās spread across multiple countries. I would love to see them together again in books to come.
The fabulous stylist, the absentminded professor, and a Parisian adventureā¦
Winnie
Someone once said, when life gets you down and youāre feeling blue, brush yourself off and go to Paris!
Okay, maybe that was me.
Hey, I donāt regret taking an oddball assignment to assist a British professor abroad. I could use a break from my life as an aspiring hair and style guru in LA. The only worrisome snag is that the professor is determined to do everything on his own.
Not acceptable. Iām here to help the impossibly smart geek with mismatched socks who just happens to be my best friendās boss.
No, I donāt know nothing about history, but Iām nothing if not resourceful. What could go wrong?
Alistair
Iāve been called an absent-minded professor more than once. I donāt mind at all. My work is important and living on a diet of biscuits and tea while delving into ancient civilizations doesnāt seem so terrible. But Paris calls. And somehow, I have a new temporary assistant.
Winnie is a technicolor, whirlwind American with a wicked laugh and the subtlety of a steamroller. Heās brash and ridiculous andā¦funny, warm, lovely, andā
Oh no. This canāt be happening. I swore Iād never fall for anyone again.
Winnie can take Paris, but he canāt take my heart.
Bold As Brass (Elementally Yours Book 3) by FN Manning is a well written, well executed paranormal romance. I thought Manning did a good job of explaining why Oliver Brass, brother and son to the Brasses held responsible for the crimes in book 1, makes the decisions he does here with regard to his magic and the use of a D/s relationship with respect to his control.
Thereās a very good authorās note about this element. Read it carefully. This story incorporates a realistic D/s relationship between two people, one of which is older than the other. If this isnāt an element that you enjoy reading about, you might want to skip the book.
For me, I found I didnāt connect with these characters as I had with the other couples in the preceding novels. Iām not sure why, because a D/s relationship isnāt an issue for me. Nor the difference in ages. Although the fact that (but not truly ) they almost rode the line between student and professional life is slightly troubling. It was addressed by the author.
I think that I felt that there wasnāt enough of a real connection between them to account for the sudden admission of deep love that happens.
That could be a difference of perspective. Another reader might think itās fine.
I do wish there was more information about what exactly went on towards the end. A resolution about what happened to fix everything . Instead we get a dinner and a HFN. It didnāt feel entirely satisfactory.
All in all, Bold As Brass (Elementally Yours Book 3) by FN Manning was well written but needed a better wrap up.
Control is everythingā¦ until you find someone worth surrendering to.
Oliver Brass is beyond prim and proper. Heās practically English after spending years studying metal magic in posh British schools. But when a family scandal turns his world upside down and his powers stop obeying, a stiff upper lip isnāt helping him regain control. Instead, an alluring professor shows the metal mage how to surrender.
A charming educator by day and a dirty dom by night, Liam Monroe has the unique ability to control a personās body and magic. Liam demands obedience, and even though Oliver may never stop blushing, he and his magic are eager to comply.
Everything is going well until dragons drop in with a score to settle, determined to make the wizard pay for the sins of his family. Oliver will need to rely on his powers if he has any hope of stopping the vengeful dragonsā¦ or keeping Liam. Can Oliver be bold enough to fight for the man he loves, or will it all go up in flames?
Bold as Brass features an innocent wizard being ācorruptedā and an intelligent literature professor who also happens to be a wicked dominant. Thereās also shamelessly perverted moon rituals, literal and magical power exchange, BDSM, finding strength in unexpected places, dangerous dragons, and romantic moonlit confessions. This is the third book in the Elementally Yours series of magical gay romances. Each book features different characters and can be read alone
Clean Finish is the second book in Lily Mayneās Goliaths of Wrestling paranormal romcom series and itās another winner, fabulous cover including.
This time the comedic romance is an age gap, first time storyline with the main characters being a young flighty sweet Fae assistant and an older werewolf bodyguard.
Larkin, the young, not very focused, elf assistant of Holtās, is an engaging character who we met in book 1. Sunny, kind, and effervescent in outlook, Larkin is also scattered in his thought processes, not quite able to complete his tasks with all the gorgeous wrestlers about, and his hormones on overdrive.
Seb, an older thoughtful werewolf, is Holtās bodyguard. Heās quiet, observant, a crossword puzzle enthusiast, and has been nurturing a deep abiding crush/love for Larkin from the moment he first saw him.
When Larkin decides he needs a tutor in sex, itās Seb he turns to and starts a journey to a wonderful subtly developing friendship. Mayne creates a funny, remarkably moving, and relatable story here between Seb and Larkin that becomes a deeply passionate and loving relationship. Itās built over home-made bread, cross word puzzles, a combined love of their warmhearted supportive families, and yes, lots of very sexy exploration and personal revelations.
We also get to see our other favorite couple, Holt and Taylor , continuing their story as they work together on making Goliaths of Wrestling a better place and their own life together richer. The wrestling scene and wrestlers are front and center as important players here and as found family.
A teaser for the next book shows a slight increase as the characters arenāt in the same place or personality as these. Should be fascinating. Canāt wait.
Iām young, carefree, and my job as the assistant to Holt, manager and owner of the Goliaths of Wrestling, means Iām surrounded by half-naked beefcake wrestlers all day. Of courseIām going to be interested inā¦ getting to know them all better. It would be, like, illegal for me to not lust after them all, right?
Thereās just one hurdle I have to get over first before I canā¦ get to knowthe wrestlers in the way I want. And that hurdle makes me really, really freaking nervous.
So I come up with an amazing idea. Holtās bodyguard Seb, a werewolf, is the quiet, dependable, calm presence in the office. Heās safe. Heās not as intimidating as the wrestlers, and weāre kind ofbuddies, so I decide to ask him for help with my littleā¦ predicament.
Just for some practice. Before I move onto the big leagues. Thatās all it is. Practice.
Seb
Iām the foolish old wolf whoās pined after Larkin since the moment he started working here. Iāve had to watch him flirt with all the wrestlers, listen to him talk about how much he wants them, act like I didnāt care, and itās never gotten easier.
At least no one knows. And I can never tell him. Heās too young for me, too carefree and irresponsible, and heās never shown even a hint of being interested in me that way. Mentally, Iāve accepted it. My heart, however, is a different matter.
And then he comes to me with a ridiculous proposition. Something I never thought Iād get to experience, something I should absolutely turn down, but I canāt. Iām not strong enough to deny myself. And I want to help Larkin in any way I can.
Itās just practice for him. I have to keep reminding myself of that, every time I get to touch himāevery time heās pressed against me, every time he falls asleep on my chest. He doesnāt want me. He just wantsā¦ lessons. Practice.
We first met all these people (alive and ghostly ) at the very haunted Ashton-Drake Manor House in the Dead Serious Case #4 Professor Prometheus Plume (Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed).
That was a fabulous supernatural murder mystery romp that was absolutely entertaining, romantic, and gave us an entirely new cast of characters to love.
The Haunted Hotel picks up in the aftermath of those events, the unwanted publicity and the trouble itās brought to the Manor. And the unexpected surprises too.
One is a leftover guest, the horror book author Mr Pennington, whose writerās block has vanished since the last events and his creative sparks are flowing! Heās decided to stay and write. The most important new element is the new arrival at the Manor.
Morgan Ashton-Drake has returned home after his mother took him to America when he was a young boy. Now heās come home, only he canāt remember the ancient manor that holds both his history and memories and perhaps his future.
While Morgan is dealing with renewed relations with his grandfather, and his past, Ellis Sparks, and the rest of the found family of staff and ghosts of Ashton-Drake Manor House Hotel have their own challenges to face.
Vawn Cassidy weaves in intimate relationships of family dynamics, romance, friendship, and ghostly goings on to come up with a warm-hearted, layered story of families, history, and love in believable terms. Even when thereās ghosts involved.
By the end, a new resolve has set in, an additional chapter begins, and someone else has come home. I love this book so much.
The Dead Serious Case #4 Professor Prometheus Plume (Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed) gives a wonderful foundation for this book as well as being a terrific story in a fantastic series. Donāt miss out on any of those stories.
I highly recommend reading them and this, the gorgeously crafted The Haunted Hotel (Crawshanks Guide to Mischievous Spectres & Spirits Book 1) by Vawn Cassidy . Now I canāt wait to see where the next novel takes everyone.
Crawshanks Guide to Mischievous Spectres & Spirits:
Morgan Ashton-Drake hasnāt given his ancestral home in Yorkshire a second thought in decades. He has a great life in the States, running his stepfathers hotel empire with his brother. So what if heās all work and no play. Heās not missing out on anything important.
But when a suspicious death and rather public scandal at his childhood home forces Morgan to return to England for the first time in years, heās not keen to confront his past. What he didnāt count on was the seriously cute little blonde disaster who seems to be single-handedly running his eccentric grandfatherās hotel.
Ellis Sparks has worked at the Ashton-Drake Manor House Hotel since he was sixteen and he loves it from the bottom of his soul. Always the eternal optimist, heās never met a frown he canāt turn upside down; that is, until he meets Morgan Ashton-Drake, the grumpy grandson of his employer.
With the hotel in danger of closing, and convinced Morgan is the only one who can help to save it, the resident ghosts decide to try their ghostly hand at a little matchmaking as an incentive to get him to stay. After all, how hard can it be to get a grumpy workaholic to fall in love with a twinky ray of sunshine?
From the creator of Dead Serious comes this hilarious grumpy/sunshine spin off which will leave you wanting to book your own room at The Ashton-Drake Manor House Hotel.
I really am invested in K Sterlingās universe sheās creating for The Bisbee Bachelorsā Club series but the characters relationship, or specifically the character of Dr. Flip Satis really didnāt work well for me. Or his storyline.
Itās unfortunate because the character paired with him, Dr Wallace Brinkley, Bisbeeās ME, is one Iāve become very fond of. Heās quirky, older, knowledgeable, and his way of thinking and understanding his patients in the morgue is fascinating.
So having Sterling him in an age gap developing relationship with someone whoās been, it turns out, stalking him because of a crush, is problematic for starters. The issues with Dr. Flip Satis continues because every time thereās an instance where he might be a little bit more appealing, it turns out that heās still full of secrets. Ones heās keeping hidden, even from the āman he loves ā.
This we learn from Flipās inner monologue, a conversation that is full of hints about how he should be spilling secrets but doesnāt. That gets old fast, in the narrative and with the character.
This also impacts on how I perceive the relationship and the investigation proceedings.
All in all, this wasnāt one of the strongest stories and I didnāt find Flip a character I liked. Maybe if more of his history and background had been written in, but instead as is, Flip was a person I didnāt connect with.
But it does explore the personality of another ambiguous character and sets him up nicely for a book to come. Canāt wait for that story.
The town and support cast are always interesting in these roles and investigations. Read it for that.
Dr. Flip Satis is in Bisbee for all the wrong reasons, but heās chasing the right man. Heās wanted Dr. Wallace Brinkley since Flip sat in Dr. Brinkley’s anatomy class but the chivalrous older medical examiner never acted on the chemistry between them. After making a deal with the devil to be closer to his mentor and eternal crush, a summer monsoon and a dead body throw Flipās plans into disarray.
Wallace came to Bisbee looking for a slower pace, but now his one temptation has arrived in the eccentric former mining town. When Flip needs his help, Wallace canāt turn his back on the beguiling young doctor with the haunting blue eyes.
As Flip becomes the primary suspect in the murder of a notorious businessman, Wallace turns to the Bachelorsā club for assistance. Can he solve the crime without giving into temptation, or will falling for Flip lead to grave expectations…
Ink Slingers is a new series that follows and contains the characters from both the Four Bear Construction Series and Big Bull Mechanics.
As Flash, the first book to focus on the group of tattoo artists we have met, it will introduce new people as well, brought in to provide additional romantic partners and cast to this enlarged universe.
The newest couple is Arrow, the older motorcycle riding owner of the tattoo shop, and Lewis, the young ātwinkā who recently arrived in town to open his new flower shop. The location of this new floral shop just happens to be next door to the Ink Slingers. This element in the story leads to a series of increasingly juvenile pranks between the shops as well as a plot thread that makes little sense where neither man knows what the other does for a job.
Flash, meaning a standard
piece of ink artwork available to anyone, is a sexy contemporary romance that is light, a quick read and has some interesting characters.
However, unlike the other novels from preceding series, I just couldnāt connect with it. It starts with the pranks plot threads. I donāt find pranks funny. Instead they are often actions that border more along the lines of harassment and bullying.
Here? Neuhold clearly meant it to be funny and cute, and each business used it to create a positive effect. But honestly, these are grown businessmen, one trying to establish a new business and identity in the community, and this is what they do? The author doesnāt have Arrow the owner at least investigate what his shop and employees are doing against a new business next door?
The one that he is having a relationship with but isnāt aware that Lewis owns that very store? SMH
And Lewis isnāt even aware that the motorcycle riding hottie heās in bed with often is the tattoo shop owner next door? No one Googles anyone anymore? Especially Lewis with his trust issues?
And Jagās character is just turning mean. Iām not sure why Neuhold thinks Jagās behavior and words are funny or even things to overlook, but his fellow artists seemingly give his character a free pass. Another no here.
A cute dog , who I do like, just doesnāt help to connect me to a story and characters that just pop with issues.
Others will find they like Flash more than I did. Iāll be interested in seeing if the next story has a similar or different slant to it.
A tattooed silver fox, a dramatic florist, and the epic prank war standing in the way of their happily ever after. Let the fun beginā¦
A chance encounter during a flash rainstorm isn’t supposed to be anything serious, just a little fun to pass the time. So why can’t I stop thinking about Lewis weeks later?
Running into him a second time feels like fate, but it’s obvious he isn’t interested in anything more than casual.
I’ve never managed to leave a fling where it belongs before, but there’s a first time for everything, right?
Besides, who has time for anything but a quick fling when we’re in the middle of a prank war With the twink who owns the flower shop next door. I haven’t met the poor guy yet, but if I ever do, I’ll have to tell him that a store full of rubber duckies is just the price you pay for messing with the Ink Slingers.
There are goats in my tattoo shop and drag queens delivering crude singing telegrams. Will I ever get untangled from this mess? And, more importantly, will Lewis ever be interested in more than a good time or is this thing between us nothing more than a Flash tattoo that will fade with time?
Flash is a āthey don’t know they’re enemiesā, lust at first sight, āwe can totally keep this thing casualā mm romance featuring a silver fox tattoo artist and a snarky florist twink. First in the Ink Slingers series set in the world of Four Bears Construction.
āWhat happens when a group of forty-something first responders come together to support their recently widowed best friend? The result is the MOUNT HOPE seriesā
Thatās the overall theme for the stories grouped under this Mount Hope series and itās an emotional, heartwarming concept. It hits home on so many levels, especially when Albert adds in her own familiar, well written elements. Readers of her many series arenāt surprised by returning military or veterans characters that carry their own issues, foster care children with special histories, or just threads that are layered with mental health, commitment issues and recognition of bi-sexuality. In other words, a lot of subjects areas are part of characterās development and histories.
Albert writes all that with amazing sensitivity and awareness. Especially veterans who have served overseas and returned home with internalized trauma, PTSD, or other mental health issues.
In Off the Clock, the veteran is freshly retired Army Ranger Tony Capo, 42, recovering from his injuries, returning home to Mount Hope to figure out his next step forward. In his case, heās opted to hire on as a firefighter for the Mount Hope Fire Department. Itās a job he has wanted since he was a child and where he has old friends. But heās also starting over as a much older man with younger colleagues, with all that encompasses mentally and emotionally.
One of those is Caleb, a young firefighter who appeared in the first book. Congenial, somewhat clumsy, heās recently been named guardian of his troubled teenage brother. That brother has brought him an entire set of new issues to face as well as the new hire, Tony, heās training.
Albertās book is an age gap, mental health, multiple issues storyline. Thereās much I admire about this book. Itās begins with the characters. Each are well written, beautifully defined, by their respective histories, their life experiences, and their personalities. They are believable and flawed.
The relationship dynamics between Tony and Caleb are among my favorite and least favorite things about the story. Their ability to communicate about each otherās feelings, their experiences with emotionally charged situations that have left each traumatized, whether itās fires, missions, or childhood damage brought about by parental loss. Loss by death in Calebās family or in Tonyās case by his parents drug addiction and abandonment. As Albert powerfully describes it, āmatching wounded kid emotions ā bonds them but is also keeping them from being together.
Tony and Calebās friendship and the surrounding support from friends and community is the best part about the narrative for me. My issues are with the romance. That part where Albert has two grown men hiding a sexual/romantic connection (one the town easily guesses at and is gossiping about) but that causes Caleb great emotional distress. Tonyās fears about being openly bisexual which directly pushes any relationship between them back into the closet does harm in multiple ways. Yes, the author repairs this to a degree when Tony works through his own personal issues, but itās striking that even when they are in a committed relationship, itās Caleb who has insecurities about where he stands with Tony. That shows an inequality that should have been understood by Tony given their backgrounds.
Itās a miss by the author and an unsatisfactory note for the romance and storyline.
The next novel in this series is yet another age gap, mental health issues storyline and I wish that Albert had used the promise found in the series arc to at least give us some more depth and variety among this interesting group of older men. A romantic story between men of the same age would be a great addition.
Off the Clock (Mount Hope Book 2) by Annabeth Albert is a good book, a nice addition to the series with some heartfelt moments and lovely characters.
Starting over after retiring as an Army Ranger shouldnāt be this hard…
For twenty years, I traveled the world as a special operations warrior. Newly retired at forty-two, Iām back in my hometown of Mount Hope, pursuing a second career as a small-town firefighter. My meddling sisters and best friends all have opinions about my life, but the only person who seems to truly understand me is Caleb, the younger firefighter tasked with my training.
After a lifetime of denying my attraction to other men, Caleb reminds me of everything Iāve missed out on. Iāve never even kissed a guy.
Until now.
Until Caleb.
Until I push our growing friendship to the next level. While sneaking around like a pair of teens, trying not to get caught by our coworkers, friends, and family, our sexy connection leads us to some…interesting places.
And it turns out that I like taking risks. Iāve never wanted a relationship, and neither of us should be fooling around with a coworker, but we keep courting danger.
The more time I spend with Caleb off and on the clock, the more I like him and the less certain I am about everything else in my life. The one thing I know for sure is that I canāt afford to lose this intense bond we share. Can we find our way from super secret to super real before the clock runs down on this fling?
OFF THE CLOCK features two coworkers with an age gap finding out that opposites really do attract and that first impressions arenāt always accurate. All the big emotions, small-town feels, and hot romance readers expect from this acclaimed author. While certain subplot threads continue throughout the series, each guaranteed happily ever after stands alone!
Thin Ice sees us back in Elmwood, one of my favorite places located in a fabulous heartwarming contemporary romance series. Itās a place I canāt get enough of.
This time Lane is serving up a delicious romantic treat of age gap, fresh starts, and two great characters of incredible depth and heart. Plus hockey of course!
Bryson is the older man, father to a AHL hockey player headed to the big leagues. Lane has given Bryson surprising depths and a backstory, one Iāll leave to the book. But it makes Bryson well rounded, funny, stressing, uncertain. In other words, immediately connectable. Especially in regard to his role and relationship to his son, Jake.
Smitty is absolutely his partner in every way. Sometimes thereās an inequality in an age gap romance but here Lane gives us two men who find contentment, peace, total freedom to communicate and be themselves. We laugh, quietly watch as they question this new relationship as it develops, and itās feels real and meaningful.
Elmwood operates as another character in itself. The places, atmosphere, school , people who are now familiar to the readers, and deeply a part of the series and story.
I wish the ending was a bit longer but then I feel that at every Elmwood story, wanting to linger on.
I absolutely recommend Thin Ice and the entire series. Read them in order. Thereās another one coming to my delight!
And yes, the hockey is spot on, whether itās on the pro level or high school. Love it.
Elmwood isnāt good for my love life. Hey, Iām a positive person and I have nothing but wonderful things to say about small-town living, but I havenāt had a date in years. Thatās fineāmy son is and always has been my number one focus.
Except now heās grown and gone. And itās lonely.
Okay, yes, the new hockey coach is hot and single, but heās off-limits. Smittyās trouble with a capital T, and his baggage might outweigh mine. Besides, we said nothing would happen after āthatā night. It was a one-time, never to be repeated deal.
At leastā¦thatās what I thought.
Smitty
Am I sad about retiring from pro hockey? Honestly, no. I canāt remember the last time I wasnāt in pain. I need a rest and I could use a distraction from unwelcome memories at home. Stat.
Soā¦Elmwood.
Look, we all know I wonāt last a whole season of coaching high school kids, but stepping in till they find a better candidate is a good temporary plan. And Brysonās here.
Thereās something about the hot dad with the sunny smile and bad dad jokes that makes me feel alive again. Iām not in the market for foreverābeen there, done that. Look, Iāve taken risks for my sport, but Iām not giving my heart away again. I know thin ice when I see it.
Or do I?
Thin Ice is an MM bisexual, age-gap, small-town romance featuring a silver fox dad, the new hockey coach, and a fresh start on solid ground.
Lane Hayes has written an absolutely engaging, tug at your heart romance with Falling For Raine. Itās all age gap, opposites attract relationship with a grumbling, closed off older(and very wealthy) man whose life is utterly shattered, by choice, by a sunny, brave hearted, extroverted younger man.
And yes, itās a popular trope but Hayes takes it and makes it her own with great characterizations, wonderful locations, and a fast paced plot. But itās really that Hayes gives the reader a sense of the real emotion thatās occurring here, a feel for the real intimacy and chemistry happening between the men so we get the tug theyāre unable to resist.
And that starts immediately. So sexy and funny. Raine, the younger American, and Graham, the older British businessmen, just run the gamut of emotions here throughout the book and itās wonderful to be a part of. Hilarious, heart stopping sensual, poignant, heartbreaking memories, and back to slapstick comedy. Itās a fabulous rollercoaster of romance between two men we will come to care about greatly.
What others might disagree with but I thought was very reasonable and business based, was the storyline with the person who is considered the āvillainā. There was major character growth and moving forward instead of an unrealistic narrative ending. I appreciate that .
Thereās some areas I wish the author had explored more fully. That of Juliaās character and her own elements here. I do have a small hope for this couple to get a couple of sequels shorts. One for a wedding! Viva, Wedding! And one for them to visit Raineās friends in WeHo. Graham in WeHo would be hilariously wonderful and oddly fitting.
Falling For Raine: MM Age-Gap Romance by Lane Hayes is a romantic journey I loved being on from beginning to the end of this book, and the start of something wonderful for Raine and Graham. I truly hope to see them both again.
Until then Iām highly recommending this to all lovers of contemporary romance and if youāre not a fan of Lane Hayes, this book is going to make you one.
The gentleman, the hot mess, and a little British adventureā¦
Raine
Moving to London is scary and daunting, but I desperately need this new jobāand a redo. Okay, so I may have oversold my qualifications. That shouldnāt be a big deal, though. I mean, being an assistantās assistant seems easy enough, and Iām a fast learner.
Exceptā¦Iām already in over my head with spreadsheets, new pronunciations, and temperamental appliances. And just as Iām mentally preparing to face going home early, the big boss offers me an opportunity I canāt refuse. And I definitely should because Graham Horsham is an infuriating, complicated grumpy bear with a razor-sharp tongue, a wickedly dry sense of humor, andā¦I like him far too much.
Help!
Graham
Iāve been bamboozled. Iām not quite sure how I ended up with an assistant who spills coffee daily, wears wrinkled shirts, and chatters nonstop. He canāt stay, but I donāt want him to go either. That isnāt like me.
And the timing couldnāt be worse. The Horsham Group is about to close one of our biggest deals ever, and I wonāt jeopardize it. This one is personal.
Yet so is Raine.
Heās a breath of fresh airāsilly, impetuous, lighthearted, good-natured, andā¦quite lovely. I like him more than I want to admit.
But not to worryā¦I will not, under any circumstances, fall for Raine.
Falling for Raine is an MM, age-gap romance featuring a British gentleman, a desperate but adorable American, and a UK adventure!
With Chef Under Cover, Iāve returned to Montpelier, Vermont, home of the Hearth & Oak restaurant, Chefs Baldwin Powell and company, and easy contemporary romances. M.J. OāSheaās Sizzle in the Kitchen series now total five books with a finale story to come.
Itās been a while since Iāve read this series, my favorite one still stands as the first one of the series, Chef in the Wild. For me, the stories that followed undermined the strengths of that original story and couple. So I never really quite reconnected again as I once had.
Chef Under Cover is much like reading a standalone novel in a series thatās more now about a location, the Hearth & Oak and a passion for food. And thatās fine.
This is a sweet story about a young man who knows heās heading in the wrong direction career wise because of a physical talent and the support he finds to make the changes to be happy. And he comes out.
Thereās a slight age gap , an implied parental homophobia, and a small amount of drama for the romance between the college football star/would be pastry chef and the physical therapist whoās treating him for shoulder pain.
Except for a rough patch in the beginning when Will and Sean meet, and assumptions ran up against sparks, this is a sweet, somewhat low angst romance. Any issues that Will is having with his parents, primarily his mother (itās implied sheās homophobic), it occurs off page.
Thatās probably my least favorite element here. Any issues, any real problems, and consequently, any resolutions (all of which have had real impact on Will, his college life and career choices) are āhandledā off page. The reader is told Will had discussions with his parents, coach whoever. That includes coming out to them. A huge moment in someoneās life.
All those scenes are āas told toā in small succinct sentences. Itās emotionally unsatisfying to read if youāre trying to connect to the characters. And writing like this, choices about the narrative and characters make it harder for the reader to invest in their story. Keeping it superficial and sweet means the readerās emotions stay on that level too.
As mine was. Sweet story. Cute couple .
If you want a sweet contemporary romance with low-ish angst, a quick low demand read, Chef Under Cover (Sizzle in the Kitchen Book 5) by M.J. OāShea is a story for you. Itās not necessary to read any of the other books in the series to understand this one. It works as a standalone.
He played like a champion but dreamed of the sweet life…
Sean had never treated a famous person before. Not until the golden boy Will Harrington, star college quarterback and soon to be NFL legend, came in with an injured shoulder and hundreds of people’s hopes and dreams on his back.
Will never wanted to be a star quarterback. As unlikely as it sounds, it just kind of… happened. Now he’s stuck in the middle of a whole world he doesn’t fit into, surrounded by people who don’t actually know him.
Will would have never guessed that meeting one gorgeous physical therapist with a sarcastic mouth and a quirky group of small-town friends would help him become who he’s always wanted to be…a chef.
