Tag: author Mary Calmes

Review:  Out Of A Fix (Torus Intercession Book 7) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.75🌈

Out Of A Fix brings an end to Mary Calmes wonderful Torus Intercession series with the last of the original fixers, 52 year old Nash Miller takes a job in a small town in Washington state where the family she left behind of a woman who is now in WITSEC program resides. Her brother is concerned their safety isn’t a priority for the FBI and wants Torus to insure they are protected during this trial. 

Seems simple enough. However, that’s not the case that Nash finds out when he enters the town. The ex-husband is absent on a job site. The kids are in trouble and he’s desperately needed there as a fixer. On many levels. 

Calmes quickly turns this last story into a heartbreaking then finally heartwarming tale of a family rescued . Which  turns into an engaging emotional story about a family that has finds their hearts and home rebuilt into a new beginning, including their own fixer. 

The children are so well written. They grab at the readers hearts just as they do Nash’s. Whether’s Tatum, the youngest child or the oldest son, whose behavior has brought him into the worst possible situation, these are kids who are fragile and need help immediately. And get it. 

The issues are slow to be revealed and are addressed as needed. This includes issues of the dad’s too. Luke Duchesne doesn’t get an immediate pass on his behavior but there’s also an effort made to understand and address it. And to do better. 

Therapists have a prominent role here and that’s a positive element of the story. For each of these characters have issues to overcome. 

The plot moves forward swiftly, the romance is not always the center of the story but the forming of the family which folds in the newly created dynamic of Nash and Luke.  That feels very realistic and seated in the story. 

It’s fantastic to see all the characters from the Agency and the couples reunite here at the end. We see where each of them are in their own lives and relationships as well.

This is just an outstanding sendoff to one of my favorite series. 

I’m highly recommending it and have starred my favorite stories below. I’m sure we each have our own. 

Cover art Copyright © 2025 Reese Dante

Torus Intercession series: 7 books complete:

No Quick Fix #1

In A Fix #2❤️

Fix It Up #3 ❤️

The Fix Is In #4

The Big Fix #5

Get A Fix #6

Out Of A Fix #7

Buy link

        Out Of A Fix: Torus Intercession Book Seven

    

Blurb 

If you put a family back together, how can you ever leave them? 

Through the years, Nash Miller has watched all his buddies fall in love and get married. It was romantic, and he’d wondered when he himself would find the one. Now, older, wiser, he realizes that what he’s always wanted—a husband and a family—just isn’t in the cards for him. And that’s all right. He has wonderful friends, a good life, and he gets to help people, which has always been his true calling. So when the time comes to protect a family in a tiny town in Washington State, he’s more than willing to get on his white horse and ride.

The family needs a bodyguard, but it goes beyond that. The mother abandoned them for a new life, and the father is absent, stuck on a work project he took on to keep his family afloat. What Nash finds are three kids in need of a fixer, and lucky for them, that’s exactly what he does. Providing support and structure is second nature to him, and he’s on solid ground, confident…until their father, Luke Duchesne, gets home. He’s nothing like Nash assumed he’d be, and with each passing day, the lure of the man, and his great kids, gets harder to resist. But he can’t stay there. He’s a fixer, after all, and what they’re all feeling is simply gratitude. Isn’t it…? Though when Luke kisses him, it starts to feel like so much more. Nash hopes he’ll be able to explore a life with Luke—he just needs to make sure his own isn’t cut short.

  • Publication date: September 23, 2025
  • Edition: 1st
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 349 pages
  • Book 7 of 7: Torus Intercession

Review: George’s Big Day (With George Book 3) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.5🌈

George Hunt started out as a minor character in the popular Marshals series as a bodyguard to Sam and Jory’s daughter, Hannah. But as written by Calmes, there was just something special about George. Something extraordinary.  The readers just wanted more. 

The character developed as did his roles throughout various crossover stories, each redefining his history, his character and his heroic actions. And it brought him into the shared world, because of many traumatic events, with Hannah’s doctor, Dr Kurt Butler. 

These are all fantastic novels that should be read, not just for the foundation knowledge but for the terrific storytelling.

But all those narrative paths led to George’s Big Day. A hilarious, sometimes poignant, action packed novel in which George tries to get married. Accompanied by many of the characters from his missions (and crossover novels) as well as the friends and co-workers from the Marshals series, it’s a law enforcement thriller, matrimonial circus, where hijinks ensue, love is pledged, there’s blood and casts, and a HFN with rings in sight.

Plus dogs and and a very mean kitty.

Did I say how much I love George and his stories? I absolutely adore George, and all his books.  Especially this one. And while I’m not sure if this is the last, it’s ok if it is. What a wild ride it is. 

Love it and it’s a total joy.

Great covers by Reese Dante.

With George:

  • Just George #1
  • Wintering with George #2
  • George’s Big Day #3

Connected Series:

A Matter of Time – 6 books 

Marshals  – 6 books 

Standalone:

Again

🔹See the author’s notes for the entire list of crossover characters and the books/series they came from.

Buy Link

        George’s Big Day (With George Book 3)

    

Blurb 

George Hunt wants to get married. The fact that he does is utterly amazing and a huge leap of faith for a man who’s always been certain that happily ever afters only happen in fairy tales. The thing is, though, ever since Christmas, when Dr. Kurt Butler, the man he loves, gave him a ring, he’s changed his mind about what’s possible. But between deployments and venues that have to be booked years in advance, matrimonial bliss seems persistently out of reach. Fortunately, George’s friends come through, offering the perfect setting.

Of course, when your life is full of heroes, there are always villains looking to even the score. When the day of the nuptials conflicts with murderous agendas, the only thing that really matters is being married at the end of the day. If George can keep his eye on the prize and everyone does what they do best, it might just all work out.

  • Publication date: January 2, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 128 pages

Review: Once Upon A Christmas Song (Once Upon a Holiday story) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 3.5🌈

I was looking forward to Once Upon A Christmas Song by Mary Calmes, a novel in the multi-author Once Upon a Holiday series.  And after reading it, I’m finding it hard to rate.

The story has many of the best elements of Calmes writing and some of her aspects of her work that just don’t seem as well thought out.

First the best of this book.  That’s the setting, New Orleans, which is beautifully rendered in atmosphere and realistic locations.  Then it’s the wonderful found family of La Belle Vie, the bar/restaurant that’s the home and heart for an entire group of people.  Calmes makes this key setting a hearthstone by folding into the workplace the multidimensional people who work there and are considered family of its owner, Chris Gardner.

Chris, his bar/restaurant and found family? Fantastic!  The issue arrives with the holiday romance aspect.

That’s a rockstar who left Chris (and the friends there) behind to find fame and fortune. Which he found along with drugs, alcohol, and addiction. Now 2yrs later, without any communication, Dawson West has arrived expecting open arms and to pick up the relationship where they left off. A ending that, reasonably, devastated Chris and took him a while to recover from.

What works here is (spoilers) Chris’s initial reaction and responses to Dawson’s nonstop entreaties to pick up immediately on the romance between them as if nothing happened because Dawson went to rehab. Now’s he’s out and a “new person “. It’s he’s back! And his band mates are just as strangely written as enablers or clueless with regard to relationships and specifically to their own personal relationships with Chris. 

If Calmes had decided that the story was about forgiveness and recovery, a friend relationship, and rewritten the ending, this might have worked. But Dawson is a problematic character, albeit one we’ve seen before in certain Calmes stories. The flip side to the golden boys every one loves. 

Dawson, an ambitious singer in a rock band, rises to the top of the charts, then , along with his fellow musicians, becomes addicted to drugs and alcohol, burning himself and them out. The story goes into a little more detail but the catch is that Dawson went to rehab, along with a band mate/friend twice, to return to Chris and home. Got clean because of Chris.  Two years after break up , and recently release from rehab. No mention of getting clean strictly for himself. Because what happens to addicts when plans fail if they went through rehab for the wrong reasons?

And now he’s constantly pressuring Chris to get immediately together, like there’s no past, because they “love” each other. Etc. Chris asks for space and time to think and talk. Immediately no, keep the pressure on, don’t respect Chris’s decision or wishes to make decisions based on his own personal feelings.  So many flags. And the author seems to realize that but it’s temporary stop in rational plotting.

While having Chris explain why the space is necessary or even why talking about the differences (he’d lived a full satisfying life in the singer’s absence) is required , a relevant part of the conversation here, Calmes then negates everything that is solid about this aspect of the story and has Dawson rolling right over Chris, abetted by the “friends”, and a child manipulated by the singer. That left a sour impression on me.

So for every well written piece of this story there’s an equally less thought out aspect that works against it.  It’s a love this character, no, this really isn’t working for me type of story. 

The series connecting element, The Hook’s Book Nook Traveling Library, has a larger role here. But unlike other series of this kind, while the married couple (adorable) and that bus are amazing, they never seem to fit well into any story.  They are either too big an element themselves or too quirky to fit into the plot that’s already in place.  The connection either needs to be a more simplified one or more suited to the specific series , like a seasonal object. Just mo. Give them their own story.

Cover design by Kelly York

Once Upon a Holiday series – 8 books:

Once Upon a Second Chance by Davidson King

Once Upon A Mistletoe Kiss by Sammi Cee

Once Upon a Holiday Vacation by Annabella Michaels 

Once Upon a Lullaby Lane by K York

Once Upon a Christmas Con by Skylar M Cates

Once Upon A Christmas Song by Mary Calmes

Once Upon a Yuletide Romance by RJ Peterson

Once Upon A Goth Dog Solstice by R L Merrill 

Buy link

        Once Upon A Christmas Song

    

Blurb 

Chris Gardner has a good life in New Orleans. He owns a club in the French Quarter, has a wonderful crew of people who call it home, loyal, caring friends, and even gets his kid fix by helping to take care of his chef’s daughter. What he doesn’t have is that special someone to share his days and nights with. He thought he did, once upon a time, but that man left to find fame and fortune, became a rockstar, and never returned. And that’s fine. Life isn’t a fairy tale. Now if only he could find a band to play music in his club at night, that would be a Christmas miracle.

Dawson West had to leave to see if his dreams could become reality, but what he didn’t count on was that once he had the world at his feet, he’d miss the man who’d held him tight. Between the endless climb toward greatness and the pitfalls of addiction, Dawson lost himself for a while, but that doesn’t mean he stopped loving Chris. Not wanting his love to see him broken, he makes certain he’s clean and sober when he finally comes home. Going radio silent while becoming the man Chris deserves seemed like a good idea at the time, but now…

Now, Chris has a problem. Dawson is back, out of the blue, and if Chris lets him return to rocking his club, is that an invitation for his heart as well? How can Chris ever trust again, even if it is the season?

Once Upon A Christmas Song is a part of the multi-author series Once Upon A Holiday Story. Each book can be read as a standalone and in any order. What links these books together is The Hook’s Book Nook Traveling Library, a library on wheels owned by two old ladies in love.

  • Publication date: December 3, 2024
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 151 pages

Review:  Ice Around the Edges by Mary Calmes

Rating: 3🌈

Ice Around the Edges by Mary Calmes is a perfect example of how a story written years ago (December 2010) and re-released just doesn’t hold up in present times.  At least not without making some major changes and narrative length. 

I’m a fan of Calmes and her characters but this storyline is full of elements that demonstrate how certain aspects of a relationship has changed over time.  Things now that raise flags and are considered warning signs for a person weren’t really well known fourteen years ago. Or elements that would have factored into contemporary romances.

The basic story is that this couple broke up because one of them, the one who had the most money and wealthiest family heard his father and grandfather arguing over his “friend” saying he wasn’t good enough.  So without further information or arguments on their behalf, the rich son , Dixon Bain, immediately broke up with the other man Evan Kano, and never saw him again. Years pass. 

Evan goes on to live a full and eventful life. Gets shot, ends up hospitalized. He’s handling it well and responsibly. But out of nowhere comes Dixon, steamrolling Evan with plans for Evan to immediately leave Chicago, his apartment, go to NYC, etc. After no contact with Dixon in years. What follows is a prime example of what’s now termed “love bombing “.

Doesn’t leave when asked. Hides in a room. Brings his mother with him to make excuses while the person is fragile in a hospital bed.  Honestly, more flags. 

There’s some honesty here but very little. The story itself is only 62 pages.

Had Calmes rewritten it, extended the narrative to include time for these men to explore who they had become  after all this time? Give the men and readers a chance to see and relate with the story and men as they reconnect as adults with new experiences and maturity.  That would have given this the missing depth and relevance that it’s lacking. 

Instead the story we or they got here is the one from 2010.  There was a lot of potential to update this but it didn’t happen. 

Read it because it’s by Calmes and you just read everything of hers. 

Buy Link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › …Ice Around the Edges – Kindle edition by Calmes, Mary. Romance …

Blurb 

Evan Kano’s life is on an even keel until the night he’s shot at the homeless shelter where he works. The resulting turmoil is not caused by a bullet but by a blast from the past: Evan’s first lover has returned to visit him in the hospital and deliver some big news.

Ten years ago, Dixon Bain walked out of Evan’s life because he thought his family didn’t approve of him having a male lover. But Dixon has discovered that what he thought he knew could not be further from the truth, and now he’s returned to claim the only man he’s ever loved… if he can melt the ice around the edges of Evan’s still-wounded heart.

2nd edition, previously published December 2010.

  • Publication date: October 25, 2024
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 62 pages

Review:  Newly Tied (Marshals Book 7) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.5🌈

I have loved this series for a long time and was so happy to see another story and couple added to this expanding law enforcement community and universe. According to the author, this is just the beginning of the journey for Del and Lang in terms of books which is appropriate because the beginning of their partnership and romantic relationship is exactly what Calmes delivers here.

We enter as relocated Texan, Delroy “Del” McCabe, begins a new chapter of his life. Del’s in Chicago as one of a group of law enforcement officers on probation as they hoping for the permanent assignment as US federal Marshals. They’re on probation and training under the office of Sam Kage, the deputy chief of the Northern District of Illinois, basically head of all the Marshals in the area. 

Another member of that group is a local Chicago officer, Langston “Lang” Ross, a man whose family and roots run deep and whose connection with Del is instantly apparent and solid.

Calmes delivers an emotional journey of friendship, and emotional connection as Del and Lang go from action packed case to case, exploring their own experiences as relationships as regards to their careers and each other. 

Of course, other Marshals and their partners and families are also involved in this journey and story, a wonderful aspect of the series and Calmes’ writing that sees crossover characters. 

Other elements of the story include Lang’s discovery of his bisexuality or pansexuality because of his love for Del. Del’s recognition and acceptance of the need for therapy for the parental abuse he suffered during his childhood, and Lang’s support for his own PTSD issues. It’s sensitively written and folded realistically into their characters and storylines. 

I love Calmes’ novels and her characters tend to be heroes. Right now I needed to read this.  And I definitely want to read more about this couple and their relationship going forward.

Highly recommended.

Marshals series to date:

🔹All Kinds Of Tied Down #1

🔹Fit To Be Tied #2

🔹Tied Up In Knots #3

🔹Twisted and Tied #4 – Miro Jones and Ian Doyle (1 through 4)

🔹Balanced and Tied #5 – Eli Kohn and Celso Harrington, ballet dancer 

🔹Tied Over #6 – Josiah Redeker and Bodhi Callahan 

🔹Newly Tied #7 – Delroy “Del” McCabe and Langston “Lang” Ross

Covers by Reese Dante

Buy link

        Newly Tied (Marshals Book 7)

    

Blurb 

For the last six months, Deputy US Marshal Delroy McCabe has been secretly pining for his partner, Langston Ross. He’s kept his desires to himself because he wants to do a good job and prove himself at work. More importantly, if Lang were to find out his true feelings, maybe the person he cares for the most might walk away.

Between the understanding and support Lang gives him, as well as time with his family, Del can’t afford to slip up. But then, why does his partner and best friend care who Del sleeps with? Why, if given a choice, would Lang prefer to do anything with him? Maybe Del’s been missing something important, and perhaps Lang’s not the only one who’s not seeing what’s right in front of him. 

Because sometimes the strongest ties are the ones that bind our hearts.

  • Publication date: November 4, 2024
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 246 pages

Review:  Get A Fix (Torus Intercession Book 6) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.5🌈

Every reader has comfort reads and comfort authors. Mary Calmes is one of mine. She’s happily ever after. I know her heroes without even looking at her name on the cover. They’re highly competent in their abilities, gorgeous (whether they acknowledge it or not), full of warmth and kindness, especially for a certain inner circle of people.  They shine. 

And fall in love, usually deeply ,  quickly and forever. And Calmes makes a great story for their romantic journey to the point we believe in them. 

They are fixers in a highly specialized agency, Torus Intercession, which has a  unique and often powerful clientele.  But the fixers themselves often have need of fixing as much as the people they are hired to work with. And the romance between them is quick, combustible, and as memorable as the men themselves.

I definitely have my favorites in the series.  And while Get A Fix might not be quite at that level, I definitely enjoyed this story and the couple. It’s very close. 

 

That’s due to Cooper Davis, the Torus fixer.  I fell in love with him as he helped Ainsley Cushing, mom to big brood and having airport meltdown along with Gemma, 2, at the Bangor International Airport.  Its there we got to know him, watch him interact with Gemma,2, fill a overwhelmed Ainsley about himself as he helps her get her stroller and get back together before meeting up with her husband coming in on the next flight.

There’s sequence after sequence of heartwarming moments, real and genuine in their ability to ground us in this character and the family we will get to know better.  

Ashford Lennox appears at the wedding location, an Inn that’s not exactly what the bride or anyone else expects.  Under construction, ghostly fog instead of photographic backdrop worthy snow covers the Bay and surrounding landscape, and the wedding party is a stressful affair.  As you’d imagine.  All beautifully written and executed. 

I enjoyed Ash. This relationship, as new as it is, is understandable. They both realize it is a hard like and lust with amazing potential.  They want to see where it goes.  I think that’s a great foundation here.  The chemistry is sizzling and they are a terrific team.

There’s other smaller elements I appreciated.  I’m not sure if everyone will agree with me on this.  The ex and how he was handled is one of those.  I think he was very well done. Yes, he’s an appalling man. But even those people have a right not to be outed. For me, Calmes made calm thoughtful choices about him. I’m sure others wanted a more dramatic comeuppance.

The ending was a bit abrupt but I’m hopeful that we see more of them in the upcoming wedding.  

For me, this was another winner in a series I really enjoy.

Torus Intercession:

No Quick Fix #1❤️

In A Fix #2 ❤️

Fix It Up #3 ❤️

The Fix Is In #4

The Big Fix #5

Get A Fix #6❤️

Buy link

Blurb

Simply because your world collides with a shooting star doesn’t mean that’s a sign, does it?

Cooper Davis has a nice life he’s quite fond of. He has a wonderful family, good friends, and a job he excels at. As a fixer with Torus Intercession, he’s entrusted with the well-being of the people relying on his guidance. He is protector, guardian, but most of all, as his boss always says, everyone needs to be better off once he leaves. The issue is, when he’s asked to watch over the actor Ashford Lennox, he’s not sure that leaving is what he wants to do.

Ashford Lennox is a movie star on the rise. He has everything he’s ever wanted, except someone to love and call his own. He’s learned over the years that home is not a place but sharing a life with one special person you can count on. When he meets the man tasked with keeping him safe during a wedding, it’s like a lightning bolt. Suddenly he can see his whole future unfolding.

Being on the same page is an epiphany for both, now if they could just make it to the happily ever after without getting shot…

Book Details

  • Release Date: August, 20 2024
  • Word Count: 278
  • Cover Artist: Reese Dante

Review: His Realm (House of Maedoc Book 3) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 3🌈

As much as I’ve enjoyed the previous books in the series, His Realm was just a disconnect for me in many ways. From certain aspects of the character of Jason specifically to moments in the plot that weakens the couple and their dynamic, I just found I had issues here.

Which is a shame because I do enjoy so many of the scenes that the author has created here for the main characters and between others just as important.

House of Maedoc is an entertaining series that, in books one and two, creates a unique world and populates it with dynamic characters. It’s been wonderful to go along with Jason and Varic throughout their journey from their first meeting to their current position in their relationship. It’s been a tumultuous journey with both individuals undergoing major changes in their lives and their personal emotional development.

I’ve loved watching them. Up to now. Because it’s worked til now. Each story has contained huge amounts of dramatic elements and forward momentum in the vampire world and relationships. Even with characters who are not readily likable or beings seen as worthy of emotional connection, like the King himself.

It is Jason who should anchor his own story alongside his Prince, Varic. But Calmes makes some interesting choices for the story and characters that , for me as a reader, dilutes their impact as a strong couple and for their personalities, which spend so much time apart.

Here, Jason’s emotional responses to various highly complex or tragic situations just seem off. These ‘light hearted’ sort of particular personality traits are ones we’ve seen before in other Mary Calmes characters. But usually they were contemporary characters and the events that caused some of the same reactions were less likely to be as violent or extreme as the events that occurred here.

A grin or teasing comment from Jason when one would necessarily or reasonably expect a serious, thoughtful response to a question or situation where it’s been a an ongoing tragedy or people have lost their lives or subjected to loss.

It’s so jarring that it causes the reader to question whether the character’s actions are credible and think how shattered you’d be in the same situation.

There’s more. Repeatedly, Jason warns of serious threats and is dismissed. Even after being informed his advice won’t be ignored anymore. But Jason himself is a major problem. He,as the consort of the Prince, and therefore a member of the royal household, refuses to adhere to security measures and protocols. He constantly goes out without his guards, not reflecting on the ramifications of this for Varic and his staff.

He’s become an inconsistent character. As has Varic in relation with communication with Jason, what distance does to their relationship, etc.

It’s one element after another which weakens them, the story, their relationship, for the sake of a narrative drama that involves so many frustrating scenes and dysfunctional dynamics that it’s hard to care at times how it ends.

With a wedding and more things that just are pulled together quickly enough for the sake of the series rather than in keeping with everything that’s gone on before, with all the threads and characters’ personalities.

I like this author and feel that she has other, stronger series and characters to choose from.

Read this if you’re a fan, and to finish this series.

House of Maedoc :

✓ His Consort #1

✓ His Prince #2

✓ His Realm #3

Buy link

His Realm (House of Maedoc Book 3)

Blurb:

On their first meeting, Varic Maedoc, prince of the vampyrs, told Jason Thorpe that loving him was not for the faint of heart. He wasn’t kidding. In the past two years, Jason has been kidnapped, lived through several attempts on his life, and foiled a coup. Now, his new life as the prince’s consort and adviser to the king is made even harder by Varic’s prolonged absence. With his prince off hunting down a traitor, Jason must fend for himself.

While the separation doesn’t last, even Varic’s return won’t stave off the wicked plotting of others, and Jason soon finds himself—again—fighting for his life while navigating ancient betrayals and revenge put in motion before he was even born. And he must prevail because his prince needs him to bring a place without honor back into his realm.

But what festers in rage and bitterness is something Jason never expected, and nothing he’s experienced in his human life, or in the decadent court of the king, could’ve prepared him for the wrath that’s about to be unleashed.

Varic needs both his crown and his consort to be the king he’s always wanted to be, and it’s up to Jason to make sure their bond never breaks.

• Publication date: April 16, 2024

• Language: English

• Print length: 334 pages

Review: Lay it Down by Mary Calmes

Rating: 3🌈

Lay It Down is what the author calls her billionaire/grad student romance, an opposites attract story about a twin ending up with his brother’s ex lover under the worst possible circumstances.

The framework of the novel is a good one. One twin has come to see his happily “engaged to a billionaire” brother only to find himself drugged, and without his passport by his same brother who’s left for parts unknown. Now stranded on the resort island of Ibiza, Hudson has to figure out what happened and make right the damage his twin has caused.

Sounds good, right?

And for many elements of the story it is. Hudson is a lovely character. Unlike his irresponsible , and honestly, unlikable, twin, Dalvon, he’s easily someone that the reader can relate to and admire. A man who’s used his history as the protective older responsible brother as the boys navigated the foster system, he used it to better himself and get an education, which he’s still pursuing.

Calmes spent a lot of time building this character and it shows. Unlike his brother which appears here only through phone calls and by the many times he’s mentioned by others, never favorably. Even his actions are those that swing from negligence to one’s absolutely criminal.

Which means his twit of a brother? That’s where much of the problem with this story comes from.

Hudson awakens from a drugged sleep to find his brother has scampered off with his passport, stranding him in the ruins that he’s made of his life there. Doesn’t seem to matter what he’s done to anyone who has to depend on Dalvon. Off he goes.

Everything this other twin does and says is deplorable. But the author seems to think we’re going to think he’s just so helpless and a bit selfish but it’s ok. Those actions are forgivable

Nope it’s not. And to have a main character who’s constantly either being victimized by his brother or being his brother’s “savior “ doesn’t make for a satisfying story. It makes for a frustrating experience, especially since that pattern seems to continue forward at the end.

I like reading how Hudson runs around using his knowledge to help the people and businesses his brother was ruining. That worked. Especially since the characters that are grounded in the villa are wonderful.

But the instant love with Miguel , his brother’s ex was less successful a believable aspect of the book given the timeframe of a few days. Had there been more time to give their relationship growth and depth, I’d been on board.

Then there’s the whole criminal enterprise thing. That threw the story right over the top. And made no sense.

I really like Mary Calmes but this wasn’t among my favorites. Too bad because it had a lot of potential.

Buy Link:

Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com › Lay-Do…Lay It Down – Kindle edition by Calmes, Mary. Romance Kindle eBooks …

Blurb:

Paradise can be hell.

Most people would say being stranded in the villa of Spanish shipping magnate Miguel García Arquero on the beautiful isle of Ibiza wasn’t such a bad deal. But Hudson Barber isn’t one of them. To him, being stuck without a passport in a foreign country far from home is a nightmare, made worse by the fact that the person who did the stranding was his flighty twin brother.

Unwilling to turn Dalvon in for identity theft, Hudson is forced to wait, but meanwhile he discovers the chance to rehabilitate Miguel’s failing local businesses—enterprises left to Dalvon’s inexperienced care. The flagging ventures are a badly wrapped gift from heaven, and if Hudson can turn them around, he might be able to leverage the experience to finish his MBA.

Then Miguel returns to Ibiza, and instead of finding a boy toy, he discovers Hudson has turned his cold villa into a warm, welcoming home. Miguel’s path is clear: convince Hudson to lay down his defenses and let love in.

Mary Calmes’ other billionaire romance is Parting Shot.

Review: Wintering with George (With George Book 2) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.5🌈

Wintering with George , the second book in the With George series by Mary Calmes, is hard to be defined as a standalone series as its main characters are supported by and has its foundation knowledge based in two of this author’s most popular series (see list below).

However, Wintering with George is set two years after the events of the first novel and Calmes is able to give George and Kurt’s relationship a depth only time makes realistic. There’s still plenty of struggles and doubts, especially when George is still being unexpectedly called to duty for missions he can’t talk about.

That strain feels raw and the fear real. This is when the one person POV becomes intuitive because Calmes narrative has to include Kurt’s complex feelings, but from George’s perspective. That’s a difficult thing as Kurt has a tendency to want to psychoanalyze events and knows the boundaries where they should stop. It’s a great dynamic that we need to see more of.

It’s time to meet Kurt’s small family. Another great background story here and that turns into the main narrative going forward.

There’s plenty of action. Dogs and George’s cat, Bub. Kids to break up the adult action and add to the heartwarming atmosphere. Calmes has the best elements down pat here.

Except one.

We really need one more book to complete the trilogy and series. I hope we get it. This is too good to leave at two stories.

A definite recommendation!

Love this.

With George:

✓ Just George #1

✓ Wintering with George #2

Connected Series:

A Matter of Time – 6 books

Marshals – 6 books

Buy Link

Wintering with George

Blurb:

George Hunt is certain that spending time with his boyfriend’s family over the holidays will be a disaster. How can it not? For starters, he knows nothing about families, never having had one, as for the rest…talk about pressure. What if he messes up, says the wrong thing, and ends up losing the most important person in his life? Dr. Kurt Butler is his miracle; George can’t afford any missteps. But if he’s careful and does everything right, perhaps they’ll see his good qualities instead of the lethal ones.

Sometimes, though, fate lets you put your best foot forward, and George gets to show off how handy he is to have around when bullets start flying. If he can keep everyone alive long enough to do some wintering, maybe he’ll discover that a family is something worth having after all.

• Publication date: January 28, 2024

• Print length: 126 pages

Review: Just George by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4🌈

It’s hard to put a rating to this book and mini-series about a beloved character that’s an important part of two popular series from Calmes.

If you’re a reader unfamiliar with this author and her series, this story won’t have the same appeal as it does for most of the readers who are bringing a wealth of background information , series history, and built in affection with George Hunt, military sniper, blk ops, and now security bodyguard.

For us, we’ve been there as he’s been assigned to Hannah, daughter of US Marshal Sam Kage and Jory Harcourt, niece of billionaire Aaron Sutter , George’s boss, and witnessed all their personal travails and relationship growth in true friendship. George is a strong personality and, even narratively, when his physical absence is noted, it’s made use of by the author in the various plot lines.

Scary competence is attractive. So it’s not surprising that everyone was clamoring for George’s story.

Parts of the beginning of the story have been mentioned or a part of other stories, but from other main characters perspectives. Now it’s flipped over to George’s point of view.

We get to see the moment George, through Hannah, really connects with

Kurt, Hannah’s therapist from a recent attempt on her life. It’s a little rocky at the beginning but as Calmes’ story reveals more of George’s past experiences and adolescence, how he relates to people becomes realistic.

Kurt, feeling one dimensional, adds depth and detail to his character as the events and story progresses. I go from not immediately connecting with Kurt, to liking him more and more by the end.

As always, Just George comes to a finish way too soon. All it’s proven is that George and now his relationship with Kurt need much more than one book to satisfy our need to know what happens next.

Love this.

With George:

✓ Just George #1

✓ Wintering with George #2

Connected Series:

A Matter of Time – 6 books

Marshals – 6 books

Buy Link

Amazon

Blurb;

George Hunt can think of nothing he’d like more than to skip the high-society fundraiser where he has to guard a precocious seventeen-year-old girl and her judgmental therapist, but there’s no way out of it. If anything bad were to happen and he wasn’t there to stop it, he’d never forgive himself. So even though she’s grilling him about his dating life and the good doctor is psychoanalyzing him, he’s going to soldier on, because protecting his charges is what a knight does.

What he doesn’t count on is having to use both his training and his gun to make it through the night, or finding the last thing he ever expected… someone who actually sees him, not for the man he is, but for the man he could be with just a little bit of love.