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.
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.
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.
***
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
Himes’ story about a Dragon ISO his forever Treasure and a young man in definite need of … well being said Treasure… is likable and sweet. I felt it had more promise than it’s 72 pages could deliver in fact.
Himes has the makings of a terrific little murder mystery here but not enough “time” or length to develop it. Instead we get something (a great start/weak explanation and ending) and someone (a nonsensical villain) that’s just doesn’t make much sense and feels contrived. Especially considering how strong a start it got and how it pulls the reader into being invested in a relationship between Alaric and Tarquin.
Had the author spent time here making this element more than a quick plot device and instead a deeper story thread to grow the main characters relationship, this could have been a very different book.
Same goes for Alaric’s mother and her drama which launches the story. It too never becomes the greatly emotional element it is supposed to be. And her story isn’t actually resolved as the house isn’t fixed snd all the bills aren’t paid and she’s sort of fading into the background.
So yes. There’s many wonderful elements at play but not many actually do more then show up and stand around. There’s just no time for them to do anything.
That’s a shame.
If you just want something to breeze through and it’s sweet, a bit sexy and a HEA with dragons. Here you go! It’s got all that! At 72 pages.
Synopsis:
Needing employment to help his ailing mother, Alaric Keening gets a job as a billionaire dragon’s clairvoyant. He never imagined his almost useless talent would ever become a marketable skill, and even worse–the sight of his new boss leaves him breathless. That was the worst, until the first day on the job, he finds himself nearly dying in the arms of his new boss.
Tarquin is a storm dragon, and he’s been alone for centuries. Fleeing the Great Wars, he sacrificed his old territory and made a new home in Montreal, collecting companies to fill the void left by the loss of his hoard. Running an international company in the magical world means hiring a clairvoyant to protect his assets, and yet there is nothing to protect his heart when Alaric Keening walks into his office.
Between trying to keep Alaric alive and trying to find who’s out to kill Tarquin, they can’t deny the connection that goes far beyond that of a boss and his new employee–but that of a dragon and his treasure.
Treasured was previously published as the short story, A Caller From Montreal, in the Heart2Heart Charity Anthology Vol 4. It has been expanded and lightly edited with new content. Word count is 25,000 words
Holigay is a term that denotes someone who is gay or gay curious just for a holiday vacation. Once again home, they return to their safe sexual orientation.
Holigay by K.M. Neuhold is a sweet best friends to lovers, sexual discovery holiday romance. It’s frankly adorable.
It helps that the men involved have known each other all their lives and their dialogue reflects that long time familiarity and deep love for each other. For it to move from one type of love to a romantic, sexual love felt easy and natural.
Matt, large, gentle and learning that Caspian isn’t merely his oldest and best friend but also the person he loves and wants to spend the rest of his life with? It’s a journey of joyous awakening as well as sexual pleasure. It’s as though everything finally makes sense. And for Caspian, it does finally as he’s long loved his best friend.
This is a sweet, absolutely romantic, low angst holiday romance. I adored this couple and story.
You will too.
Synopsis:
I’ve been in love with my best friend for almost as long as I can remember. The only problem is he’s straight. At least I thought he was.
But when he gets me to Fiji for Christmas, he’s suddenly looking at me in a way I’ve never seen before. Could this all be real, or is he just HoliGay?
Ah, time for that all important second book in a series review. So many questions and weighted hopes hangs on this follow up novel if the author is continuing an overall series arc.
Is there continuity and character growth? Does it flow somehow out from the events of the first book? Does it empower not only the characters but our imagination in the same manner the original launches us into this journey?
Hmmm, with Spellbound, the answers are a bit mixed.
Let’s tackle them one by one.
Plots.
The storyline that takes up the majority of this novel is wonderful. It contains so much depth and emotional layering that I expected. There’s a serious mother/daughter flawed relationship built on lies, love, and a great tragedy. Eden, the daughter is so relatable in her anger, pain, and apparent maternal abandonment. Her rage is both poignant and deeply frightening. We get it. This aspect of the novel, and everything that surrounds Eden is absolutely terrific. With an exception.
Eden is a high school student. At the end of this story, she’s found herself in a serious permanent as in forever relationship. With a ancient being. Now while we are all smacking our heads over that flag, I will say the author has several characters bring up the illegality of that issue as well as the idea that she’s not emotionally ready. Ok good.
But there’s no real resolution. So perhaps that’s to be addressed in upcoming novels but Eden clearly deserves a more defined finish here. She’s a marvelous character and so is this entire element of the arc.
Which brings me to
Series Arc plots .
As best I can tell, Salinger is slowly adding bits of pieces to her overall arc mosaic much like a 1.000 piece table puzzle . You fit a bit in here, several snap in together there. So hopefully, Eden and her new Dryad Prince are part of the huge battle group that will be needed to fight the Evil whoever who is trying to do whatever. Still not a clue. But Salinger’s strengths are in her ingenious storylines and layerings. She knows how to build a suspenseful scene, and then top it off with high action.
However , this didn’t move the overall arc along hugely. Did confirm new information about our main characters though.
That brings us to the aspect of characterization. What I thought worked and, frankly, what I felt didn’t.
Eden’s group and storyline. Those characters were new , including her BFF Lois and her family. All the beings that gravitated around Eden and her drama? They really worked as far as realistic emotional scenes and reactions to her dilemma. Again great job.
But, unfortunately, in what should be solid, continuing .character growth for Cassius and Morgan, our main couple and the series biggest heart as well as mystery? It felt as though we got a stripping off of layers instead of a depth of dimension.
In the first story, we saw the ages of wisdom, the compassion and pain coming through for Cassius. Now he’s a pouty, insecure lovesick being? What happened to the serious character of the other novel? He seems to have vanished, replaced by a boyfriend of Morgan’s. Who occasionally transforms into something cool. Morgan too is undergoing a bit of a metamorphosis, although into what exactly is anyone’s guess. But the gravity of these downright elemental or idk other worldly transformations seems to be missing.
Idk maybe they should actually stop having sex for a mo’ and figure out if this pertains to their missing memories, and maybe even the bad guy! Good grief.
Definitely not the same beings I liked in book one. They need to regain their gravitas, their focus, and personalities.
Almost missing main character. You all know how I feel about this. Here it’s Loki the magical cat, a main player in book one and the series arc. He lives with Cassius now. When do we see and here about him here? When the book is about 74% complete. Then Loki is mentioned as part of the growing mystery so , yes, he has to be trotted out in one scene so everyone sees he’s still around. That’s it. Done. He disappears again back into the apartment not to be mentioned again. It fed or whatever. So Loki could have starved because he’s not seen or mentioned even when they are back in the apartment. A huge change from book one when he’s a constant presence, weaving catlike around the feet or in their laps. SMH. Continuity and consistency!
All of which finally brings me to my last bit of griping. Since I had time to notice all the above, then the issues I had with the repetition of adjectives and certain author’s fondness of terms definitely continues on here.
Pls, someone either tell her about how to find and replace a word within a document, Thesauruses our old friend , (and edit) or point a great editor her way.
We are back to muscles jumping in every character’s face and often. Adrianne is saying things “leadenly”again. I pity poor Adrianne. No sex and the worst lines. A couple of female characters always “smile softly “.
There’s also a lot of “she___fill in the name___snarled,” “so and so hissed”,
Lots of hissing and no they aren’t snake shifters.
Also “growling “. Cedric growled. But it could have been and usually is another.
Plus a host of clenched whatever… jaw, fist… whatever can be clenched.
You get the idea. Salinger once she uses a word or term in a certain manner, it stays used. To the detriment of the story. And the reader’s, at least this reader’s concentration.
And that’s a shame, because the plots? Both one the book and overall series arc scale are imaginative and layered. They have grabbed my attention and the potential for a really great series shows everywhere….
But there’s some definite tidying up to be done. Both in the major characters personalities and language. I look forward to see what book three brings.
High marks mostly for Eden and her journey.
Fallen Messenger series:
Unbound #0.5
Fractured Souls #1
Spellbound #2
Edge Lines #3
Oathbreaker #4
Synopsis:
Can Cassius and Morgan overcome an elusive enemy and save a young girl’s life?
Eden Monroe has spent her entire existence believing she has no magic. Shunned by her mother Brianna and the magical bureau Hexa, she runs away from home when she is forced to embrace a future she never chose, only to fall into the hands of ghastly monsters from the Nine Hells. After being rescued by a mysterious Dryad with secrets of his own, Eden realizes there is more to her past and future than she could ever have imagined.
When San Francisco PD asks Argonaut to assist them in solving a series of strange bank robberies, Cassius Black and Morgan King uncover a disturbing plot that points to an unknown artifact hidden somewhere in the city. Their investigation soon has them crossing paths with a desperate Brianna, who seeks their help in finding her missing daughter. When the witch reveals the shocking circumstances surrounding her daughter’s birth as well as the deadly magic sealed inside the young girl’s body, the Argonaut agents realize their case is linked to Eden and the weapon of devastating power the bank robbers are after.
Can Cassius and Morgan defeat the malevolent organization behind it all and save Eden from her cursed fate? Or will the young girl suffer a destiny worse than death itself?
Spellbound is the second novel in the gay urban fantasy romance series Fallen Messengers. If you like your paranormal adventures full of action, magic, snark, and a host of steamy angels and demons, then you’re not going to want to miss this jaw-dropping, fun-filled ride!
Soft Place to Fall is a heartbreaker of a book. Full of a broken partnership , a past of broken dreams and broken promises, and a mother who is being shattered by that most Insidious of diseases, Alzheimer’s, this story is one guaranteed to have you sobbing.
Often.
It’s so well written that the pain and sheer exhaustion pouring off Stetson Major as he’s watching his mama rapidly decline tears at you. You feel every bit of his feelings and the fact that there’s very little left for Stetson to give, he’s done in.
That’s where the call goes out to his ex partner, the man his mama is calling for, to please come. And rodeo rider Curtis Traynor does.
What a story. One of reconciliations, of loss, grief, forgiveness, love, and the journey back to home and each other.
The men are strong characters and you absolutely feel the incredible loving pull they have for each other. It’s also easy to see how, in their youth, their stubbornness and goals drove them apart.
The woman dying of Alzheimer’s is difficult element as she’s so realistically portrayed. Muddled one moment, clear headed another, and then wild, anger filled, and needing to be restrained the next. If you haven’t experienced this, count yourself lucky. It’s often a very hard read. As it should be.
That’s balanced by the two men now , years later, still as deeply in love as they ever were, picking their way back to each other over obstacles still strewn across the path as it was years ago.
I was so emotionally connected to these men and their romance I didn’t even notice the pages flying by.
The only thing that kept this from an absolute 5 star rating was that I thought it wrapped up too quickly for everything that had gone on before.
I was still happy for them and us at the end.
If you love cowboys and want a heartwarming love story, look no further. Grab up Soft Place To Fall and a box or two of tissues and settle in for a marvelous read.
It’s one I highly recommend.
Synopsis:
Stetson Major and Curtis Traynor are about as opposite as two cowboys can get. Stetson is a rancher, tied to the land he loves in Taos, New Mexico, while Curtis is a rodeo cowboy whose wanderlust never could be tamed. But now Stetson’s momma is dying of Alzheimer’s, and she can’t remember that Curtis hasn’t been Stetson’s boyfriend for a long time. Curtis’s absence makes her cry, so Stetson swallows his pride and calls his ex-lover. To Curtis, Stetson is the one who got away, the love of his life. And Momma is his friend, so he’s happy to help out. Yet returning to the ranch stirs up all sorts of feelings that, while buried, never really went away. Still, the rodeo nationals are coming up, and Curtis can’t stay—even if he’s starting to want to, especially to support Stetson when he needs it most. Stetson and Curtis want to find a place where they both fit, to be there to catch each other when they fall. But family, money problems, and the call of the rodeo circuit might end their second-chance romance before it even gets started.
After the emotionally traumatic, narratively heavy first story (Terrible Things), I had wondered how the author was going to top that. It was a great story and had a charismatic couple at its heart.
Did I find that with Impossible Things? Not exactly.
This story has one of the issues that I see in other reviews and stories. A character that is both so well written that he feels believable and isn’t very likable. At least in my opinion. That would be Benji
He’s my grandmother’s Erica Kane, aka the actor Susan Lucci , who my grandmother talked about as though that character was absolutely real and shouldn’t be doing all those awful things.
Characters like Benji have ,unfortunately, caused some poor books to get low ratings because, again, the reviewer just “hated” the character.
Never mind that the writer had done such a superb job crafting that character that the reviewer had become emotionally wrapped up in them. SMH.
Anyway, Benji is that one character here I’m not connecting with. Well done, with motivations you can understand if not agree with. Sigh.
But while I’m not connecting with Benji, my biggest issue here is the central friends to lover romance between Benji and Diego.
What I liked about the first story, the chemistry, the communication, as well as the depth to the couple, seems to be missing here.
Yes, these men face a separate set of circumstances and barriers. It’s how they approach each other, after years of friendship, and supposed knowledge of one another that’s disappointing. It’s fraught with miscommunication, stalling, if not outright lies. Add on to that self promotion, Benji’s hugely ambitious outlook that in itself isn’t inherently bad but how the person handles it, plus Benji never explains to Diego , not once, where his insecurities and need to succeed come from. Nor does Diego ever ask.
That lack of curiosity bothers me. Partners, lovers don’t ask about such major issues?
Elements like that kept me from connecting with them, especially when I had an additional hurdle of not being able to really like Benji to begin with. That could have been overcome if Diego had convinced me to see what he loved about Benji.
Did I ever feel I saw into that? Not really. After all those years, it still felt… unfinished. Unlike Leo and Caleb.
Perhaps they set too high a bar for the other couples to follow. I’ve seen that happen in series too.
So what did I find in Impossible Things? A good well written story with well constructed characters. But with a romance that I thought needed something more. Maybe more layers, more satisfying personal “work” to make it feel as believable as the men.
A Epilogue with them off on vacation together with Diego’s daughter just doesn’t fill in those emotional blanks. At least for me.
Still recommending it because I recognize that not everyone will feel about Benji the way I do.. And if you’re reading the series, you should read all the books in the order they were written.
Now onto Hazardous Things which is Max’s story along with a certain younger brother. I’m looking forward to this.
When Benji saw Diego for the first time, he never expected to fall irrevocably and painfully in love with him.
It wasn’t something either of them could face, so he buried it. For ten long years.
Ten years during which he survived the pain of his own disastrous marriage and the heartbreak of watching Diego raise a child with another woman.
Through the heights of rock stardom and the depths of their band breaking up, Benji’s heart always came back to Diego. To his best friend. His bandmate. His secret desire.
Now, enough is enough.
He knows Diego loves him too. He knows they could have it all, no holds barred, with every string attached — if only they can find the courage to bring their feelings into the spotlight.
It’s time to tackle the impossible: life-altering, world-shaking, totally inevitable love.
Impossible Things is the second book in the Star Shadow series and should be read in order.
Terrible Things is another terrific start to a contemporary rock band romance series by Beth Bolden.
Set in southern California, the location allows the author to fold in characters from her other series (Kitchen Gods, Food Truck Warriors) into making guest appearances where needed. Or even serving up as locations ala Terrior Restaurant and Chef Aquino.
Star Shadow is a defunct teenage rock band that disbanded when one of its members disappeared at the height of its world tour. Unable to continue, the band crumbled under the pain and betrayal.
The remaining four members keeping in contact personally while going different directions professionally.
That’ll the surface facts that the story opens up with.
The truth behind that traumatic breakup and the repercussions that are still hammering at the band members presently begin with the return of that missing musician and friend. Caleb Chance. He wants to resume that ill fated tour
Where he’s been, what happened all those years ago, and the deeply held pain and torn relationships is the beginning here.
The format the author employs includes the use of Interludes, important chapters from the past that highlights a pivotal moment in this couple’s and the band’s journey. Whether it’s from the moment they met or the moment it all imploded, the Interludes work better here then any flashback because the contrast emotionally between past and present if often stark and telling.
Told from the perspective of Leo Humphries, the man Caleb Chance left behind and who’s leaving shattered him almost completely, a one person pov makes this a strong story. It’s an unusual choice because I think most writers would have included Caleb’s as well given his own personal demons and battles. But to do that justice would have doubled this story easily.
Their romance, their tortuous journey back to each other, to forgiveness and love is hard and raw. And honestly as it deals with Caleb’s addiction to alcohol and how Leo had to deal with the everyday ramifications of having a alcoholic lover, maybe be hard to read if this is a trigger.
For me it also left some parts feeling less than fleshed out here too with regards to Caleb’s rehabilitation. He used aversion therapy at the end but there’s no real explanation here of that. Just that all other type of rehab clinics hadn’t been effective.
I would have expected something more definitive here. Especially considering that the men are honest about other stages and parts of their feelings and expectations for their new relationship.
I’ve come to relish and prefer stories where the relationships are emotionally adult. They talk, communicating their feelings, thoughts, and share elements with their partners those aspects of their lives that bring them closer together . Or learn how to do that…it’s a process.
That’s shown here in all its pain, truth, recovery, and love.
It’s quite the journey.
I wonder where all the books will take us and them. I intend to find out. I recommend you start here.
When Caleb Chance walked out in Detroit five years ago, leaving his band, millions of his fans and his lover behind, Leo knew he could never forgive.
Some things, no matter what the cause, are unforgivable.
But Leo never expected Caleb to show up again, clean and sober and wanting to get their band, Star Shadow, back together. He definitely never expected to agree to Caleb’s plan.
He never expected to confront the love of his life again—or the disaster of his past, the hopelessness of his future, and every terrible thing he’s been carrying inside him.
But maybe some things aren’t so terrible after all.
Well, really my only issue here is with the title. It should be called Keeping Brant because Kellen? He’s a done deal here. Has been for years since he realized he saw Brant as more than his BFF’s younger brother.
So the question here? That’s Brant not Kellen. So yep, a definite change up in title needed.
Otherwise, this is a splendid story that sees us catching up on the lives of the group of men from Keeping Casey. It’s been a while, they’ve graduated from Glen Hill College and moved forward with their partners and future plans.
As with Brant, those years has been ones of growth and now he sees himself ready to move forward again, this time in a familiar direction… home and new opportunities.
Aislin opens a path into Brant’s world with this story, one barely hinted at in the first novel. Now Brant’s past, present, and , his potential future is laid out in all its pain, love, familial dysfunction , and emotional distress. It also includes his boyhood crush which has never faded. And who now has returned as well. Aislin’s writes this all so superbly that you are pulled into Brant’s world and situation, feeling easily a part of it.
Yes, I googled that region even. I could go there, indeed I could.
Then there’s Kellen, the crush. Kellen, an immediately likable and connectable character, is one with a few painful layers himself. Although not as many as Brant.
The story and the men’s relationship begins immediately as they reconnect over a drive home from the airport and bond over Ollie, a “shared dog” and just great chemistry.
Through obstacles and new challenges raised by career changes, this pair grows together by using communication and love to get stronger and solidify their partnership. I just loved that.
No failure to talk things out, no childish misunderstandings. Just two adults working together towards a loving, mutually respectful relationship. Sigh. More pls.
And they treat others in the same manner. Be still my heart.
Ok, yes. I’m so happily on board here.
Even if Keeping Him series stays at two novels , which I expect it won’t become there are others unattached, this is absolutely a book and series I recommend.
Brant Harkrader is done living by other peoples’ rules. He may not know exactly what he wants out of life, but he’s perfectly happy letting that question figure itself out while starting a new job as a tour guide.
Too bad the one thing he does want—his sister’s BFF—only sees him as a little brother.
Or so he thinks…
Kellan Shelby-Briggs has never shied away from going after what he wants. And what he wants is the important contract that will put his brand new company on the map—and Brant.
Too bad Kellan’s career keeps yanking him away just as things heat up between them.
Now that Brant is back in town—up close and personal in Kell’s living space—can they finally get the timing right to go after the love that has eluded them both for too long?
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 