Love is Love Reviews

Review: A Holiday Tradition by Chrissy Munder

All the characters in this story were great.

5 out of 5 stars

Ebook, 1st edition, 58 pages. Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

Paul Carpenter has his life all planned out. Or at least his father does. The right school, the right degree, the right job. Paul is on track, until a bus accident has him sitting out a coveted internship, babysitting, or being babysat, by a grandfather he barely remembers during his holiday stay in a Florida RV park. His father’s reasoning? How much temptation can Paul find around a bunch of senior citizens playing bingo? There’ll be nothing to distract him from his studies.

It’s hard to muster his holiday spirit when Paul is used to snow and cold, not sun, surf, and plastic flamingos in Santa hats. But then Paul meets Kevin Lombardo, who offers to show him some new holiday traditions. Suddenly Paul’s fast track hits a curve.

A Story from the Warmest Wishes: Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar

Likes:

All the characters.
Paul’s journey.
The realism of the RV park and the old folks.
The old folks.
The slow burn of the romance.

Dislikes:

One minor continuity error.
Blurb made me think there was going to be a lot of angst.

I really enjoyed this story. I put it off for a while, since the blurb isn’t very catchy. I assumed Paul would be this miserable guy who lets everyone push him around and acts like a moody teen. Luckily, I was wrong.

Yes, Paul lets his dad dictate his life and resents it, but he’s not the whiney snot I expected. He’s likeable, especially since he wants so desperately to live up to the expectations that have been put on him. Expectations so lofty he can never seem to reach high enough. Watching as Paul finally decides to fight for himself and live the life he really wants was heartwarming.

It’s a good thing I liked Paul so much, because his journey to finding happiness was as central to the plot as the slow burn romance. I liked the slow burn. It felt natural for the relationship and gave room for some of my favorite moments in the story. Watching Paul, Kevin, and some of the younger senior citizens decorate the RV park was a great scene.

It was the old folks who really made the story work. They were full of personality, and made me laugh several times. The sense of community was true to life, and the joy with which the seniors approached life was a good lesson for everyone. Enjoy the time you have.

The only little blip in a story I otherwise have no complaints about was a continuity error in one scene. Paul forgets his phone in his grandfather’s RV and yet has it when Kevin wants to exchange numbers. It’s minor, and didn’t take away from the story.

I’ve never read anything by Chrissy Munder before but I’ll definitely have to check out her other works.

Find the Warmest Wishes anthology review here and the full list of stories here.

Review: Death to Christmas Sweaters by L.E. Franks

Enjoyable despite its faults.

4 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 1st Edition. 56 page. Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

Chess and Benjamin are casual lovers, each hiding his devotion to the other and his wish for more. But Chess is a wealthy playboy who—Benjamin believes—will never settle down. And Chess is sure, with the way Benjamin keeps him at arm’s length, that he can’t be interested in getting serious.

They’re destined for a head-on collision as Chess plans for a holiday escape designed to send Benjamin’s ardor spiking like the temperatures in Los Angeles, while Benjamin desperately drags his feet, wanting to cool things down to protect his vulnerable heart. But when the ghosts of Chess’s Christmas past and Benjamin’s unwelcome present converge at LAX, it’s obvious there are other forces at play and about to take over.

Drawn into their respective family dramas at a joint gathering, will Chess and Benjamin finally take a stand for each other and the relationship they both want, or will the holiday finally take its toll?

A Story from the Warmest Wishes: Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar

Likes:

A multicultural and interracial couple.
A happier ending than I expected.
Chess’s family.
Just enough angst.
Told from both men’s point of view.

Dislikes:

More side characters than necessary.
Could have used more depth about the reasoning behind the men hiding their feelings from each other.

I really enjoyed this story, despite its faults. Chess and Benjamin are in a casual relationship and both want more. But the classic roadblock of not talking to each other made them both scared that the other would never want something more serious. It’s almost a cliché, but it works for the story.

I do wish there had been more explanation of why the men were so afraid. Sure, neither of them had ever approached the subject. After a while, that just wasn’t good enough for me. If some of the extra side characters and location changes had been cut, there would have been more time to focus on the relationship. As it was, it felt like there was more attention put on the plot than digging into the relationship.

In fact, there was so much to this story, all of it crammed in and briefly mentioned, that this could easily have been made into a longer story. I wish it had been. The material was there, and the characters were interesting enough. I loved the multicultural aspect. Not only is Benjamin English, he’s also Indian, and his family’s traditional values threaten to tear him and Chess apart.

While Benjamin’s parents aren’t the most likeable, Chess’s are hilarious, if only because they’re so kooky. The title really makes sense, and I laughed out loud several times when reading. And then I smiled at the ending. It was sweet in multiple ways.

This story was overall well told. I enjoyed reading both men’s points of view. It added a lot to the angst, as Chess tried to woo Benjamin while Benjamin tried to pull away. I’ll definitely have to read more from L.E. Franks in the future.

Find the Warmest Wishes anthology review here and the full list of stories here.

Review: Miracle on Three Kings’ Day by Beth Laycock

Not great. Not terrible.

3 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 44 pages. Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

Levi’s family knows he needs to find a way out of his funk and be a part of the world again. His brother, Jesse, invites Levi to join him in sunny Spain for the holidays, but a delay at the airport finds Levi at Jesse’s home while his brother is stranded in Scotland. Luckily Alejandro—Alex—is on hand with a key, a friendly smile, and a willingness to keep Levi company. He might even manage to draw Levi out of his shell for some mutual flirting.

Levi surprises himself when he accepts an invitation to spend New Year’s Eve with Alex at Alex’s café, but is he ready for more when it means jumping back into life feet first? Besides, with an ocean between them and Alex hiding a part of his life that Levi isn’t sure he can handle, they’ll need their own Three Kings’ Day miracle to stay together.

A Story from the Warmest Wishes: Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar

Likes:

Alex was nice.
Spanish holiday traditions.
Cute kid.
Slow romance.

Dislikes:

Didn’t care for Levi.
Levi’s issues weren’t explained until later in the story.
Levi’s pessimism about almost everything.
Levi not getting professional help for his guilt and trauma.
Nothing about the story grabbed my attention.

This story was fine. Not great, not terrible. The best parts happened in the last third of the book, where Levi actually had some personality.

The blurb says that Levi is in a funk. To me, it felt like he was a spoiled millennial with a case of ennui. He’s in Spain for New Years and basically does nothing but complain. It didn’t make me like him much.

We get the first hint that he’s experienced a trauma at the 23% mark. Unfortunately, by then I’d already formed a less-than-stellar impression of him. Still, I tried to keep an open mind. It wasn’t easy. This is one of the cases where it would have been better to find out what was really going on in Levi’s head instead of teasing it.

Levi’s overall pessimism doesn’t help matters. He’s tired of the twentysomething hookup culture but can’t find anyone his age who wants to settle down and have kids. His novel writing isn’t going anywhere. His freelancing work doesn’t make him much money. On and on.

My biggest pet peeve was that Levi never sought help for his guilt and trauma. A year later and he’s still cringing at the sound of breaking glass and getting flashbacks. He needs to talk to a professional. The fact that he never talked to anyone about what happened, or even cried about it, doesn’t make sense. And it’s definitely not the kind of thing a hunky foreign boyfriend can fix.

Things finally begin to look up when Levi accepts that Alex really does like him. The presence of the cute little Luci helped liven the story up without taking the attention away from the romance. As Alex shows Levi the unique traditions of Spain’s Three Kings’ Day, and their romance finally gets off the ground, the story gets better. Levi’s guilt and trauma don’t disappear, but they stop holding him back.

The story ends on a sweet note, which was nice. It was a good thing Alex was sweet and patient. It paid off in the end.

Bonus Content

3 out of 5 stars

I discovered there was a free bonus epilogue readers get for signing up for Laycock’s newsletter, and decided to give it a go. It’s short – 14 PDF pages, and that includes the front and back matter.

The process of getting the story felt more convoluted than necessary. Sign up for the newsletter. Get an email to confirm the subscription. Get redirected to a webpage telling you to click here for the book. Get redirected to Prolific Works. Sign up for Prolific Works. Get an email confirming the subscription. Download the epilogue. I think it took me longer to get the story than to read it.

The story is sweet, if a little typical. One year later. New York. Another Three Kings’ Day parade. Levi proposes. That’s not a spoiler. You find out about the planned proposal on the second page.

Because the story is so short and sweet, the sex scene felt really out of place. It stopped the momentum. I wanted to get to the proposal scene. It was the whole point of the story. And, unfortunately, it didn’t get much page time. After Levi pops the question, there are literally two short paragraphs and a lone sentence before the end of the story. I felt let down. The joy of the engagement was cut so short there was no time to enjoy it.

I like that there was a bonus epilogue, even if I did have to jump through hoops to get it. Despite my rather bland opinion of the story and bonus epilogue, I’d read more from Laycock in the future.

Find the Warmest Wishes anthology review here and the full list of stories here.

Review: Boca Dreams by Scudder James Jr.

It’s been a while since I disliked a story this much.

1.5 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 1st Edition. 42 pages. Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

You can’t correct the past.

Or can you?

Stephen’s not proud of who he was back in boarding school—spoiled and a player. Now, at the holiday reunion ten years later, he has a chance to show his former classmates who he really is: out and proud, devoted to helping others, and partnered with Victor.

Stephen understands why Victor, who grew up in a poor and abusive household, hates the rich kids at the reunion, but his attitude is ruining everything. Luckily Stephen bumps into Aaron, a former grunge rocker who has also changed. Stephen never forgot their one steamy night together.

With the help of three very unusual personifications of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, can Stephen revisit his mistakes and find the happiness that’s eluded him?

A Story from the Warmest Wishes: Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar

Likes:

Short.
The plot of the romance between Stephen and Aaron was sweet.

Dislikes:

Victor.
Stephen’s doormat personality and inconsistency.
The only reason Stephen wanted Victor to come to the party was to make a splashy entrance.
The plot between Victor and Stephen.
Basically everything that wasn’t related to Stephen and Aaron.
So much is going on that a lot is told and not shown.
Blocks of dialogue without anything else going on.

It’s been a while since I disliked anything as much as this story.

It started off fine. It’s obvious from the blurb that Stephen and Victor were going to break up so Stephen could get with Aaron. If only that had happened right at the start. Instead, we’re subjected to 52% of the story dealing with Victor.

The blurb was right when it said Victory’s attitude was ruining everything. He genuinely made me want to stop reading. He was that unpleasant. And it only got worse.

If Stephen had kicked Victor to the curb early, the story would have been fine. That doesn’t happen because Stephen is a doormat who is dedicated to the relationship without any real reason. He and Victor were only together for a year, yet Stephen didn’t think being cheated on was “grounds, per se, for breaking up”.

By the time the story gets to Stephen and Aaron’s romance, I didn’t care. Which was good because the story switches from showing to telling. We literally get lists of things that happen. It was probably meant to represent the urgency of them getting together but it completely threw me out of the story.

“In Stephen’s room, their shirts were off, chests pressed together, mouth on mouth, mouth on neck. So close. Arms wrapping, squeezing.”

I actually thought to myself ‘blah blah blah’ as I skimmed. At that point, I’d realized how little personality Stephen had, and wasn’t invested anymore. Sure, Stephen is presented as a good guy because of his job, but his actions with Victor made him unlikeable.

I wish I had more good things to say about the story. Aaron was nice, and he actually had a few really sweet moments with Stephen. But they came so late in the story, it didn’t change my overall opinion.

Find the Warmest Wishes anthology review here and the full list of stories here.

Review: Make a Circle by Elliot Joyce

I want more stories with representation like this.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 1st edition. 33 pages. Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

Pagan punk musician Lucas is fully prepared to spend this Yule with the rest of the band and his beautiful bass guitar when Oliver, his boyfriend of almost a year, asks if he wants to join the rest of the Han family for their annual winter celebration. It comes as a shock since Ollie has gone to great lengths to keep the two apart, and Lucas always assumed he was the reason. Since they’re planning to be together long-term, Lucas can’t say no to meeting Ollie’s parents, but he better brush up on his manners and his Mandarin because this is going to be a holiday season like no other—and it has some surprises in store for both of them.

A Story from the Warmest Wishes: Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar

Likes:

Trans representation.
Culturally diverse.
Cute story.
Interesting characters.
Good description of the uncertainty of meeting a significant other’s family.
Respectful representation of another culture.

Dislikes:

Wanted it to be longer.
Doesn’t feel like Oilver and Lucas have been dating for less than a year.
The blurb doesn’t do the story justice.

I absolutely love that there are more stories being published about other letters of the LGBTTQQIAAP alphabet soup. This story, despite being only 33 pages long, touched on a lot of the difficulties of being trans that had nothing to do with coming out to family and friends. Instead, the story was more about what happens afterwards.

Having the story told through Lucas’s eyes was a good choice, since he’s meeting Oliver’s extended family for the first time and doesn’t have the same emotional baggage with them. It allows the reader to feel overwhelmed right along with him as he’s introduced to cousins, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, and more, all of whom blur together and speak Mandarin, which Lucas doesn’t understand.

Enough is explained about Dongzhì – the Chinese celebration of the winter solstice – for the reader to understand without bogging the story down with unimportant facts. The traditions and culture are treated with respect, while managing to capture the feelings that go with the gathering. However, while the celebration beings everyone together, the real focus of the story is how everyone treats Oliver.

Oliver has been out to his family for years. He’s been on testosterone for five years and has had top surgery. Yet many family members misgender him as “she” or call him by his old name. The stress it puts on Oliver is obvious.

Lucas is fairly passive in the story, but he shines when it comes to his unwavering support for Oliver. It feels like they’ve been dating for longer than a year, especially with how committed they are. It’s really sweet, and I’d love to see more of these two. And that’s the best compliment I can give a story.

My one real complaint is that the blurb doesn’t do the story justice. This is only the second gay romance story I’ve read that has a trans character in the romance, and neither included the word ‘trans’ in the blurb. I’m not sure why. Maybe they didn’t feel the need to. But especially with the story, since Oliver’s identity is such a pivotal part of the story, I think it should have been included.

Find the Warmest Wishes anthology review here and the full list of stories here.

Review: Once in a Lifetime by Cassie Decker

The New Zealand and Maori culture made this story.

3 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition. 34 pages. 1st edition. Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

All his life, astrophysicist Peter has dreamed of seeing the comet that last appeared on his birthday—and won’t be seen for another thirty-eight years. Since it could be his only chance, he travels to New Zealand. But his dream might be quashed after all when his rental car breaks down on the way to the observatory. He doesn’t even have a place to stay.

Fortunately a New Zealand native with a heart of gold offers assistance. But is kindness the only thing drawing the two men together?

Rangi can’t leave Peter stranded so close to Christmas, and his family has plenty of room—and love—to share. While Rangi is attracted to Peter, he’s seen too many of his friends get their hearts broken by tourists. Will they manage to see the comet on its decades-long journey across the sky… and take advantage of a rare opportunity that might never come again?

A Story from the Warmest Wishes: Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar

Likes:

Travel story.
New Zealand slang and scenery.
Maori culture.
Sweet ending.

Dislikes:

No stranger danger.
How quickly Rangi’s family wants them to get together.
Lots of backstory for such a short story.
Peter’s never even been out of Maryland before.

I’ve never read anything by Cassie Decker before, which isn’t surprising seeing that she’s only written a few short stories. And while I like this story well enough, I think the premise would have done better in a slightly longer format. I could definitely see this being turned into a novella.

The story premise was fun and unique. Peter’s trip to see the comet was both deeply personal and a way for him to finally travel. The New Zealand setting was well done with both the Maori culture and scenery. Enough to make the story feel authentic without long paragraphs of description. And the New Zealand slang was definitely fun.

Rangi was an interesting character, and his family was super cute. Although his complete lack of stranger danger was a little weird. He offers to let Peter stay at his place only half an hour after meeting for the first time.

Peter on the other hand didn’t feel as fleshed out. Mostly because none of his normal life was actually shown. All of the information given about him was backstory, and not very interesting backstory at that. Peter’s shining moment was at the end, when he finally saw the comet.

I do think there was simply too much backstory for Peter. It took up page space that could have been used to show him in the present. Granted, I can see why the information was included – the difference between his unhappy relationship with his Great Aunt and Rangi’s boisterous and welcoming family was great. But the information could have been presented in a much more succinct fashion.

It felt very unrealistic that Peter had never even left his home state before his trip halfway around the world. I mean, he’s 38. There was really no reason to include that, and it really stuck out as something weird.

Overall, the story was cute, but it felt a little unfinished. Like there would be another chapter instead of the story just ending. The ending was sweet, but a little too open ended for my tastes. Would Peter end up moving to New Zealand so he could have a real relationship with Rangi ? Or is their relationship doomed to be short? I have no idea.

Find the Warmest Wishes anthology review here and the full list of stories here.

Review: Exit Through the Gift Shop by Kim Fielding

Cute, family oriented story.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition. 39 pages. Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

Alex’s traditional family Christmas Compromise means spending the holiday at a second-rate theme park, Poseidon’s Planet, but Alex doesn’t mind. He enjoys the rides and the company of his family, and it’s a good break from his going-nowhere existence back in Indiana. Then he meets a certain sexy employee in a pirate costume, and Alex’s vacation gets even better. But thrill rides last only a short time, and sooner or later everyone has to return to real life. Alex long ago gave up on marrying a handsome prince—will he have to give up on his pirate as well?

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar “Warmest Wishes.”

Likes:

Cute.
Family oriented.
Made good use of the small page space.
No forced epilogue that skips over all of the relationship.

Dislikes:

Not memorable.
The pirate on the cover is goofy.

I’ve read a number of Kim Fielding’s supernatural novels before, and I expected to like this short story. I did, and it was a fun and cute read, but it’s not particularly memorable. Nothing about the characters really jumped out and caught my attention. They were likeable enough, and well suited to a short story, so I guess I shouldn’t be disappointed. But Fielding’s other novels that I’ve read were each memorable in their own way, and I guess I had expectations based on that.

Fielding’s talent really shines through with this short story. She’s able to build nice characters, include their families and backstories, and create a warm beginning to a romance. My favorite thing is that the story is left with an open ended HFN. There’s no ‘one year later’ epilogue like with the other two short stories I’ve read from the Warmest Wishes collection. Yet you still get the feeling that these two will last. They have a great connection despite the short time they’ve known each other.

Other than wishing the story had had at least one memorable moment to it, and thinking that the pirate on the cover is more goofy than sexy, I have no complaints. Reading this short story definitely makes me want to read more of her novels. According to Goodreads, she has 87 distinct works, so there’s plenty for me to choose from.

Find the Warmest Wishes anthology review here and the full list of stories here.

Review: Barbies and Beaches by Asta Idonea

A sweet, short story.

4 out of 5 stars

Ebook, 21 pages. Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press LLC

Blurb:

For the first time ever, Shane is not looking forward to the annual Boxing Day barbecue at Matty’s house. He recently divorced, none of his friends know what to say to him now, and Shane is tired of the pity and awkwardness. Things take a turn, however, when he meets Matty’s English cousin. Neil is struggling with the Australian heat, having left the UK after a bad breakup. When Shane suggests the two of them head to a secluded beach to cool off, the growing intimacy between them might make both reassess their current situation.

A Story from the Warmest Wishes: Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar

Likes:

Cute.
Short.
Good sense of Australia.
Interesting characters.
No wasted words.
Sweet ending.

Dislikes:

Maybe too short.

This is my first time reading anything by Asta Idonea, and I have to say this story really whetted my appetite for more. One of my favorite things about short story compilations like Warmest Wishes is getting a quick introduction to new authors, and I’ll definitely have to check out more from Idonea.

The story is short – a mere 21 pages – and while that space is put to good use, with no meandering setting descriptions or pointless tangents, I do wish the story had been longer. It’s basically about Shane and Neil meeting for the first time and sparks flying. The relationship is hinted at with the ending, but not shown at all.

As a sweet short story, it’s great, and I have no major complaints. I did have to look up one phrase to find out what it meant, since the story is set in Australia. “He’d definitely have a snag or two before he departed.” I had no idea that “snag” was slang for sausage. At first I wondered if it was a typo.

The Australian setting and slang really added to the overall ambiance. It was peppered in throughout, without dwelling on any one thing for too long. Shane and Neil were interesting characters, and had a few funny moments, as well as feeling real. It was a great balance, developing them just enough to make them fleshed out without going into any backstory that wasn’t necessary. If Idonea can make characters feel interesting in such few pages, I have high hopes for her longer novels.

Find the Warmest Wishes anthology review here and the full list of stories here.

Review: Mosquitoes and Mistletoe by Ren Holly

So many cliches, but a cute HEA ending.

3 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition, 1st Edition, 64 pages. Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

After Andrew’s boyfriend dumps him just before Christmas, he decides to take a job far, far away from city life. It’s a dishwashing job on a remote island off the coast of Georgia. Expecting sunshine, palm trees, and some quality alone time, Andrew is surprised to find alligators, mosquitoes, rattlesnakes, and Garrett—a devilishly handsome naturalist. Andrew desperately tries to resist Garrett’s charm, because a twice-broken heart before Christmas is just not an option. Besides Andrew’s new friend Anna might already have a thing for Garrett.

But where do Garrett’s interests lie, and will Andrew find out before he’s surprised by a visit from his ex?

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar “Warmest Wishes.”

Likes:

Short.
Sweet.
Cute HEA ending.
Interesting setting for a Christmas story.

Dislikes:

So many clichés.
No journey of transformation for the characters.

According to Goodreads, this is the one and only thing published by Ren Holly, and I hope to see more of her work in the future. This novella was fun, cute, and low angst, with plenty of setting that really gave me a good idea of the island without resorting to paragraphs of scenery description.

Because the format was so short, only 64 pages, I won’t bother commenting about how I wanted more background about the characters. I don’t even remember finding out how old they were, let alone what Andrew had been doing with his life before he up and moved to a random island off the coast of Georgia to be a dishwasher. Since this is a romance story, all that really mattered was that he was brokenhearted and wanted to get away.

The characters, despite their lack of background, were fun and interesting. Andrew and Garett were interesting characters, both with their own baggage, and Anna was a fun side character. I was ultimately disappointed that neither Andrew nor Garrett went through any sort of journey. They both had hurdles to overcome, but one potentially hazardous incident and they’re cemented together forever. It was cliché, and the not the only one.

The clichés were all over this book, from the people – Andrew’s ex and his rich family, to Andrew’s city-boy reactions to everything nature. Some were fine, other grated. Not enough to make me dislike the story, but with so many clichés, I’m definitely glad the story wasn’t longer.

Find the Warmest Wishes anthology review here and the full list of stories here.

Review: Marry Me by Casper Graham

Good story idea, but the execution was lacking.

3 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 76 pages. Published March 4th 2017 by JMS Books LLC

Blurb:

Nathan Wong wants to marry his boyfriend of more than seven years but has no idea how to propose. Neither of them is particularly fond of huge gestures, so he decides to go the traditional route.

Jason Yang has also been considering proposing to Nathan, and eventually he manages to pull it off. It’s one of the more memorable events in their relationship. The two then begin to plan the wedding with the help of their mothers.

The only problem is neither man realizes the extent of planning for a wedding and how stressful it can be. As the wedding date approaches, frustrations take their toll and put a strain on their relationship. Will they ever get their dream wedding and happy ever after?

Likes:

Short.
Hot sex scenes.
Showed the difficulties of trying to create perfect moments.
Good story idea.
Racially diverse characters.

Dislikes:

Sex without lube.
Lack of dialogue tags and contractions.
The men didn’t act or speak like they were in their thirties.
All the characters were one dimensional.
Wasn’t sure if the story was set in England or America.
Some important events weren’t shown and other scenes didn’t affect the plot at all.

*I wrestled with what to give this novella, and decided on three stars with the caveat that I don’t recommend it.

I can tell that Mr. Graham has talent. The basic plot was interesting. The main characters want to make their proposals and wedding perfect events, only to face the reality of how stressful it can be. The blurb caught my attention and the story started off well.

However, by the end of the book I was skimming. I just didn’t care anymore. What I’d liked about the beginning of the book was the focus on the men’s relationship. By the end, the scenes played more like a list of steps that had to happen just to get to the happily ever after.

I think this book needs a good editor. It’s more than just the overuse of ellipsis and lack of contractions. There were scenes that added nothing to the story and some, like the couple fighting, that were only mentioned in passing, not shown. The focus of the story should have stayed on the romance, not the process of setting up the wedding.

Then there was the lack of dialogue tags. I lost the thread of the conversation a few times and had to flip back pages in order to find who was talking. Not to mention, without the dialogue tags, there was no action or description between the dialogue. Not only did that make things a little boring, it deprived the story of the opportunity to flesh out the characters. And they could use it.

All the characters were one dimensional and most were stereotypes. From the bro best friend to the wedding obsessed mothers. As for Nathan and Jason, neither talked or acted like they were in their thirties. Their last names and a few words in the story hint at their ethnicity, but it’s not a big part of the story which makes me wonder why it’s in there at all. As for what country they were living in, I assumed it was America. Then the word ‘knackered’ was used and I thought they were in England. But eloping to Vegas for the wedding was mentioned several times, so I have no idea.

The sex scenes were by far the best part. Which was good, because there were a lot. Five or six at least. However, the couple had penetrative sex without lube three times. That lost the story a quarter of a star automatically. Not to mention, each time they had dry sex, it was in their own living room. You’d think that sometime in the two years they’d owned the house they’d have thought to shove a travel sized bottle of lube between the couch cushions.

I read this book because I was curious about Casper Graham. This story was much better than the first one of his I tried to read (and couldn’t finish) and it’s clear that the talent is there. But it needs to be polished and refined. At the end of the day, the finished product leaves much to be desired.

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