Tag: small town

Review: The Shamwell Tales Series by J.L. Merrow

Series rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Books Include:

Likes:

  • Slow burn romances.
  • Quiet little English town.
  • J.L. Merrow’s writing style.
  • Some incredibly quirky characters.
  • Some really great kids.
  • Very little homophobia (and what little there was got overcome in the end).
  • The English slang.
  • Blue collar workers who were proud of their jobs.

Dislikes:

  • Sex scenes were short, not too steamy, and at the end of the books.
  • Some similarities in the types of couples.

To be fair to Out! I did like all the books in this series. The quiet, slow atmosphere of Shamwell was just what I was looking for, but I can see why some people thought it was too slow and boring. This is not a series where a lot of things happen. All of the drama comes either from miscommunication (or no communication at all) or everyday outside forces.

I really liked the English slang in the book, even thought I didn’t know some of it, because it made the books very atmospheric. Shamwell really did become like a subtle character of its own in a lot of little ways. The people who lived there were very simple, in a good way, while the ones who moved there were all on the flamboyant side.

This brings me to the similarities between the books. In each one, one of the two main characters has just moved to town. All the newcomers are well-educated and come from wealthy families or are well off themselves. Their love interests are blue collar working men, except Patrick who works for a non-profit, which is not a high paying job. The men from Shamwell are generally more connected to their families than the men who have just moved there.

Despite these similarities, each of the couples was very different from the others, both in terms of the problems they face and how they interact with each other. I enjoyed reading about all of the couples and nothing glaringly wrong pulled me out of any of the stories.

Out! was my least favorite not because anything was wrong with it but because Patrick and Mark were both less flamboyant characters than the other couples. Rob, David, and Tristan were all fabulous characters with fun, memorable quirks. I don’t think Patrick or Mark was boring per se, but compared to the fabulous three, they didn’t stand out as much. Fen and Lex stood out more.

Overall, I could have happily read more books in this series. It was cute and low angst and I’m really glad I picked it up. Caught! Was the first book I’ve ever ready by J.L. Merrow and I will definitely pick up something else she’s written.

Review of Hope Series by Cardeno C.

A sweet, low angst series.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Books include:

Likes:

  • Short, sweet, and cute.
  • Good smut.
  • Small town setting.
  • Low angst.
  • Good novella stories.

Dislikes:

  • Wanted more about the couple.
  • Wanted to see more about the town and townspeople.
  • Stories felt a little similar.

These three books were all novellas set in the same small town of Hope, Arizona. They were all fun, quick, hot, fluffy reads without angst. As fitting the shorter length, all of the couples already knew each other when their story started.

It’s a little difficult to judge these book because they are novellas and not novels. A lot of my little complaints are simply me wanting more. More background on the characters, more time after the couple gets together, more info about the town.

There aren’t many side characters and we don’t get to see how anyone reacts to three openly gay couples. Because the troubles keeping these three couples apart are easy to fix, I don’t think they could be pushed to full novels without dragging on, but I am the type of reader who always wants a little bit more.

The setup for these novellas all feel a little similar. All have one character who has lots of experience while the other has little or none. All the couples have misunderstandings and all have a huge gap between them. For two of the couples, that gap is an age gap. For the third, that gap is city vs country.

I would suggest this series for anyone looking for something quick and sweet, with a dash of hot sex. The series is not something to really sink your teeth into, both in terms of the length and the depth of the characters. Still, I’m glad I stumbled on them because I do like Cardeno C’s writing style and will definitely read more from them later.

*Credit to congerdesign for the picture.

Review: Smitty’s Sheriff (Hope #3) by Cardeno C.

Good plot and smut.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Ebook. Kindle Unlimited. 117 pages. Published July 17 2017 by The Romance Authors

Blurb:

Todd is too flakey. Richard is too stubborn. Together, they’re perfect. A May-December couple get a second chance at love. 

Retired soldier Richard Davis wants a stable life in a quiet town with a forever man. Becoming the sheriff of Hope, Arizona, accomplishes two of his three goals, but instead of finding a serious partner, he falls for too-young-to-be-committed and too-flakey-to-be-serious Todd Smitty. Richard won’t find the right man if he’s obsessed with the wrong one, so he walks away from Todd. 

It’s lust at first sight when Todd meets his sister’s army friend. He sets his sights on the worldly, strong, stable older man, and the more time he spends with Richard, the harder he falls. But after three years together, Richard cuts off all contact with no explanation. 

When a mutual obligation requires Todd to move into Richard’s house, he’s thrilled at the opportunity to earn a second chance. Ignoring Todd from across town was hard enough. Can Richard resist temptation under his own roof? 

Likes:

  • Plot was good.
  • Todd.
  • Good smut.
  • Second chance romance.

Dislikes:

  • Richard didn’t change enough.
  • Wish the dom/sub aspect of their relationship was explored more.
  • The way Richard though of and treated Todd.
  • Richard’s jealousy.

I think Richard was my biggest complaint about this book. I didn’t hate Richard, more like he really annoyed me because he was the source of most of the problems between him and Todd.

Richard’s point of view came first in the book and it was really obvious that he thought of Todd as this young, flaky, irresponsible guy. And when Todd’s point of view came, none of that was true. Sure, Todd isn’t exactly a go-getter or super focused, but he wasn’t nearly as ditsy as Richard thought he was.

At twenty-four, with elderly parents and having lived in the same town all his life, Todd is basically what I’d expect. He lacks structure and focus in his life and he can’t cook. I liked Todd. He was unpretentious and what you saw was what you got. He was also a natural submissive in that he was eager to please and constantly wanted Richard’s approval.

Richard is the exact opposite of Todd. He’s physically bigger, a born leader, organized, and dominant. He’s also significantly older and not big on talking about his feelings. Those last two things are what gets him into trouble because Richard assumes that he and Todd view sex and relationships the same way, without actually talking about their relationship.

Thankfully, Todd wants to give their relationship another try and actually works towards it instead of assuming they don’t want the same thing like Rich. Todd wants them to be together so bad that he grows and changes for the better. Rich, on the other hand, ends up acknowledging his jealous streak and is finally willing to talk about things a little. Comparatively, Todd went way more than halfway, and Richard’s overall lack of change, personal growth, or self-awareness solidified my dislike of him.

Still, I enjoyed the story. It’s not my favorite in the series, but it was still cute, fluffy, short, and sweet. I’m a fan of second chance romances and this one worked really well. The book was well written and the plot was interesting.

I do think that Todd and Richard were a good couple. They both had things the other needed, and their relationship really felt like a give and take. Richard needed to feel like he was useful, and he needed someone to look after and take care of. Todd needed structure and guidance he could trust. Their relationship has serous dom/sub overtones without any of the kink thrown in.

Be sure to check out the reviews for the second two books in the series – McFarland’s Farm and Jesse’s Diner.

Review: Jesse’s Diner (Hope #2) by Cardeno C.

Both men were interesting and their friends to lovers progression was good.

4 out of 5 stars

Ebook. Kindle Unlimited. 112 pages. Published September 29th 2015 by The Romance Authors

Blurb:

Two men with a shared history and a mutual attraction must be honest with themselves and each other so both their dreams come true.

Quiet, unassuming Tanner Sellers spends his time running a diner in Hope, Arizona. Not particularly social, twenty-two-year-old Tanner keeps to himself and enjoys his simple life, but he longs for someone to call his own. In his most secret fantasy, that someone is sexy Steve Faus. But Steve is his friend’s father and mentor’s widower and therefore off-limits.

Despite some challenges, thirty-nine-year-old Steve Faus has had a good life. He’s extremely successful at work, has a great relationship with his college-age son, and lives in a wonderful town. Eighteen months after losing his partner, the one thing Steve lacks is someone to share his life. If Steve is honest with himself, that someone is the young man he has known and cared about for years. Steve and Tanner want one another, all they need is a little push in the right direction to make both their dreams come true. 

Likes:

  • An HIV positive character who doesn’t get hated for his status.
  • The story setup.
  • The friends to lovers progression was believable.
  • The trust everyone put in Tanner.
  • Both men had an interesting past that affected who they were in the present.
  • Tanner beginning to make the diner his own.
  • The story was short, cute, and sweet.

Dislikes:

  • Tanner’s character at times.
  • Some awkward phrasing and word choices.
  • The whole thing at the end about Jesse.

This was actually the first book I ready by Cardeno C even though it’s the second book in the Hope series. I was looking for a friends to lovers novella, and this came up in the search. I liked it during my first reading, but the second time through I definitely liked Tanner’s character less.

The story is told in Tanner’s first person point of view, and while I liked Tanner a lot when he wasn’t around Steve, when they’re together, Tanner’s character gets a little annoying. I think Tanner was supposed to come off as shy and inexperienced in love. For me, his character overshot that and landed on ‘simple.’ He was still likeable, but sometimes it felt like he literally didn’t understand what was going on, in a way that was unbelievable. I get that he’d never dated or even kissed, but it just felt a little over the top.

I really did like the who story setup, though. It was both a friends to lovers and a crush to lovers story. Steve’s character was believable and likable. He seemed to really be thinking about Tanner and treading carefully with their relationship, especially when it came to

Spoiler 1

Would I have liked the story a little more if we got to see both men’s points of view? Yes. Both because I like both points of view when it comes to romance and because then I wouldn’t have gotten so annoyed with Tanner. Would I still have problems with this story? Also yes. It’s cute and quick, just don’t think too deeply about it, or expect anything too deep from it.

The ending of the book, when a big reveal happens, did skew how I saw the romance between Steve and Tanner overall, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. Basically,

Spoiler 2

It was weird. On the one hand, maybe it took away some lingering feelings of guilt from Steve and Tanner about getting together. On the other hand, it did raise some awkward questions. Like

Spoiler 3

None of these questions really matter, but the reveal happens right at the end of the book so I can’t help thinking about them.

Overall, I did like this story, and it made me want to read more of Cardeno C’s works. I’ll definitely continue with this series and probably pick up another of Cardeno C’s series in the future.

Be sure to check out the reviews for the second two books in the series –McFarland’s Farm and Smitty’s Sheriff.

Review: McFarland’s Farm (Hope #1) by Cardeno C.

The story was cute, sweet, and short.

4 out of 5 stars

Ebook, Kindle Unlimited, 123 pages. Published September 2014 by The Romance Authors

Blurb:

Wealthy, attractive Lucas Reika treats life like a party, moving from bar to bar and man to man. Thumbing his nose at his restaurateur father’s demand that he earn his keep, Lucas instead seduces a valued employee in the kitchen of their flagship restaurant, earning himself an ultimatum: lose access to his father’s money or stay in the middle of nowhere with a man he has secretly lusted over from afar. 

Quiet, hard-working Jared McFarland loves his farm on the outskirts of Hope, Arizona, but he aches to have someone to come home to at the end of the day. Jared agrees to take in his longtime crush as a favor. But when Lucas invades his heart in addition to his space, Jared has to decide how much of himself he’s willing to risk and figure out if he can offer Lucas enough to keep him after his father’s punishment is over.

Likes:

  • Jared.
  • The gradual transition from barely acquaintances to friends to lovers.
  • The smut.
  • The story was cute, sweet, and short.
  • Low angst.

Dislikes:

  • The suddenness of the ‘I love you’.
  • Lucas was unlikeable at first.
  • Ending was abrupt.

For a novella, the relationship in this book had a good progression. Jared and Lucas started off as distant acquaintances. They knew each other – enough for each to have developed a physical attraction to the other – but not well enough to know any of the deeper stuff. And while the majority of the two weeks they were living together happened off page, it was enough to know that they had spent quality time together building a friendship.

            I liked Jared’s character right from the start. He was living what a lot of people would call a simple life, but he liked it. the only thing missing was romance. Lucas on the other hand shows up and immediately starts acting like a spoiled, rich brat. I did warm up to him after reading about what he was going through, and why he thought he father was punishing him. Lucas is still a true spoiled brat, but his ability to change for the better, fit in with Jared’s life, and actually be helpful really won me over.

My big issue with the book was the love bomb. It was so sudden and out of the blue that it stuck out in a bad way. The guys had literally just agreed that they were boyfriends when it happens. The rest of the mini-speech, where Jared asks if Lucas is willing to give their relationship a chance, is really good. I just wish the ‘I love you’ had been an ‘I really like you’ instead.

Overall, I really liked this story. It was a quick read with lots of fluff and some great sex scenes. The ending was a bit abrupt, but that just made me want to read the rest of the series.

Be sure to check out the reviews for the second two books in the series – Jesse’s Diner and Smitty’s Sheriff.