Book Reviews

Book Blurb

There’s nothing like falling in love for the first time.

Welcome to Love collects seven stories about love, passion and finding your bliss.

In The Good Life, Jack inherits his uncle’s ranch and immediately clashes with foreman Pacer. Can the men find a middle ground before they both lose the ranch forever?

Welcome Home finds two men at different places in their lives. Watson is running away, while Bandy picked up the pieces a long time ago. Can Bandy convince Watson he can make a home for both of them?

Next up, a mystical fast and a desert hideaway bring Burke and Kristopher together. Can they find the strength to believe in fate in Into the Looking Glass?

In Corpus Christi, Jeff is right out of the service while Hunter’s been around the block a few times. Can they find common ground in each other?

No Regrets takes place over the holidays. Singer Drake is burnt out, can his old friend, artist Scott, invites him to stay. Can Drake not only find peace for the holiday season, but also love?

Making Your Own Luck introduces Isaac, who is very superstitious and this Friday the thirteenth is shaping up to be a disaster. Can Rusty turn Isaac’s luck from bad to good?

And finally, in Recipe for Love, meeting under unfortunate circumstances doesn’t stop the attraction from flaring between Jack and Daniel. Can they find the right recipe for love?

NOTE: The Good Life, Welcome Home, Into the Looking Glass, Corpus Christi, No Regrets, Making Your Own Luck, and Recipe for Love were all previously published as individual stories by Amber Quill Press and Torquere Press.

 

Book Review

This is a wonderful collection of short stories, all previously published, and now available in one place. I had read most of them before, but it was great fun to revisit these characters!

The Good Life
This is a great story about the friendship (maybe more?) between city-boy Jack and cowboy Pacer. They start out as enemies who hate each other's guts, just because of the superficial difference, and possibly because Jack inherited the ranch Pacer was supposed to be buying after twenty years of putting all his energy into working the land and creating a home. But really, what I suspect set them off was a mix between Pacer thinking a city-slicker could never ranch and his anger that he wasn't going to get what he'd been promised, just because Jack's uncle Billy died in an accident before he could change the will. Of course, Jack sensed the animosity and figured Pacer had been trying to swindle Billy out of what was his.

The anger between Lak and Pacer is palpable. They go at each other's throats, desperation on both sides. Jack has no idea how to run a ranch, he is an accountant and good with money. All he sees is a "money drain" and lots of insecurity. He isn’t used to the weather or a cattle virus threatening his income. Pacer fears Jack will ruin the ranch because he has no idea how to deal with "real life". He is also heartbroken over his home being taken away. Those first few months they do nothing but hurt each other, and they have to hit rock bottom before they'll admit working together might be better. After all, the will tied Jack into owning the ranch for five years before he can sell it, so what other choice does he have?

The friendship that blossoms between Jack and Pacer grows by slow degrees, is deep, and even though it was never clear to me whether they become more than business partners, there is definitely a deep love and respect between them by the end. A fascinating study of "enemies to friends”, this short story felt a lot longer to me than its actual pages indicated.

If you like opposites meeting, clashing, and figuring out a way to live with each other, if you like cowboys and their struggle for survival in a harsh environment and an even harsher economy, and if you're looking for a read with deep emotions but no sexual encounters, then you will probably like this short story.

Welcome Home
This is a wonderful feel-good story, all about finding home and love where none was expected. With no drama other than that of the past, it reads like a very sweet modern-day fairy tale with some wonderful naughty bits and loving physical activities added in to make it a rather hot read. It is true that both characters have dealt with tragedy, in their own way, but they have moved on and this almost seems like their reward.
 
Watson may look tough on his bike and wearing his leather outfit, but all he really wants is someone to love who will love him back. His ex in Boston treated him truly badly with the breakup from hell, but the truth is, Watson and he hadn’t really connected for a while. And while Watson gets on his bike to “go west” and is hoping for a better life, he doesn’t really expect to find love. He is all the more surprised when he meets Bandy who welcomes strangers in need of food or a bed for the night into his house. And while Watson cannot believe his luck, he is not too dumb to turn down an opportunity at happiness once he sees it.

Bandy is one special guy! He used to travel, and has seen much of the world, but then disaster struck and he had to change his life. I think it’s amazing how he deals with it (and no, I am not going to give details because discovering what it is that he struggles with is half the fun of getting to know him). Instead of going off into a corner to sulk, or becoming angry, he now runs the “way station” for weary travelers that once helped him back on his feet.

If you like sweet romances, if you’re not looking for drama, catastrophe, or angst, and if you want a read that will make you smile, then you will probably like this short story. I really enjoyed it!

Looking Glass
People go into the desert for all kinds of reasons, and what happens can vary a great deal. Burke is on a mystical fast, looking for guidance, when a buzzard – yes, a buzzard! – appears as his guiding spirit and leads him to a house in the middle of nowhere that is home to a reclusive artist named Kristopher. What happens next is as funny as it is sweet, and shows that sometimes the unexpected can be exactly what you need.

If you like your romances with a dose of humor, if you think that two slightly eccentric men could make a wonderful, if unusual, couple, and if you’re looing for a short, fun read with lots of sensory exploration, then you will probably like this short story.

Corpus Christi
A tentative romance that goes heavy and hot in no time, this is the story of Jeff, a former military man, and Hunter, a hobby musician who makes knives for a living. Talk about an unusual profession! What is almost more unusual is the speed with which these two fall for each other, but with chemistry like theirs, it is not surprising.

Jeff is fresh out of the service, and back in 2005 when this story was written, that means he is used to hiding his sexual preferences to the point where he doesn’t expect to ever find a man to have a long-term relationship with. Hunter is  a little older and secure in who he is, and he makes absolutely no secret of his interest. Jeff and Hunter explore each other in several physical encounters, but taking it a step further takes a little longer.

If you like your romances with a lot of an-on-man action, this super-hot read might just be what you’re looking for.

No Regrets
Careers quite often take over people’s lives, especially when they’re ambitious, or when the work they do is fun. In the case of rock musicians and celebrities the situation is worse, because not only do they work all the time, they also have to face paparazzi and other intrusions into what little personal life they have left. This is the case for Drake, a man who is losing himself, exhausted, and in dire need of a break. I loved following his return to a somewhat more normal life and the discoveries he made as he learned how to be honest with himself about more than his career as a songwriter and singer.

In a sense, Drake is lucky. He has made it to the top of his field, has “more money than God” as he puts it, and can afford to run and hide for a while. Even better, he knows just where to go since his friend from middle school has invited him to stay with him. Drake is in for more than a rest, though. Old feelings soon surface, and being confronted with Scott means that Drake finally has to deal with his sexuality. It is surprisingly easy for Drake while he is celebrating Christmas with Scott, but reality is bound to intrude at some point.

Scott is a successful painter, but he has learned what works for him and what doesn’t much earlier than Drake. He lives in the middle of nowhere, works when he feels inspired, and while he hasn’t been lucky in love, he is happy. Drake coming to see him is a dream come true for Scott, who has missed his friend. Only in his case he wishes Drake were more than a friend. Without showing the depth of his love, he manages to show Drake what he has been missing, and becomes a wonderful guide for Drake as he explores what it means to love and be with a man.

If you like stories about men who finally face up to who they really are, if a romantic setting far away from the real world and lots of loving are your thing, and if you’re looking for a sweet romance that is as hot as it is touching, then you will probably like this novella. I definitely enjoyed reading this second edition a much as I loved reading the first many years ago.

Making Your Own Luck
This is a hilarious story about superstitions. Isaac is a man who suffers severely from believing in them, until he runs into Rusty, a guy he meets after some of the worst stuff has happened to him on a dreaded Friday the Thirteenth. The two men are total opposites, and it was great to watch them figure out how to deal with life. With Isaac's lack of luck being enough to drive anyone insane, he definitely needs Rusty’s help!

Isaac is so accident-prone that he has made superstitions the subject of his postgrad work in folklore. He has a whole list of things that can go wrong - most of them having happened to him at one or several points in his life. Luckily, he also knows what to do to avert complete disaster in each case. When a case of spilled salt in a coffee bar results in a complete stranger getting doused when Isaac throws some over his left shoulder, that stranger uses it as a conversation starter rather than a reason to yell at Isaac, much to his astonishment.

Rusty is a sculptor and has just taken up a position as art professor t Isaac’s university. He is pragmatic, down to earth, and believes in making his own luck. He has quite a job teaching Isaac the value of that concept, but they have fun doing it and some very hot action in front of a fireplace helps to sway Isaac’s beliefs – finally!

If you like your romance with a large side of humor, if you enjoy reading about men with superstitions who seem to fall prey to every single one of them, and if you’re looking for a short, hot read that will make you laugh, then you will probably like this short story.

Recipe for Love
What a cute little story with teenagers in trouble, complicated in-law situations and even some yummy cupcakes. I loved how Jack and Dan fell for each other - meeting over Jack's daughter being pregnant, and Dan's nephew being the baby's father. I thought it was a very creative way for two men to meet. Throw in two awful exes who get their come-uppance and some very hot sex and you have a recipe for a fun read. I'm still chuckling.

 

 

 

 

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Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Collection/7 short stories, 84000 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	05-August-2016
Price	$5.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Love-Collection-Sean-Michael-ebook/dp/B01JTPACIG