mollyreadsandcrafts's Reviews (978)

Growing up on the streets, Griff learned to never trust or need anyone. After being adopted by the Marian's, he's warmed up to the idea of being accepted for who he is but he's still closed off to the possibility of love. Then he meets Sam, the sexy bartender/chef, and realizes that he could finally have the love and comfort he's always secretly dreamed of, if only he's strong enough to take the risk. 

I wasn't a huge fan of Griff. He lacked some emotional maturity and would constantly be hot and cold with Sam, which got old after a while. Sam was way more patient than I would have been. He seemed to forgive him for a lot without even a good groveling scene (or two). Sam had his own family drama he was dealing with which Griff wasn't very supportive of until the very end. However, they were a sweet and spicy couple. When they were good they were perfect for each other, pushing the other to follow their dreams and being supportive even if they had doubts about their own futures.  

It was an easy and entertaining read but it felt really superficial. There were too many plot lines going on that none of them really got the time they needed to shine and were kind of glossed over. I wish there were one or two really emotional and strong themes rather than the mix of half done ones. The Marian family is fun as always, though I'm not really a huge fan of the older ladies, just not my humor. It had some good moments and being fast-paced saved it for me. I started this series about a year and a half ago but took a break and now I remember why. A bit on the fence on whether I'm continuing especially with them off KU now, but it wasn't too bad overall. 

Read if you like: 
• hurt/comfort                              
• sweet & spicy           
• family saga        

•••••••••••••••••••••

After a year and a half full of heartbreaking grief, isolation, and anger, Gil shakes up his life and takes a temporary job as a domestic manager on a high country sheep station. Gil is finally able to breathe again and heal with the help of the young sheep station owner Holden. Holden represents happiness, love, and moving forward but Gil has to decide whether he's ready to try for this new future. 

Gil comes to the Miller station as a last resort to help him grief and anxiety. What he finds is so much more than he imagined. The peace and solitude forces him to face all the feelings he's been running from. It's not an immediate fix and nothing is perfect, but it gives him the space to acknowledge and grow. It's not only the setting, but the people who rally around him when he needs it most who make him feeling understood, especially Holden. Holden was so patient and understanding with Gil. He knows he can only imagine what Gil has been through and tries to be there as much as he can. While he lets Gil work through his feelings, he also knows when to push him. Holden wasn't looking for a relationship, but Gil reminds him of his love of the mountain. Holden has been struggling with his role at the station, but Gil puts his life and leadership in a whole new perspective. They're an unlikely couple who complement each other in the best of ways. 

I appreciated how neither of the exes were made into villainous characters, both just hurting in their own ways but good people at their core (who find their own happy endings if the series blurbs are anything to go by). It was a bit long at times and the writing a little more dense than I'm used to lately, but I really loved the story and the characters. It's an interesting setting, some of the sheep station lingo went over my head but it's a nice change up from the usual small town, country romances. There are a ton of really interesting and endearing side characters, I'm intrigued to see how the rest of their happily ever afters play out. 

Read if you like: 
• hurt/comfort                            
• opposites attract         
• small town romance       

•••••••••••••••••••••

I maybe had some high expectations going into this book. I liked the story line, I liked Kip and kinda liked Scott. I'm not a huge insta-feels person but this was okay. My main issue was the sex-fest that took up most of the first half of the book with nothing exciting happening. I love a good spicy scene, but she kinda overdid it here. Other than that, looking forward to others in the series! 

•minor spoilers• 

When this started I thought Scott was so sweet. Kip was a really realistic character to me, just trying to find his way in his mid20s, which who doesn't have that struggle. After their honeymoon phase of basically having sex for a ton of chapters, they started to struggle. Kip had real issues and kept dismissing his concerns and I just wanted to slap Scott upside the head and tell him to pay attention to him. What I didn't like about Scott was whenever they fought he got really love bomb-y and sometimes you need more than just saying "I love you" and "I need you" a ton. I'm glad he got his head out of his ass at the end, I think Kip went too easy on him but ya know. They're in love. 

I liked the plot, I liked following their relationship through a very realistic conflict. My biggest issue with this book is for maybe 30% or 40% of the first half is them just having sex. I swear I read 4 or 5 sex scenes before I hit the halfway point, and nothing was happening other than that. I actually went and looked at reviews to make sure it picked up soon because I was losing my focus over the same sex scene over and over. 

Maybe a bigger spoiler?
A random thing that bugged me too, are they just never talked about how Kyle kissed Kip? Just gonna ignore that that happened? 

I liked the writing style overall and I'm looking forward to the other books in the series. I just wasn't on board with the pacing in this book. 

Read if you like: 
• hockey 
• secret romance 
• insta-feels