Review: Great blend of family drama and romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 19, 2013
I like "non-irritating" family drama in my MM romance and this one is the perfect blend. No homophobic family members but cohesive siblings who genuinely care and have each other back. Sure there is always that odd rotten apple! Joe's siblings (except for that one bad apple) are as likable and well developed as the two protagonists. Add in the dogs and an endearing four year old, their dynamics and interaction are all hearts and keeps me engrossed in their story. As for the romance, I thought the guys' developing relationship was well done. I bought their instant attraction. I was glad it did not result in undying love within a few days/weeks. Rather there was the deep longing for much more than just sex and the feeling it could be worthwhile at the end. The misunderstandings, the blunders, the clumsy attempts to connect and understand was credible between two guys struggling hard to know each other. I really like Joe's character who reminds me of Deacon from Keeping Promise Rock. Mackenzie was equally likable and his struggle to be independent from his "sugar daddy" was honest and deserved some hugging at the end.  One complaint were the sex scenes. While I appreciated that the sex scenes were few and secondary to the romance, it would be better if they were shorter. But this is my usual complaint in the MM I read. I am glad there is a second book on these characters to answer some questions even if the ending does not leave anyone in a limbo. A well thought out story from Kate Sherwood.