Review: She's Plus-Size...We Get It!
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 03 26, 2014
Visiting a town where ménage relationships are the norm? Sign me up! In STERLING NEW YEAR, the constant darkness of Alaska and three bisexual guys looking for a woman make for a charged atmosphere for a new arrival.Dale Harrison is the best man in his brother Ben's New Year's Eve wedding in Sterling, Alaska. Dale and his lovers Jason and Ryan own Sterling Boats, a boat building business. Melody Cameron is the maid of honor and a dressmaker from Michigan who travels up to Sterling early to make the dresses. Given the geography, Sterling doesn't attract a lot of women, making ménage relationships the norm. Dale, Jason and Ryan have been together for years, but they've been looking for a woman to love and welcome into their life and to have a family.Mel is nervous about being around three gorgeous men on the prowl for a wife, especially knowing that she'll be spending the next month in close quarters with them as she works on the dresses. She has no desire for marriage, even though she loves the fairy tale aspect of her job. Dale, Jason and Ryan are certainly hot, what's the harm in a little vacation fling? As the foursome spend more time together, their feelings deepen, but can the men convince Mel to uproot her whole life to be with them permanently?A STERLING NEW YEAR is the first book in the Men of Alaska series by Ms. Dragon. I have to admit that the first chapter had me pretty confused as it was rather tough to follow. Unfortunately, it didn't get much better. I didn't feel that any of the main characters had chemistry with one another, and at times it seemed like best friends didn't particularly even LIKE one another. The relationships were all very dry and unexciting, the conversations stilted and forced. I couldn't get to a place where I felt anyone had a genuine, true friendship or relationship.Beyond the rough dialogue and narrative, I found myself increasingly irritated by the constant pounding of the fact that the female characters, particularly Mel, were plus-size women. That didn't need to be hammered into the reader incessantly...us readers truly can imagine characters who aren't a size 2 or even a 12 without bombarding us with that fact repeatedly. That said, the sex between Mel, Dale, Jason and Ryan was very erotically charged. I would've like to have had a bit more guy on guy (on guy) action, but even with Mel involved, the scenes still wound up pretty yummy. While a fun concept, I don't know that I'll be quick to pick up the next issue in this series.[...][...]