Goldilocks

Frozen #2

by Scarlet Blackwell

Trucker Marshall Westray travels up and down the inhospitable Dalton Highway in Alaska delivering equipment to the oilfields at Prudhoe Bay. Leaving the town of Deadhorse for his last trip to Fairbanks before his vacation, he stops en route, climbs behind the cab and finds a man in his bed!

The stowaway is half naked and very easy on the eye. Luka tells Marshall he was desperate for the ride and begs him to take him all the way to Fairbanks. With Marshall’s job at stake, he’s not sure what the right thing is to do. He’s instantly attracted to the stranger and he knows the guy is in need of help – there’s more to his story than meets the eye. What should he do for the best when it’s just him and Luka and 498 miles of wilderness?

Genres: M M Romance, Gay, Contemporary

99 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 5, 2016

Reviews

[Tammy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blog Post: http://lovebytesreviews.com/2016/10/0...

Marshall Westray is a truck driver who makes his living delivering loads around Alaska. Marshall has been driving the Dalton highway for so long he knows all the other drivers but he can’t afford to let them know him. If the other drivers find out he’s gay, he’ll be ostracized and he just couldn’t stand to lose all the friends he’s made.
Luka made the unornate decision a year ago to move to Deadhorse with a guy he’d just met. Little did Luka kow that the man he had hooked up with would turn into a total asshole. Luka was kept locked his room and used, this was when Luka decided it was time to leave. The only way he could find to escape his purgatory was to stowaway in a truck that was leaving town.
Marshall didn’t find his stowaway until he’d stopped at the next town and when he did he was horrified, having a passenger was grounds for instant dismissal. All Marshall could see was someone finding out about Luka and him losing his job. When Luka tried to explain how he arrived at Deadhorse Marshall immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion; that Luka was a rent boy! Even though Luka was used to people believing what they wanted about him for some reason the fact that Marshall believed this hurt a lot and he’s only just met him.
Marshall couldn’t help but start fantasizing about him and Luka which just made him angrier. Marshall is determined to dump Luka anywhere he can until the time comes for Luka to find a ride at the next truck stop and he is accosted by a pair of thugs who think they’ll be able to take Luka and use him. Marshall decides to take Luka to a bigger truck stop!
During the ride we find out that even though Luka is an incredibly good-looking man he hasn’t exactly had the best of luck with the men in his life. Luka has pretty much floated from man to man job to job anything so that he would have somewhere to sleep. Marshall doesn’t let on to Luka that being on the road for such long stretches means that he always ends up alone because the guys who say they can handle being left alone for long stretches find out pretty quickly that they actually can’t and he’s alone again.
A lot of issues and misunderstandings arise along the way but they make it back to Fairbanks. Marshall is now on his holidays and can’t wait to start his downtime. Luka lucks out and finds a job in a bar in downtown Fairbanks but he misses Marshall. Marshall is determined not to even think about Luka, this is not exactly the easiest thing to accomplish when everything makes him think about him! Marshall is lonelier now than he can remember being in a long time but he’s not going to give in and look for Luka! Until he walks into a bar with Luka serving drinks and all bets are off.
Goldilocks is about two men at very different stages of their life, with two very different upbringings finding each other and eventually giving in to the unbelievably strong attraction they have for each. What makes this such a good story is the way they each to deal with the obstacles life throws in their paths. I have no hesitation in recommending Goldilocks to everyone

[Nile Princess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Scarlett Blackwell's books, and this started off really well. Great intro, delicious sexual tension. The first kiss/sexual attempt seemed ill-timed, and didn't end well, but I figured I would keep going. But, goodness man! How many times are these guys going to put themselves in awkward sexual situations, and then angst about it like teenage girls? They both wanted the same thing, but refused to just use their words! I have long found the 'miscommunication' trope to be a lazy one, and one that's over-used with new gay romance authors. But, Scarlet is a veteran. She's way past this stage. Of course miscommunication is true to life, maybe even more so with two men, but in books we need progression! Why are the characters still initiating sexy time, and then, 'maybe you better leave' at 80%??? Why am I still reading this?? By the time they actually had sex again, I was so annoyed I skimmed it, and the ending never addressed, or even mentioned, how they would deal with one being a long distance truck driver, and the other not wanting to be left behind, working in a bar in town, waiting on him so...yeah, thanks. All that angst over that, and nothing.

[Blackmermaid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marshall is a truck driver, who's on his last trip before his vacation. As he begins his journey, he notices that someone is sleeping in his bed. Luka (a.k.a. Goldilocks) is trying to escape his abusive boyfriend. Marshall is not happy when he sees Luka in his truck, so Luka tries to convince Marshall to let him stay. Things are said and needless to say, the two get off on the wrong foot. The book is in two parts and part one is told from Marshall's POV only. I was hoping for Luka's POV as well and part two alternates between the two of them. It was nice to know what was going on in Luka's head since we know very little about him up until then. The two run into each other weeks later after Marshall lets Luka get away after another misunderstanding. They both let their guards down and reveal to each other what they want. It has a nice ending, but I would have loved more time with them once they got together or an epilogue.

[The Novel Approach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marshall Westray is a lonely man. Besides having to travel the treacherous highways of Alaska, he’s searching for some type of stable relationship. But the life of a trucker doesn’t give him that opportunity.

Luka has escaped from a bad situation. He needs to get to Fairbanks, and stows away on Marshall’s rig. When he’s caught he makes Marshall an offer, but is it what Marshall really wants? Marshall doesn’t make things easy for Luka. His decisions have him confused and feeling guilty, and he has to set things right. Plus, he can’t get Luka out of his head.

Scarlet Blackwell does not disappoint with this short story in the Frozen series. Ms. Blackwell does such a fantastic job with the creation of Marshall and Luka’s characters, and even though the story is short, you just know that the MCs are made for each other. Innocent is book one in the Frozen series. Each book can be read as a standalone because they have a different storyline. The one thing that remains constant is the location, Alaska, which Ms. Blackwell brings to life with the beauty and danger of this frozen land. Can’t wait to see what characters she will bring to the next story.

Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach Reviews

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trucker Marshall finds Luka stowing away in his truck. Luka has his own story and we know it's not great if it drove him out into the Artic conditions.

The writing was such that you got a real sense of the absolute cold and the sting of the freezing Alaskan winter.

I enjoyed this book and I was engaged in Marshall and Luka's story the whole way through. This book works great as a stand alone  and I look forward to reading the other books in the series.

[Zane Kage · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars