“You need to get back out there.” Newly-divorced deputy sheriff Gideon Blackwell has just bought a farmhouse under the stars in quiet Byrony Hills. Ingus, his nearly-retired K9 partner, will have a yard, and Gideon will have a purpose. Like himself, the farmhouse could do with some TLC. He's still living in his retired father's shadow, afraid to become the same kind of sheriff behind closed doors. Stepping out of the closet when the mayor's nomination for sheriff is pending? No way. But then, in the eye of a small-town storm, he meets the man who shakes him to his foundation.
“I feel so guilty living here and barely being able to help.” Corey Sane's life hasn't been easy. After he lost his family in a car accident, his aunt and uncle took him in and offered him a studio above the garage to live and throw pottery. Odd jobs are his way of repaying that debt. Attempts to date always make him someone's secret, and his self-esteem can't take dating one more closeted man... even if he's the hot deputy sheriff who now lives next door. But the law is there when everything goes wrong, and Corey's protector wears a badge, a gun, and a look that could melt the clothing off his bruised body.
“He's welded the closet door shut from the inside.” Corey can't resist more than renovations with the closed-off, closeted man who's been around the block before. Gideon's not the safest prospect, but the heart wants what it wants. And for Gideon, the hardheaded younger man asks more of him than anyone has before. Can they risk it all for the intimacy of each other's arms, heal their hearts, and let each other in at last?
Thrown is a slow burn, May-December M/M contemporary romance novel with a happily-ever-after ending.
Where is the love? Where is the romance? Where was the relationship? Not in this story!
The guys are barely together on the pages. When they are there's barely any conversation happening. But they sure got a lot to say in their inner monologue that just kept repeating the same stuff. I got annoyed and bored with that quickly. One thought they might be in a somewhat relationship because they got off once and had sex once with little to no dialogue. How?! A couple sexual encounters does not make a relationship. Plus I felt little to no connection between these guys. It might have been different if they actually spent the time they were together on page talking to each other.
I'm all about a slow burn. But this was just slow. It dragged so much. I wanted to stop reading so many times but couldn't bring myself to DNF a book since I never can. So I suffered to the end. OH, the end! For a book that dragged so much and read like I was crawling through molasses the ending was super rushed. I mean like rapped up in like the last 10% of the book. Just way super fast for what I had read.
This wasn't for me. It has gotten a lot of great reviews and high ratings. So obviously there are many who loved it or least enjoyed it. In all honesty the writing was good. It was just the story that didn't work out for me. So give it go, you might like it.
Corey keeps picking the wrong guys. Gideon's been hiding his sexuality his entire adult life. When the two meet it's sparks at first sight, and their chemistry is undeniable and electric.
Bit of a May/December romance with Gideon in his 40's and Corey in his 20's, but it totally works.
This was a cute, realistic, sweet romance with dual POV, likable characters, some heat, and a lovely HEA.
3.9 stars. A sweet, steady story. A slow burn romance. It didn't really have much drama, was pretty straight forward. Still, it did have some tense moments with the religious nutters that filtered through the story, which was a good thing, as it kept me wondering what would happen next, whether the #*&^s would cause the two MCs trouble. Anyway, although it wasn't my normal kind of read (I'm a drama junkie with a need for fast paced stories), I still liked it, so will probably read more from this author. Though, how come Gideon was so good with a certain activity if he'd never experimented before? BJ's! I'll just leave you with that thought.
True rating - 3.25 stars. Rating had potential for being a bit higher at 3.5 stars, had we gotten closure on several things, but most importantly, I wanted a proper HEA or at the very least, a solid HFN. Truth be told, had we gotten closure, had a few things been properly polished through in regard to the storyline, I would even have given this book a 4 star rating. I wanted to. So close, yet so far!! What we got was a very tentative HFN that came out of nowhere ... I mean seriously, the ending came out of nowhere :-/!! What's with with literary epidemic of some authors losing steam at the end of their books? As an author, you invest so much in your characters and their story ... why settle for such a slapdash ending?!? The ending and everything tied up in that has heavily impacted the rating, which is a shame, because I really would have liked to give this book a higher rating!!
***** New-to-me author, so I'm a bit cautious (after having been burned) and I hope this is as sweet as it sounds. It's only $0.99 though, so what they hey, I bought it :-). I need the space on my KU queue :-P.
I was just looking for something light and easy to read (I have a new dog and a sinus cold), but it certainly shocking how few of those there are around unless you have no qualms with poor/no editing. This was exactly what I was looking for, except it exceeded my expectations.
There was no OTT drama, the characters had defining character, the pacing was pretty good. Yes, it was light and fluffy, but it also had a good touch of substance and smut. And the smut was pretty good.
There were only one or two editing issues that I noticed, which even the best novels have. The two alternating POVs were distinct, and it was 3rd person (which is my preference). And then there is Ingus, the K9 GSD. The fact that there is a dog and the author didn't have one thrown on the cover to try and draw us in is always a bonus (while I love dogs, I typically avoid MM books with dogs on the cover).
This was my first time reading Hope Sawyer and I'm looking forward to checking out the related book, Brewed.
Started out well but there was no chemistry between these characters. The sexual tension was supposed to all be attributed to looks, because there was only minimal dialogue between these two. I skimmed the last 10% of the book and epilogue.
Spoiler--- How can you go from having non-speaking sex with someone twice, while being closeted, to one-week later taking that person as your +1 to the mayors ball?
For a debut book this was AMAZING! I LOVED it. my only issue is while i am not really into instalove this one dragged a bit but i really liked it and i cannot wait til you next book comes out. keep up the amazing work!
I don't know why but after reading the blurb I thought the the artist was the older one and I was exited about that but sadly I misread and this wasn't the case. I loved it anyways because I'm a sucker for the May - December theme. But to read about a lonely shy older artist and a hot young cop would have been nice ya know. I might have to search goodreads for that kind of story again some time.
This was a likable story. The MCs both appear to be fairly nice and likeable. It was a quick read not a whole lot of creativity regarding the plot a few directions could have been taken to put a little bang in the story.
The characters were likable with easy dialogue. The book was also well edited with no transposition of character names though there were a few grammatical errors but they were minor. Not a lot of angst which was refreshing.
I didn't connect with this story but over all it wasn't bad, I just didn't like the abuse from another cop to his wife and kid. The steamyness is high but the ending cam and went to fast to say is there is an actual HEA.
Nice read from this first time to me author. There were a few plots not wrapped up like, what happened to the bullies and the guy with the drinking problem. Overall nice and good read.
This is a fantastic, beautiful character driven love story. Corey and Gideon had to find their way through their own personal issues. Once they found that freedom, they let nothing hold them back. I truly enjoyed this story. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!!
This was a really cute story that is well worth the read. The MC's were adorable and very likable. One of the best parts of this story though, if I'm honest, is that the ex wasn't portrayed as a bitchy, whiny, vindictive witch. She was supportive of Gideon. It was very refreshing to see here considering the "norm" seems to be authors turning the ex-wives/girlfriends into the anti-Christ. So, kudos to this author for doing something different. I can comfortably recommend this to everyone who loves the genre.
It's hard to believe this but this is the debut book from this author! I really loved reading this book. The characters are amazing and easy to get lost in. Gideon and Corey are amazing. Gideon has come to accept who he is bit knows he will never let others see him. Corey wants the relationship, the man by his side but he always picks the guy in the closet that has no intention of coming out. Love grabs them and they don't know what hits them. Great book and can't wait to see what happens next from this other because I'm sure it will be great. I voluntairly reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book and I'm so glad I did!
Gideon Blackwell is fresh off a divorce and has just bought a house and some land in the country. He is a K9 officers and his dog Ingus is getting old enough to retire. He wants the land so the dog will have room to roam. He doesn't expect to be attracted to the neighbors nephew. Corey is younger than him but gorgeous and on his mind a lot. Corey's uncle makes a deal with Gideon to trade helping him work on his house for Gideon making his wife new cabinets. Gideon excepts but realizes that Corey is gay and out but Gideon is buried way deep in the closet. Very good sweet story. Highly recommend.
2.75 stars The writing was quite good, but the story fell super flat for me. It was mega slow (and not in a good way), and other than a couple rolls in the hay I never felt any connection between the MCs. They never talked, and in fact were hardly even together much on page. Overall they both just really bugged the crap out of me. As for the ending, everything was just super rushed after such slowness, and thrown together with a big happy bow. This book was not for me. I might consider more by this author but I'll be waiting for a lot more reviews first.
I enjoyed this low angst story. Gideon is at a crossroads in his personal and professional lives. He meets Corey, and sparks fly. I could relate to these guys,and their HEA was sweet.
Kudos to this author's first time out! I am looking forward to more from Hope Sawyer. Great MC's and supporting characters. Characters deal with some anti-gay occurrences but push through, the MC's had an instant chemistry that couldn't be denied. Sweet, sexy, and eye-opening. You will love to go along with them as they get closer and fall in love. I voluntarily read an Advanced Reader Copy for my honest opinion and review.
This was a darling story Cory the sweet boy next door and the gruff Deputy Sheriff Gideon. It takes awhile for them to figure it out but when they do everything comes together for a HEA
Pleasant surprise. This is my first book by this author. Great story solid characters. Low drama. I think the only flaw I saw was in getting to the romance itself, there was no getting the details it just was. Interesting way to do it, but I enjoyed it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.