“I can't get you off my mind, Matt. And I don't think I want to.”
Jake never thought he'd wind up back in the small town of Fairfield, Georgia. But when he decides that New York City is no longer the right place for a single dad to raise his young son, that’s just where he goes. With nothing but a bag full of clothes and his dad's broken-down old Camaro, they make the move back to the town that Jake once called home. There, he begins a new life as one of the town's police deputies.
“You wanna spend some real time alone with me, Officer?”
When taking his Camaro in to the shop, he meets the town's hot-as-hell mechanic, Matt. The spark between them is instantaneous, and though Jake has never been with a man before, the chemistry between them can't be ignored. There's a couple of problems, though. Matt's deeply homophobic father threatens everything about the new relationship, and Jake's not ready to tell his son that he's moving on, let alone with another man.
“You don’t have to tell me everything, but please, talk to me.”
What begins as a simple hookup quickly turns more complicated when Jake's son catches them in the act, and word travels quickly in this small town. When Matt's father rejects his son's new boyfriend, what began as a warning soon turns more threatening. And when fires crop up around town, both Jake and Matt will have to decide which is more important: their love or the safety of their families?
This book was previously sold as “Georgia Heat” by Lola Carson.
There's just something about two rough-around-the-edges Southern boys getting it on. I admit parts of this story were very sweet and heartwarming. And SEXY as all hell.
I could almost overlook the awkward writing and weak GFY, but there is fuckery here I can't forgive:
- Steve refers to his WIFE the entire book. The woman is a psychopath. We do not need ten pages of their backstory. And even if they aren't legally divorced, since she is mentally unstable, the constant wife (not ex-wife, mind you) references irritated the bejesus out of me.
- The whole arson plot with the glaring red herring was fucking ridiculous. And, hey, Steve, way to gather all the evidence there. Cop of the year, for sure, man.
- Joe, Daniel's dad, is a bigoted arsehole who tried to beat the gay out of his son and threatened Steve's kid. He so did not deserve to be part of the HEA.
- This little gem at 80 percent:
"Told you it weren't nothing' worth upsettin' yourself over," Dary said to him, in bed that night, but Steve wasn't in the mood . . . .
WAIT. WHAT?
Steve's cheating on Daniel with Dary? Who the hell is Dary?
Oh, that's just the author randomly using a COMPLETELY WRONG NAME for her MC. *shrugs* No biggie.
3.5 stars Steve moves from Brooklyn to Georgia with his 14-year-old son after a tragedy involving his wife who has severe mental instability. They are both scarred and wanting to start over. Steve grew up in this small, Georgia town, and, even though he has no family there anymore, it represents a "creature comfort" for him.
His car soon has steering problems - enter Daniel, the sinfully sexy mechanic with the drop-dead gorgeous blue eyes..
"Daniel kissed him like he talked - slow, easy, with a little rough."
Steve has only ever been with his wife (since high school), but knows he also finds men attractive and has for years now.
"'Jesus, you tellin' me I'm gonna be your first?' and there was a crisp note of arousal to his voice that erased any uncertainty Steve was feeling."
Steve and Daniel really get to know each other over the next few weeks. We have Steve's POV only, so I felt more of his character development than Daniel's, but it wasn't insta-love, although very insta-like-a-lot! It worked for me.
"'I'm crazy about you,' quietly, under his breath, for Daniel's ears only." ...... "'Listen, you know what you said earlier...' Steve nodded. He knew what Daniel was referring to - I'm crazy about you-and he held his breath, waiting to hear where this was going. 'I just-' Daniel cleared his throat, shifted his weight, moved his keys from one hand to the other. 'Just-me too. Y'know? You know that, right?' A slow grin of pure happiness spread across Steve's face, his heart flipping over behind his ribs. 'I do now.'"
Steve is so afraid to tell his son that he's seeing a man, and Daniel's dad is all kinds of drunk asshole about everything.
I actually teared up a little when they were deciding what to do about Josh, Steve's teenager.
"'I'll back you, whatever happens' 'Just know that I'm not takin' it lightly. I'm givin' you your space, but if it turns out that I'm losin' you, then I'm..' He went quiet all of a sudden, and Steve dug his fingers in the couch cushion. 'I can't even sleep man,' Daniel added."
I really enjoyed reading about these two. It was sweet, but not corny. And they had enough drama/angst that this wasn't one big sugary goodness of a book. (Joe was forgiven FAR too easily in my opinion - let someone threaten my son, and we're gonna have problems!)
Wow, I really, really liked this one! Very close to love actually! And the best part? At the end of the book, the author announced that this is just the beginning! Fuck yeah! A sequel and a story for Marco. *excited*
I was planning to do a full review for this one, but I'm on a tight work schedule and just don't have time. But I am recommending this one, for sure!
This was a sweet story, but the editing kinda sucked. Random name changes was the biggest offender, and I found the mystery a bit too easy. Steve and Daniel were totally sweet and hot together though. Looking forward to Marco's story, although I hope he's less of a teenage girl in his book.
Got from Hidden Gems Romance ARC Club, for a honest review.
I was pulled into Matt and Jake story. Jake son also pulled at my emotional strings on what he was going through. The story took me on a ride on getting to know Matt and Jake. Their chemistry slowly building as they kept seeing each other for one thing or another. When the two came together the pages were steaming from the heat they were putting off. Through out the book I kept thinking it was a certain person setting the fire. Boy was I in a surprise when the true fire starter was shown to me by the author. I hated that the story ended. I loved it and wanted more of their world. I thought the story was well written and had a nice steady pace to it. I find myself looking to read more from the author.
Thank you for letting me read your story and hope to read more of your books.
3.75 stars Huh! Well that was an unexpectedly enjoyable read for a sunday afternoon. I wasn't really expecting anything in particular from this but had liked the characters and the chemistry from the sample, so thought I would give it a go as it is currently available on the kindle lending library for prime members...
It was sweet, hot, had a little bit of drama, a little bit of mystery and some low-level angst. Steve was a bit of an idiot a couple of times in the way he acted when things got tough, but I still wanted him to get his HEA. Nice little story!
There were a few irritations caused by this one...
Jake's partner, Maria, is described as "unfeminine" because she chews with her mouth open and is kinda slobbish. Is that really "unfeminine"? I would think it more uncouth.
Also, Maria was apparently originally written as a male character since Jake once looked at "him", and, "She'd hunched himself into..." Kinda gave it away.
Jake blamed himself for his wife's bipolar disorder, for some inexplicable reason. When Matt attempted to convince him that he couldn't be blamed for a mental disorder, Jake said, "She wasn't sick before she met me." This from a man who supposedly did all this reading on BD after his wife received her diagnosis. In all that reading, he never once stumbled upon the fact that BD can manifest anytime between the ages of 15 and 25?
"Jake didn't deserve this much happiness, not while his wife lived in a hospital, locked away."
Odin save me from the unnecessary martyr. I loathe characters like this.
"Soon, it wouldn't be his fingers inside of Matt. It would be him."
Ummmm.....okaaaayyy.
"Jake could barely take it any longer. He needed release."
Three sentences later...
"He gave his own cock a good stroke, making sure he was ready for what was coming next."
How does one go from "about to burst" to "hang on, lemme make certain" in, like, three seconds?
"Heat and sensation flooded his senses."
I had no idea sensations affected your senses. None.
Oh...and the always dreaded, "Could of". For those of you who may not know (looking at you, Elsa Winters), 'could've' is the contracted form of 'could have'. 'Could of' means nothing. So stop using it. Please.
A rather steamy, fast paced and dramatic read this book was different from my usual pick but I actually enjoyed the drama aspect more then I would have thought. The history of both characters are full of their own struggles and take a risk in being together.
While the romance is rather quick, I loved their attraction and conversations while they tiptoe around each other. The texts and talk at the prison, fixing up the camaro and their first kiss was perfection. How they pull at each other and realisations, the picnic date and talking about their lives.
Plenty of drama comes through Jakes ex-wife, his Son Josh finding out and thats not all as there is Matt's father which is basically the towns drunk. Along with the mystery of andom fires being set around town, has a bit of everything.
Considering a shorter read, manages to tell a lot about the town and characters. The friendship between Jake and Maria was lovely too, the dancing and gossip with each other is great.
Overall a fun read with a lot of emotion and a sweet ending, rather fitting to their lives and towards a bright future all together 💕
4.5 stars. I found this as a freebie. The blurb sounded interesting so I gave it a shot. I'm so glad I did! I loved both MCs, and the story was full of heat, charm and romance. It was just what I was in the mood for.
Steve, a NYPD cop, and his son move back to Steve's southern hometown after a tragedy occurs with Josh's mom. I give the author extra points for not demonizing the mom. Steve handled the situation with love and compassion.
Daniel is the town's mechanic, and Steve and Daniel hit it off immediately. They're shy (yes, there are blushes) and sweet with each other. They go out on dates, and there's some angst over how Steve's son is going to react. I'm not sure I'd classify this as GFY. Steve married young and discovered his attraction to men after he married. He never cheated and did love his wife. I appreciated that too.
These MCs like to kiss and hug and are quite affectionate with each other. There's no dancing around each other. They like each other, and they say it. It was quite refreshing. So was Steve's partner Marco, who acted as Steve's cheerleader and gossip buddy. Josh, the teenage son, was also very mature. The relationship between him and Steve rang true.
I was happy to learn that the author plans to continue Steve and Daniel's story (and write one for the way too curious Marco). In the meantime, I'll be researching her backlist.
*I voluntarily read a review copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else's*
Southern Comfort was a sweet yet sexy read.
Jake and Matt were so cute together - I loved watching their relationship steadily blossom into something truly beautiful. They had scorching hot chemistry - it was intense, consuming yet passionate.
I liked Matt; he was sweet, patient yet understanding. He didn't rush Jake to come clean about their relationship to Josh. His feelings towards Jake were evident since the beginning; from the way he came across and the things he said.
I absolutely loved Southern Comfort: the characters complemented each other beautifully. This was a sweet story but there were times I wished Matt's POV was included. There were moments in the book; where I really wanted to know how Matt was feeling/thinking.
I really liked this book. Jake recently moved back to his hometown with his teenage son. He meets Matt when he's having car trouble. Their attraction is immediate. I loved these characters and their chemistry. It's a great story! *I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.*
What a great story! Jake and Matt go through ups and down finding out their relationship and problems around them. Such a sweet story! I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.
After a traumatic event which almost killed his son Josh, and destroyed what was left of his wrecking marriage, Steve Mitchell moves back to his home town at Georgia, looking for a fresh start. A breakdown in his car puts him in contact with local mechanic Daniel Jackson. Their attraction is immediate, and they quickly move from flirting to dating and starting a relationship. But Steve is unsure of how Jason may react to his being gay. Besides, an arsonist in the village brings back fears from the past… This is a sweet story with endearing main characters: Both Steve and Daniel are different but likeable. Steve is new at the village, and doing his better to fit and ease things for his teenage son. Daniel is a tough guy who melts when he is around Steve. They move fast from their wariness at the beginning (because although Steve knew he was bi, he’s only been with his wife before, so Daniel in his first in many things). Despite their caution, Josh finds out about his dad’s new boyfriend in the worst possible way (he catches them at it). There is a bit of teenage anguish and parental remorse, a bit of mystery (which is quite clear from the beginning), and a very, very happy ending. All in all, it is well-written and cute, but also forgettable.
This is one of the better mm romances I've read in a long time. I was hooked from the get-go. I didn't find any blatant editing errors, rather a story written in the way some southerners speak. It was very charming. I liked the sweet tension between Steve and Daniel. There was a nice build-up before they became intimate. While this was a great story in itself (no cliff-hangers!), I look forward to reading more of their story and learning more about Marco- for a straight guy he was WAY too curious about Steve's sex life. Hmmm.:) So glad I discovered this author. Looking forward to the next installment!
This was a nice story. Steve and Josh had been through a truly terrible time. Their move allowed Steve to find Daniel and explore his sexuality as he hadn't been able to do before. There were issues on both of their parts. Steve was pretty stupid for a while. I really like Marco. He's gotta be bi-curious! A little over dramatic but lovely ending. A little too quickly resolved but it's fiction, so... My only other issue was why Josh wasn't still in therapy. It was so well written grammatically and so refreshing, compared to other books that are rife with errors in punctuation, spelling and misused words.
Who doesn't live a sexy mechanic book who is dating a single father who's a policeman with lots of drama. I hope this story continues on until Josh (the kid) grows up and falls in love. What he has been through would probably make a great story from his point of view especially involving fire, bullying and being betrayed by his best friend, that needs more help than Josh can give.
A great love story and a forming of a family. I loved all the characters!! Greatly written with lots of depth. Emotional, funny and a little angst. Perfect combination and I couldn't put the book down. I can't wait for the sequel. I am so happy that Joe decides to he wants his son's family. Great ending...
Well this one was just perfect for my mood. A sweet, romantic, easy read without a whole lot of angst and characters I would love to see more of. I can't wait for the next book and in the meantime I'll be looking for more from this author.
Loved it and will definitely be keeping my eye out for more from this series - want to hear more from Steve and Daniel and cannot wait for Marco's story!
After the terrible ending to his marriage, Jake moves back to his hometown for a new start for his son and him. Matt grew up in Fairfield and thanks to his father has to hide who he really is. Instant attraction blooms between the two and they start dating. When outside forces try to come between them, will they find their way? Will their families accept their relationship and love?
LOVED this story! It sucked me in from word one! You have a man who now admits he is bi sexual even though he has never been with a man and is now dealing with his blooming feelings and the ending of his marriage. You have another man whom has had to hide who he was to keep his father happy. Loved how these two were willing to take that chance. Absolutely LOVED Josh and his acceptance of everything once it was explained to him! Great book and will be going back and reading more from this author!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Southern Comfort is a GFY story. Jake and his son move back to Jake's home town to start over after Jake's ex-wife tries to harm herself and their son. Jake is a cop just trying to make a better life for him and his son. Matt is the mechanic that helps Jake with is car. Matt and Jake have instant chemistry. There is angst, misunderstanding and someone is setting fires around town. Over all this is a really sweet read. I received a copy for an honest review.