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My Purpose #1
Saving Tanner
After being kicked out of his parents' house, mid-party; the only place Tanner Gleeson has to go, is...away.
With little money and only the clothes he could fit in a bag, he goes from a prestigious school with an influential family, to sleeping on the subway and shelters outside the city.
The only thing Tanner has left in his life is his love for music...and his passion for playing the piano.
Nolan Hendrix is a shark in his field; determined to make every bad guy pay for the crimes they commit against women.
He doesn't have time for much, besides his couple of friends and the Aunt and Uncle that helped raise him.
Meeting Tanner was unexpected, needing him was complicated, but saving him was a necessity.
With threats from a family, a meddling Aunt, and Uncle, and a boss who may- or may not be part of the mafia...
It's all just little pieces of what it takes... to save Tanner.
With little money and only the clothes he could fit in a bag, he goes from a prestigious school with an influential family, to sleeping on the subway and shelters outside the city.
The only thing Tanner has left in his life is his love for music...and his passion for playing the piano.
Nolan Hendrix is a shark in his field; determined to make every bad guy pay for the crimes they commit against women.
He doesn't have time for much, besides his couple of friends and the Aunt and Uncle that helped raise him.
Meeting Tanner was unexpected, needing him was complicated, but saving him was a necessity.
With threats from a family, a meddling Aunt, and Uncle, and a boss who may- or may not be part of the mafia...
It's all just little pieces of what it takes... to save Tanner.
179 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 16, 2018
49 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Wood
26 books309 followersJenny Wood- Stay at home mom with two amazing kids and the most supportive, ridiculously good looking, husband. :P
My love of writing comes from my love of reading and I count myself incredibly lucky to live in a place where I can do what I love and
hopefully, make some people happy while I do it.
Happy Reading!
My love of writing comes from my love of reading and I count myself incredibly lucky to live in a place where I can do what I love and
hopefully, make some people happy while I do it.
Happy Reading!
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April 22, 2018I want to say first, I have read everything this author has written. Some I absolutely loved and some not so much. Unfortunately this falls into the "not so much" category.
What I did like was the side characters: Mr and Mrs Romero, Sarah and Henry, Gavin and then Easton. I like the idea of Gavin & the cowboy & Easton's stories. I liked how jealous Nolan was of Easton. It was funny.
I'm not going to go into a lot of what I didn't like. I think there would be too many paragraphs. And honestly, maybe I should have just dnf but I wanted to see where this would go and if there would be any resolution with Tanner's dad. This could have definitely benefited from 50-100 more pages. Nolan and Tanner don't even really interact until way after 50%. Then BAM! Quick resolution with the dad and Nolan and Tanner are in love. Way too rushed. They needed more time together working at being a couple.
But my biggest issue: This book needed some serious editing. This has been a problem with previous books, some worse than others. But this one was FILLED with errors. Missing words, misspelled words, wrong words and some inconsistencies. It really took me out of the story in a bad way.
I will not be rating this book because if I did, it would be 1 star just because of the editing issues. The story and characters deserve a little more than that but the editing ruined it for me.
What I did like was the side characters: Mr and Mrs Romero, Sarah and Henry, Gavin and then Easton. I like the idea of Gavin & the cowboy & Easton's stories. I liked how jealous Nolan was of Easton. It was funny.
I'm not going to go into a lot of what I didn't like. I think there would be too many paragraphs. And honestly, maybe I should have just dnf but I wanted to see where this would go and if there would be any resolution with Tanner's dad. This could have definitely benefited from 50-100 more pages. Nolan and Tanner don't even really interact until way after 50%. Then BAM! Quick resolution with the dad and Nolan and Tanner are in love. Way too rushed. They needed more time together working at being a couple.
But my biggest issue: This book needed some serious editing. This has been a problem with previous books, some worse than others. But this one was FILLED with errors. Missing words, misspelled words, wrong words and some inconsistencies. It really took me out of the story in a bad way.
I will not be rating this book because if I did, it would be 1 star just because of the editing issues. The story and characters deserve a little more than that but the editing ruined it for me.
May 4, 2018
This book...
The writing:
The plot:
Me when it was over:
I don't know who taught Jenny Wood how to English, but they should be punished severely. If I were the ruler of my own kingdom, I would consider her education in writing an act of treason. Epic poetry would be written to memorialize the consequences of failing a student with such alarming aplomb.
How does anyone go through life this ignorant of the rules of English?
I know dyslexics with a better grasp of grammar and sentence structure than this. That's not hyperbole, I really know dyslexic people, and none of them slaughter the written word like this.
There are commas...fuckin' everywhere. Commas are not used whenever there may be a slight pause in someone's speech. That is not what they're for. And yet...
"'To prove his innocence, Mr. Walls, I want to first, be sure he is, in fact, innocent.'"
"'Nolan, honey; I made you, your soup.'"
"Both, Mr. and Mrs. Romero were standing beside it, arm in arm."
Most people tend to not use enough commas. There are always exceptions, of course, but Jenny Wood may just be the most prolific comma abuser I've ever seen. Tell me how this makes any sense:
"I seemed to have landed on an old Don Knotts, movie."
I. Don't. Understand.
A fitting punishment for this kind of commacide?
I can't help but wonder if it's a problem with Wood's editing. For example, my younger brother writes online articles, and I'm his (unpaid and starving) editor. There have been times I've come across what appear to be two separate sentences, only they're joined via a comma. When I've asked about them, he says something along the lines of, "Oh, I removed something from there, then moved that sentence up, and forgot to switch around the punctuation." And this makes sense. However, these comma abuses appear on every page of this book, so either Wood is slashing and hacking like a madwoman, or she really does believe commas need to be this prevalent.
Wood also kept using semicolons, and I don't know why. She was using them in places where commas would have been called for...and using them in places where nothing was required at all!
It's absolute madness.
As far as the actual story goes, it's pretty much cliched tripe. Young guy gets kicked out of his home by his cartoonishly over-the-top villain of a father after his lover accuses him of sexual assault to save his own reputation. Young guy ends up on the streets where he's struggling to survive, but don't worry, he doesn't get so desperate that he starts turning tricks. And of course he's an insanely talented musician, and of course he has a heart of gold. Every bad person is ridiculously bad, every good person is stupid good, and the romance between Tanner and Nolan is boring, stilted, and engages your gag reflex. Tanner ends up with a wealthy, hot lawyer, and two, count 'em, two sets of parental figures. There's the sweet, down-home older couple, Sarah and Henry, Nolan's aunt and uncle, who noticed Tanner long before Nolan did. In fact, Nolan sees Tanner three times or so and doesn't even notice him. Nolan's kind of a dick, in my opinion. Anyway, as for Tanner's other new Mommy and Daddy, that would be Mr. and Mrs. Romero, the slightly ethnically insulting stereotypes who own an Italian restaurant, speak broken English, and have ties to the mob which they use to threaten Tanner's father in a scene that is supposed to be heartwarming, but instead comes off as desperate and slightly creepy. They actually came close to killing Tanner's father, but Tanner interceded and all was right with the world...
Even one of the final exchanges of the entire book was a clusterfuck...
"'I don't think I'd know what to do if something really happened to you. Twice was too much.' He frowns adorably. I lean forward and kiss the space between his chest. Hopefully, he'll never have to."
EDIT: I want to be sure I make something very clear. If you look at the author's blog here on Goodreads, you'll see that she's posted a very self-empowering diatribe about not letting the haters get her down. This is all fine and good, and I personally think it's pathetic when people write nasty, hate-filled messages to authors. It's rude.
Is my review rude? It could be construed as such. Hate-filled? I'd say it's more full of disdain for the writing and righteous indignation over the abuse of language, but here's the thing: I'm reviewing a piece of work Ms. Wood put out into the world for public consumption at cost. I applaud anyone with the guts to self-publish, but I have zero respect for anyone who doesn't strive to make their work as good as it can possibly be. I tend to get a little irritable when it looks like someone slapped at a keyboard with their face for a few hours, then charged people actual money for the privilege of reading it. Buying books like this sometimes feels like being mugged. Like the author walked up to you with the promise of a good story, then hit you over the head, swiped your wallet, and left 200 pages of Wingdings on your unconscious body. It's offensive, and if you're not going to put everything you have into making sure your book could at least pass an 11th grade writing assignment, don't charge people money for it and expect them to walk away happy.
The writing:
The plot:
Me when it was over:
I don't know who taught Jenny Wood how to English, but they should be punished severely. If I were the ruler of my own kingdom, I would consider her education in writing an act of treason. Epic poetry would be written to memorialize the consequences of failing a student with such alarming aplomb.
How does anyone go through life this ignorant of the rules of English?
I know dyslexics with a better grasp of grammar and sentence structure than this. That's not hyperbole, I really know dyslexic people, and none of them slaughter the written word like this.
There are commas...fuckin' everywhere. Commas are not used whenever there may be a slight pause in someone's speech. That is not what they're for. And yet...
"'To prove his innocence, Mr. Walls, I want to first, be sure he is, in fact, innocent.'"
"'Nolan, honey; I made you, your soup.'"
"Both, Mr. and Mrs. Romero were standing beside it, arm in arm."
Most people tend to not use enough commas. There are always exceptions, of course, but Jenny Wood may just be the most prolific comma abuser I've ever seen. Tell me how this makes any sense:
"I seemed to have landed on an old Don Knotts, movie."
I. Don't. Understand.
A fitting punishment for this kind of commacide?
I can't help but wonder if it's a problem with Wood's editing. For example, my younger brother writes online articles, and I'm his (unpaid and starving) editor. There have been times I've come across what appear to be two separate sentences, only they're joined via a comma. When I've asked about them, he says something along the lines of, "Oh, I removed something from there, then moved that sentence up, and forgot to switch around the punctuation." And this makes sense. However, these comma abuses appear on every page of this book, so either Wood is slashing and hacking like a madwoman, or she really does believe commas need to be this prevalent.
Wood also kept using semicolons, and I don't know why. She was using them in places where commas would have been called for...and using them in places where nothing was required at all!
It's absolute madness.
As far as the actual story goes, it's pretty much cliched tripe. Young guy gets kicked out of his home by his cartoonishly over-the-top villain of a father after his lover accuses him of sexual assault to save his own reputation. Young guy ends up on the streets where he's struggling to survive, but don't worry, he doesn't get so desperate that he starts turning tricks. And of course he's an insanely talented musician, and of course he has a heart of gold. Every bad person is ridiculously bad, every good person is stupid good, and the romance between Tanner and Nolan is boring, stilted, and engages your gag reflex. Tanner ends up with a wealthy, hot lawyer, and two, count 'em, two sets of parental figures. There's the sweet, down-home older couple, Sarah and Henry, Nolan's aunt and uncle, who noticed Tanner long before Nolan did. In fact, Nolan sees Tanner three times or so and doesn't even notice him. Nolan's kind of a dick, in my opinion. Anyway, as for Tanner's other new Mommy and Daddy, that would be Mr. and Mrs. Romero, the slightly ethnically insulting stereotypes who own an Italian restaurant, speak broken English, and have ties to the mob which they use to threaten Tanner's father in a scene that is supposed to be heartwarming, but instead comes off as desperate and slightly creepy. They actually came close to killing Tanner's father, but Tanner interceded and all was right with the world...
Even one of the final exchanges of the entire book was a clusterfuck...
"'I don't think I'd know what to do if something really happened to you. Twice was too much.' He frowns adorably. I lean forward and kiss the space between his chest. Hopefully, he'll never have to."
EDIT: I want to be sure I make something very clear. If you look at the author's blog here on Goodreads, you'll see that she's posted a very self-empowering diatribe about not letting the haters get her down. This is all fine and good, and I personally think it's pathetic when people write nasty, hate-filled messages to authors. It's rude.
Is my review rude? It could be construed as such. Hate-filled? I'd say it's more full of disdain for the writing and righteous indignation over the abuse of language, but here's the thing: I'm reviewing a piece of work Ms. Wood put out into the world for public consumption at cost. I applaud anyone with the guts to self-publish, but I have zero respect for anyone who doesn't strive to make their work as good as it can possibly be. I tend to get a little irritable when it looks like someone slapped at a keyboard with their face for a few hours, then charged people actual money for the privilege of reading it. Buying books like this sometimes feels like being mugged. Like the author walked up to you with the promise of a good story, then hit you over the head, swiped your wallet, and left 200 pages of Wingdings on your unconscious body. It's offensive, and if you're not going to put everything you have into making sure your book could at least pass an 11th grade writing assignment, don't charge people money for it and expect them to walk away happy.
April 30, 2018
*** It begins sadly and becomes blissfully engaging.***
Magnificent characters all around, charitable folks who care, a dreadful parent, but we get a series of protective hugs that make us hope.
In the opening, we see what brought Tanner, 20, to his current situation.
He's kicked out of his home, by his Senator father, forced to drop school, and everything he knows, and left to the streets. He loved Julliard, and wanted to finish and teach piano, his passion. He plays at a piano in the subway, where Tony Romero finds him, and offers a job at his Italian Restaurant. He's also found a cafe, owned by Henry and Sarah, where he can spend time, work a bit and be safe.
When he's beaten and robbed, it's to their shop he goes first. During his hospital stay, he's helped by his new friends, and he's offered a safe place to stay with Henry and Sarah.
Nolan is their nephew, a tall, huge bear who's a successful criminal Lawyer.
We glimpse into Nolan's life and how he's adjusting to his new feelings for Tanner, a man, but takes it in stride. Nolan is present when Tanner's father pulls up in a limo, and sends his goon in to drag Tanner out. The threat is made. Later, after the attack at the restaurant, Nolan brings Tanner to his home. Nolan can keep him safe and sort his possible emotions. Nolan gets to hear Tanner play his piano, and sees how extremely talented he is.
These guys are very sweet together, with some awesome sexy times.
Jenny Wood gives us marvelous characters, intense feelings, and an interesting, multi-layered plot.
We get a HFN, and promise of more to come.
Highly recommended. ENJOY !
=======
Yes, our author needs a proof reader, or editor who can catch the small errors that can irritate readers. But, as another reviewer said, her stories are still exceptional and worth reading.
====
Magnificent characters all around, charitable folks who care, a dreadful parent, but we get a series of protective hugs that make us hope.
In the opening, we see what brought Tanner, 20, to his current situation.
He's kicked out of his home, by his Senator father, forced to drop school, and everything he knows, and left to the streets. He loved Julliard, and wanted to finish and teach piano, his passion. He plays at a piano in the subway, where Tony Romero finds him, and offers a job at his Italian Restaurant. He's also found a cafe, owned by Henry and Sarah, where he can spend time, work a bit and be safe.
When he's beaten and robbed, it's to their shop he goes first. During his hospital stay, he's helped by his new friends, and he's offered a safe place to stay with Henry and Sarah.
Nolan is their nephew, a tall, huge bear who's a successful criminal Lawyer.
We glimpse into Nolan's life and how he's adjusting to his new feelings for Tanner, a man, but takes it in stride. Nolan is present when Tanner's father pulls up in a limo, and sends his goon in to drag Tanner out. The threat is made. Later, after the attack at the restaurant, Nolan brings Tanner to his home. Nolan can keep him safe and sort his possible emotions. Nolan gets to hear Tanner play his piano, and sees how extremely talented he is.
These guys are very sweet together, with some awesome sexy times.
Jenny Wood gives us marvelous characters, intense feelings, and an interesting, multi-layered plot.
We get a HFN, and promise of more to come.
Highly recommended. ENJOY !
=======
Yes, our author needs a proof reader, or editor who can catch the small errors that can irritate readers. But, as another reviewer said, her stories are still exceptional and worth reading.
====
July 13, 2018
So, I feel like I need to have a bit of a disclaimer before this review. Before you read this review, you need to understand the opinions shared here are my own, and in no way do I write this review to sway your opinion regarding the book. These are my thoughts and opinions, and I write reviews not only for others to understand why I rated a book a certain way, but so that authors can understand what I did or did not like. It is also for my own future reference when I consider reading other books by an author. So just keep that in mind while reading my review. Because this one won’t be pretty.
I feel like this review might end up being one of my more not so positive reviews. So, without further ado, here we go.
So, this book is about Tanner. a twenty-something year old who is kicked out onto the streets by his politician father when Tanner’s then-boyfriend threw him to the dogs. So now the previously entitled Tanner who grew up with nannies and caretakers and parents who bought him everything he needed finds himself sleeping on trains and in libraries in the wintery New York. Gone are the days where he used to perform to crowds of his father’s friends with his piano, instead they are replaced with dirty sidewalks, pitying glances and disdain. However, his luck starts changing when he enters a café run by a sweet old lady and her husband who happen to have a good-looking nephew Nolan. Nolan finds himself drawn to the cute, down on his luck homeless kid, an instinct to protect Tanner often driving Nolan to do things he normally wouldn’t do. Add in a family straight out of the Godfather, a male prostitute who appears maybe thrice in the whole book and a father who would rather bribe his son with hundred-dollar bills to get out the city than must look after him and we basically have this book.
When writing this review, I honestly need to remember to keep my criticism critical and to the point and not let my emotions override my judgment. But it is just so difficult to do. Because yes, I understand this author self-published this book. But when you are asking people to pay for your work, you need to ensure that what you are putting out is relatively flaw free. I mean I understand that a few grammar problems sometimes fall through the cracks, but this was more than a few. From words and sentences that honestly just made absolutely no sense, (“I leaned forward and kiss the space between his chest.”, What does that even MEAN? ) To sentences with way too many commas, (“To prove his innocence, Mr. Walls, I want to first, be sure he is, in, fact, innocent.” This sentence infuriated me.) Honestly, sometimes the mistakes were problems that could have easily been picked up had there been another read through of the book, I mean things like writing “thy” instead of “thigh” are mistakes I don’t even see my grade sevens making.
This story would have had so much promise if there weren’t so many issues in grammar and spelling constantly taking my mind off the book itself. Yes, I thought the plot was rudimentary, and I thought there could have been way more in terms of character development and relationship development between Nolan and Tanner. There were so many inconsistencies throughout the book in terms of the characters looks, one minute a character had blue eyes and the next they were brown. I also think that there was way too much pushed into the plot for a book of fewer than 200 pages (from mafia families to murders to beat downs and political fathers sending out threats, it was like something out of a bad Lifetime movie.) I think this book could have been a decent read none-the-less had there been fewer issues with grammar. Editing is key when you are self-publishing so many of these problems could have been fixed had there been proper editing done.
I am in no way a grammar Nazi, and usually, I overlook a few issues and chalk it up to human error. But this many in such a short book is more than simply human error, it’s just shoddy work that was rushed. And I understand that I am being rude, I know I am. But sometimes things like this need to be said. This book has gotten quite a few decent reviews, and from what I have read most of the people have noted the issues I have outlined and simply shrugged it off, giving the book a high star rating regardless. But this gives the author the impression that nothing is wrong with the book, and honestly, I cannot rightly do that.
I think I should stop my review right there though because I think I went against what I said I was going to do at the start of this review and keep emotions out of it. Honestly speaking, read this review, because I feel like everything I disliked and felt was accurately summed up here in Katrina Passick Lumsden's review. I don’t like giving low ratings and bad reviews. I really don’t. But this time I feel like I have to. 1.5 stars out of 5.
November 11, 2018
I was craving a quick, simple read with an enjoyable storyline and this book checked off all of the boxes. I enjoyed reading this book but would definitely not see it as anything more than mediocre. The characters fell a little flat and there were some spelling mistakes and poor writing at times. I personally wasn't bothered by those issues to the point where I couldn't enjoy reading this book though. I got all the drama and fluffy romance I asked for so I’m a happy bookworm at the moment!
April 18, 2018
This was not what I was expecting, but, in the best way!
Tanner gets caught with his secret boyfriend at a party hosted by his father.
Unfortunately, instead of admitting they're an item and standing up with
Tanner, he lies and leaves Tanner to fend for himself.
After being given only a few minutes, Tanner is kicked out with nothing but
the clothes on his back and the shoes on his feet, and a couple of outfits he could
shove in a bag.
I could not imagine what it would be like to be kicked out of my home, let alone
having to live on the streets. Fortunately, another street kid takes him under his wing
and shows him all the places he can sleep for a couple of hours or wash up.
I want to gush for hours about this, I always do. I love Jenny Wood's stories... they have a way of ripping your heart out and then finding someone to put it back together again. That's what Nolan did for Tanner.
It was a slower burn than what I'm used to from Mrs. Wood, but it felt so right in that these two were made for each other.
Another 5 star read, in my honest opinion!
I loved it!
Tanner gets caught with his secret boyfriend at a party hosted by his father.
Unfortunately, instead of admitting they're an item and standing up with
Tanner, he lies and leaves Tanner to fend for himself.
After being given only a few minutes, Tanner is kicked out with nothing but
the clothes on his back and the shoes on his feet, and a couple of outfits he could
shove in a bag.
I could not imagine what it would be like to be kicked out of my home, let alone
having to live on the streets. Fortunately, another street kid takes him under his wing
and shows him all the places he can sleep for a couple of hours or wash up.
I want to gush for hours about this, I always do. I love Jenny Wood's stories... they have a way of ripping your heart out and then finding someone to put it back together again. That's what Nolan did for Tanner.
It was a slower burn than what I'm used to from Mrs. Wood, but it felt so right in that these two were made for each other.
Another 5 star read, in my honest opinion!
I loved it!
May 2, 2018
I'll start off by saying that I did like this story, but there were a lot of issues with the writing that kept it from a higher star rating. The absolute best parts of this book were the scenes with Aunt Sarah and Henry, and of course with Nolan and Tanner.
Warning: SPOILERS
This starts off with Tanner, a 20 year old kid, being kicked out of his house by his Senator father for allegedly coming on to the son of another Senator. He has ten minutes to pack a bag and go. He can't even take his car. This is where the problems started. I felt for Tanner, but I didn't find this scenario very realistic.
First of all, what would stop Tanner from going to the media and telling everyone that his father kicked him out for being gay? That would cause a shit storm that his father does not want. He tells Tanner multiple times throughout the story to stay away from the media. If he's so worried, why not keep him close and punish him at home? Why send him away where he could talk to anyone? Not to mention, if he was recognized on the streets as the son of a Senator, that would cause a major media shit storm. At the very least, send him away with his car and enough money to find an apartment or something. This is easily solved by making his father literally anything other than a public figure.
That brings me to my next problem. The excuse given by the book for Tanner having to live on the streets is that he can't remember any of his friends cell phone numbers, and his phone is at home charging. This is an incredibly flimsy way to isolate Tanner and force him onto the streets. Ever heard of a library? They have computers there that you can use for free. Log on to Facebook and message a friend. Or better yet, just grab your phone while you're packing your bag. But then we wouldn't have a story. Moving along.
There were a lot of coincidences in this book. For example, Tanner is riding the subway, and at one of the stops there just randomly happens to be a piano sitting around for anyone to use. Ok. So he starts playing, and he's noticed by Romero who just happens to be at the subway the same time that Tanner is playing, who just happens to own a restaurant that has a piano in it! So he offers Tanner a job playing piano there.
One thing I really enjoyed about this story was Aunt Sarah and Henry. Aunt Sarah immediately takes a liking to Tanner when she sees him and wants to help him. She feels guilty when he gets beaten, because she didn't help him out sooner. So she gives him a place to stay. I enjoyed all of the parts with this family (except the thieving cousin, what a bitch). They were all so loving and giving and I thought it was great. Except...
Aunt Sarah invites Tanner to Thanksgiving. And tries to set him up. A week after he was just beaten up badly. Whaaaaaaat? This makes absolutely no sense for her to do. It's also incredibly presumptuous and just plain rude. This is Thanksgiving. I get inviting over a nice guy you just met because he has no one else to spend the holiday with, but don't set him up with a young kid who is homeless and still recovering from a trauma.
This was a hamfisted way to set up a character for their own book. This random guy, Easton, gets paragraphs of backstory, and I kneeeew, immediately what the author was doing here. She's planning a book about this guy, and wants to introduce him in this one. SO many authors do this and I hate it. Now that I think about it, she did the same thing with the cowboy earlier in the book. That one was a little more subtle. But it still irritated me so much, and I was actually rolling my eyes. I get wanting to expand stories of side characters in other books. I get that, but introducing characters for the SOLE purpose of continuing a book series is cheap, and it comes across that way in the book. So instead of being awwww'ed by the Thanksgiving, all I'm thinking about is how much I hate this lumberjack guy and that I most certainly will NOT be reading his book.
So, at this point in the story Tanner is living with Nolan, who I really like. He's a criminal defense attorney with morals and hard boundaries regarding the cases he will accept. I love that. I think all their interactions are sweet. (I also like the fact that Nolan was a little apprehensive about Tanner being taken in by Sarah at first. He was curious about the kid and his motivations, which I thought was realistic. Then he got to know him.) Tanner is kinda shy around him and doesn't know how to act. Nolan's trying to get him to relax. Tanner is worried that he is taking advantage, and Nolan tells him all the things he likes about him because he most definitely is NOT taking advantage of the family. As Nolan said, sometimes people need saving. I really enjoyed this part of the book, and their budding romance. I thought it was pretty well done and their scenes together were so cute. Nolan crawling in bed with Tanner after he's had a nightmare, the spooning, the way he hugs Tanner, dragging him caveman style to the bed, the protectiveness. Yes yes yes.
Side note: It bugged me how many times Nolan said he didn't know what this feeling was that he had for Tanner. Um, did he not know he was gay or something? Does he not know what falling in love is? He doesn't understand what it is to like another human being? It was kind of weird. If he said it once or twice, ok, but it was excessive.
Speaking of protectiveness. I loved Nolan defending Tanner. I love reading about protective SO's in books. I can't get enough of it. I love protective characters in general. BUT, the ending scene with Tanner's dad and his goon was so RIDICULOUS and over the top (not because of Nolan). I feel like the quality of writing dropped significantly here. Everything seemed almost cartoonish. Tanner is at the restaurant when he's attacked by his father and the henchman. They're beating on him. In a restaurant. Where anyone could walk by. Like Nolan. Come on. If you want to interrogate your son, drag him out to the car (like you did the first time), maybe go somewhere more private. After all, you are a Senator and discretion is advised if you're going to beat the shit out of your own son. Nolan goes to the restaurant at the exact time that Tanner needs him, and he tells the goons to knock it off.
THEN, this is when things get really ridiculous. Romero and his wife show up and point out the cameras in the not so private hallway, and tells the Senator that he will be sending tapes of this to the media. He's going to destroy his career. Okay that's fine. But then he says to the Senator, "do you know who I am." (eyeroll). Apparently this guy is a badass because he strikes fear into the heart of the Senator. But THEN, because all of that wasn't enough, Mrs. Romero decides to KILL the Senator and his goon. Whaaaaaaat? I know this guy is an asshole, but Tanner is right there and obviously is not to keen on having his father murdered. He just wants him to go away. What the fuck is this scene? "We are your family now." "I just knew you guys were mafia." This is just so...cringey.
There is no subtlety to be found here. The writing feels very amateurish and is frequently just plain bad. Despite that, the author was able to keep me invested throughout the story and I found myself liking the characters, so kudos. But this book desperately needs an editor. There are MULTIPLE typos and grammatical errors on just about every page. This is unacceptable for a published book, even a self published one. I can overlook them while I'm reading, but not while I'm reviewing. With a bit of revising I think this could definitely be a 4 star book. There needs to be a bit more nuance to the story. Things need to flow more organically instead of feeling like coincidence is driving the plot forward.
Aside from all that, this was an enjoyable read and I don't regret picking it up. If this was properly edited the rating would be much higher. There is a lot of potential here, it just needs to be polished a bit (a lot). Also, if the author wants to continue with the series she should write more about Nolan and Tanner, not Cowboy and Lumberjack.
Warning: SPOILERS
This starts off with Tanner, a 20 year old kid, being kicked out of his house by his Senator father for allegedly coming on to the son of another Senator. He has ten minutes to pack a bag and go. He can't even take his car. This is where the problems started. I felt for Tanner, but I didn't find this scenario very realistic.
First of all, what would stop Tanner from going to the media and telling everyone that his father kicked him out for being gay? That would cause a shit storm that his father does not want. He tells Tanner multiple times throughout the story to stay away from the media. If he's so worried, why not keep him close and punish him at home? Why send him away where he could talk to anyone? Not to mention, if he was recognized on the streets as the son of a Senator, that would cause a major media shit storm. At the very least, send him away with his car and enough money to find an apartment or something. This is easily solved by making his father literally anything other than a public figure.
That brings me to my next problem. The excuse given by the book for Tanner having to live on the streets is that he can't remember any of his friends cell phone numbers, and his phone is at home charging. This is an incredibly flimsy way to isolate Tanner and force him onto the streets. Ever heard of a library? They have computers there that you can use for free. Log on to Facebook and message a friend. Or better yet, just grab your phone while you're packing your bag. But then we wouldn't have a story. Moving along.
There were a lot of coincidences in this book. For example, Tanner is riding the subway, and at one of the stops there just randomly happens to be a piano sitting around for anyone to use. Ok. So he starts playing, and he's noticed by Romero who just happens to be at the subway the same time that Tanner is playing, who just happens to own a restaurant that has a piano in it! So he offers Tanner a job playing piano there.
One thing I really enjoyed about this story was Aunt Sarah and Henry. Aunt Sarah immediately takes a liking to Tanner when she sees him and wants to help him. She feels guilty when he gets beaten, because she didn't help him out sooner. So she gives him a place to stay. I enjoyed all of the parts with this family (except the thieving cousin, what a bitch). They were all so loving and giving and I thought it was great. Except...
Aunt Sarah invites Tanner to Thanksgiving. And tries to set him up. A week after he was just beaten up badly. Whaaaaaaat? This makes absolutely no sense for her to do. It's also incredibly presumptuous and just plain rude. This is Thanksgiving. I get inviting over a nice guy you just met because he has no one else to spend the holiday with, but don't set him up with a young kid who is homeless and still recovering from a trauma.
This was a hamfisted way to set up a character for their own book. This random guy, Easton, gets paragraphs of backstory, and I kneeeew, immediately what the author was doing here. She's planning a book about this guy, and wants to introduce him in this one. SO many authors do this and I hate it. Now that I think about it, she did the same thing with the cowboy earlier in the book. That one was a little more subtle. But it still irritated me so much, and I was actually rolling my eyes. I get wanting to expand stories of side characters in other books. I get that, but introducing characters for the SOLE purpose of continuing a book series is cheap, and it comes across that way in the book. So instead of being awwww'ed by the Thanksgiving, all I'm thinking about is how much I hate this lumberjack guy and that I most certainly will NOT be reading his book.
So, at this point in the story Tanner is living with Nolan, who I really like. He's a criminal defense attorney with morals and hard boundaries regarding the cases he will accept. I love that. I think all their interactions are sweet. (I also like the fact that Nolan was a little apprehensive about Tanner being taken in by Sarah at first. He was curious about the kid and his motivations, which I thought was realistic. Then he got to know him.) Tanner is kinda shy around him and doesn't know how to act. Nolan's trying to get him to relax. Tanner is worried that he is taking advantage, and Nolan tells him all the things he likes about him because he most definitely is NOT taking advantage of the family. As Nolan said, sometimes people need saving. I really enjoyed this part of the book, and their budding romance. I thought it was pretty well done and their scenes together were so cute. Nolan crawling in bed with Tanner after he's had a nightmare, the spooning, the way he hugs Tanner, dragging him caveman style to the bed, the protectiveness. Yes yes yes.
Side note: It bugged me how many times Nolan said he didn't know what this feeling was that he had for Tanner. Um, did he not know he was gay or something? Does he not know what falling in love is? He doesn't understand what it is to like another human being? It was kind of weird. If he said it once or twice, ok, but it was excessive.
Speaking of protectiveness. I loved Nolan defending Tanner. I love reading about protective SO's in books. I can't get enough of it. I love protective characters in general. BUT, the ending scene with Tanner's dad and his goon was so RIDICULOUS and over the top (not because of Nolan). I feel like the quality of writing dropped significantly here. Everything seemed almost cartoonish. Tanner is at the restaurant when he's attacked by his father and the henchman. They're beating on him. In a restaurant. Where anyone could walk by. Like Nolan. Come on. If you want to interrogate your son, drag him out to the car (like you did the first time), maybe go somewhere more private. After all, you are a Senator and discretion is advised if you're going to beat the shit out of your own son. Nolan goes to the restaurant at the exact time that Tanner needs him, and he tells the goons to knock it off.
THEN, this is when things get really ridiculous. Romero and his wife show up and point out the cameras in the not so private hallway, and tells the Senator that he will be sending tapes of this to the media. He's going to destroy his career. Okay that's fine. But then he says to the Senator, "do you know who I am." (eyeroll). Apparently this guy is a badass because he strikes fear into the heart of the Senator. But THEN, because all of that wasn't enough, Mrs. Romero decides to KILL the Senator and his goon. Whaaaaaaat? I know this guy is an asshole, but Tanner is right there and obviously is not to keen on having his father murdered. He just wants him to go away. What the fuck is this scene? "We are your family now." "I just knew you guys were mafia." This is just so...cringey.
There is no subtlety to be found here. The writing feels very amateurish and is frequently just plain bad. Despite that, the author was able to keep me invested throughout the story and I found myself liking the characters, so kudos. But this book desperately needs an editor. There are MULTIPLE typos and grammatical errors on just about every page. This is unacceptable for a published book, even a self published one. I can overlook them while I'm reading, but not while I'm reviewing. With a bit of revising I think this could definitely be a 4 star book. There needs to be a bit more nuance to the story. Things need to flow more organically instead of feeling like coincidence is driving the plot forward.
Aside from all that, this was an enjoyable read and I don't regret picking it up. If this was properly edited the rating would be much higher. There is a lot of potential here, it just needs to be polished a bit (a lot). Also, if the author wants to continue with the series she should write more about Nolan and Tanner, not Cowboy and Lumberjack.
April 18, 2018
Seriously? I'm crying!
What a heartbreaking story, with the most beautiful outcome.
Tanner gets kicked out of his parents house after being found with a secret boyfriend. That boyfriend was a dick! I can't believe he lied, and that Tanner's father believed him. I should be able to, because Tanner's dad was a dick too!
With no money, no car and school no longer an option, Tanner has no choice but to wander the city and sleep on the streets. That is, until he makes friends with a little cafe owner and the family of a restaurant where they ask Tanner to play the piano.
I loved the secondary characters in this story.. the Romero's... I'm pretty sure are the mob, and I loved how Mrs. Romero jumped in and went all Lady Saprano's on the senator's ass!
We can tell who the boss of that family really is haha
I really hope we see more from Gavin and the cowboy, that'll be interesting how that would play out. And i loved Sarah and Henry, who seemed like everybody's grandparents.... they worried over Tanner and treated him with the respect that he deserved... It wasn't his fault that he was in the situation that he was.... Did i mention the dad was a dick?! I wanted to know where the hell his mom was and why she didn't help him out... but she's not hardly mentioned in the story at all.
Nolan, I loved how even though he was a criminal defense attorney, he still had morals. He didn't represent people for the money, and when asked to do something he didn't believe in, he not only refused, but he done the exact opposite. He was such a good guy, and I loved how easy it was for him to look at Tanner and see how amazing he was and how sweet and innocent he was.
I loved that he wanted to help him, and take care of him. I loved that he made Tanner feel brave and let him know that he was strong and important.
It was all just awesome, and I just loved all of it!
Don't pass this one up!
What a heartbreaking story, with the most beautiful outcome.
Tanner gets kicked out of his parents house after being found with a secret boyfriend. That boyfriend was a dick! I can't believe he lied, and that Tanner's father believed him. I should be able to, because Tanner's dad was a dick too!
With no money, no car and school no longer an option, Tanner has no choice but to wander the city and sleep on the streets. That is, until he makes friends with a little cafe owner and the family of a restaurant where they ask Tanner to play the piano.
I loved the secondary characters in this story.. the Romero's... I'm pretty sure are the mob, and I loved how Mrs. Romero jumped in and went all Lady Saprano's on the senator's ass!
We can tell who the boss of that family really is haha
I really hope we see more from Gavin and the cowboy, that'll be interesting how that would play out. And i loved Sarah and Henry, who seemed like everybody's grandparents.... they worried over Tanner and treated him with the respect that he deserved... It wasn't his fault that he was in the situation that he was.... Did i mention the dad was a dick?! I wanted to know where the hell his mom was and why she didn't help him out... but she's not hardly mentioned in the story at all.
Nolan, I loved how even though he was a criminal defense attorney, he still had morals. He didn't represent people for the money, and when asked to do something he didn't believe in, he not only refused, but he done the exact opposite. He was such a good guy, and I loved how easy it was for him to look at Tanner and see how amazing he was and how sweet and innocent he was.
I loved that he wanted to help him, and take care of him. I loved that he made Tanner feel brave and let him know that he was strong and important.
It was all just awesome, and I just loved all of it!
Don't pass this one up!
April 20, 2018
Holy smokes
Oh my word. I absolutely love Tanner and Nolan. This book was amazing. Like read it in one sitting, could not put the book down. Every turn of the page was a New laugh or a new cry. I have gone thru a box of tissues and I am trying to figure out how I can make Jenny buddy up and give us the next book in the series. My words don't do this book justice, trust me read it. You won't be sorry.
Oh my word. I absolutely love Tanner and Nolan. This book was amazing. Like read it in one sitting, could not put the book down. Every turn of the page was a New laugh or a new cry. I have gone thru a box of tissues and I am trying to figure out how I can make Jenny buddy up and give us the next book in the series. My words don't do this book justice, trust me read it. You won't be sorry.
April 18, 2018
Sweet
Jenny Wood did it again. Tanner and Nolan was a very sweet couple. And I really can't wait for Gavin' s story. Be prepared this story make you ugly cry. But of course you will get you happy ever after.
Jenny Wood did it again. Tanner and Nolan was a very sweet couple. And I really can't wait for Gavin' s story. Be prepared this story make you ugly cry. But of course you will get you happy ever after.
June 27, 2020
2.5 stars
I won’t talk about the desperately needed editing, as I see many reviewers already have.
This was a good premise. I love the opposites attract and guy needing help trope. The first half of the book was great. I love Tanner, I love both sets of adoptive parents ❤️. But the insta love trope? Here? No. It didn’t work. There was absolutely no chemistry between the two MCs whatsoever. And that’s a bummer.
I won’t talk about the desperately needed editing, as I see many reviewers already have.
This was a good premise. I love the opposites attract and guy needing help trope. The first half of the book was great. I love Tanner, I love both sets of adoptive parents ❤️. But the insta love trope? Here? No. It didn’t work. There was absolutely no chemistry between the two MCs whatsoever. And that’s a bummer.
May 9, 2018
Oh Tanner. Again...this is another one I just wanted to grab and shake and say "there are so many people who love you"...but he had to figure it out on his own. I just loved every single character in this book. Even the tiniest one was so lovable. Nolan was just a doll. I fell in love with him fast. This was such a good book, please read!!
April 19, 2018
DNF. Sorry Jenny, really loved your Kennedy Ink series, and was looking forward to reading Saving Tanner. This story, I’m sad to say, was too convoluted, I really tried, but lost interest, and I even read up to over half way, but it was like reading a dot points story, so many things happening and not a lot of back stories of events taking place.
April 19, 2018
This was another great read from Jenny Wood! And there is more to come, which is awesome.
Reading tip: keep the tissues close. My heart was breaking for Tanner, I’m so happy he and Nolan found eachother!
Can’t wait for the next one....
Reading tip: keep the tissues close. My heart was breaking for Tanner, I’m so happy he and Nolan found eachother!
Can’t wait for the next one....
October 12, 2018
I give the book 2.5 stars, because I think that it has potential. That doesn't change the fact, though, that the novel is rather like an outline of a story - a first draft that could use some serious revision.
I have a feeling that no one did proofread the script, not even the author, since there are many spelling, grammar, syntax and/or punctuation errors on almost every page. And she's jumping between tenses as if there's an invisible skipping rope. I usually don't really notice these kinds of mistakes, since English is not my native language and I usually don't understand every single word, but I get the meaning nevertheless, but I really noticed it here and it bothered me. No one should be allowed to use that many commas. Or semicolons. And then there even were a couple of sentences that didn't have punctuation at the end at all.
Apart from that I also didn't like the lack of consistency. (Examples: I still don't know if Tyler is 20 or 21, or if his eyes are blue or light brown. It always changed throughout the story.)
I have a feeling that no one did proofread the script, not even the author, since there are many spelling, grammar, syntax and/or punctuation errors on almost every page. And she's jumping between tenses as if there's an invisible skipping rope. I usually don't really notice these kinds of mistakes, since English is not my native language and I usually don't understand every single word, but I get the meaning nevertheless, but I really noticed it here and it bothered me. No one should be allowed to use that many commas. Or semicolons. And then there even were a couple of sentences that didn't have punctuation at the end at all.
Apart from that I also didn't like the lack of consistency. (Examples: I still don't know if Tyler is 20 or 21, or if his eyes are blue or light brown. It always changed throughout the story.)
April 30, 2018
First time ever I saw your face...
You know when that story comes along, the one you can put down? The story that angers you, yet makes you tear up and hits you to cry? Tanner is that story.
A child from an affluent NY family who doesn't really know what love is, is outed then discarded like yesterday's trash. He's hit rock bottom, he can't go down any lower. Daily survival on the streets can be questionable. When he thinks it can't get any worse, it does. Then humanity steps in and shows him compassion, hope and unconditional love do indeed exist.
Bravo Jenny Wood you did it again"!!!
You know when that story comes along, the one you can put down? The story that angers you, yet makes you tear up and hits you to cry? Tanner is that story.
A child from an affluent NY family who doesn't really know what love is, is outed then discarded like yesterday's trash. He's hit rock bottom, he can't go down any lower. Daily survival on the streets can be questionable. When he thinks it can't get any worse, it does. Then humanity steps in and shows him compassion, hope and unconditional love do indeed exist.
Bravo Jenny Wood you did it again"!!!
May 14, 2018
Obviously I really liked this simple little M/M love story (since I rated it 5 stars). There were some editing errors but there was a lot of pathos and people stepping up to the plate to help this homeless boy living on the streets. Fits right into the wheelhouse of stories I adore. There is a slow building romance between the boy and a lawyer the boy crushes on early but takes awhile for the lawyer to warm up to so I was panic stricken when I saw I was at 80+% of the book and the two MC's were just really getting together. I didn't want the story to end.
The author stated at the end of this book that she might write another about two side characters of the story. I vote YES!
The author stated at the end of this book that she might write another about two side characters of the story. I vote YES!
April 25, 2018
Savng Tanner
I absolutely loved this story, but what stopped me from giving it a higher rating was the frustrating editing errors that stopped the flow of the story working and a rushed storyline. Tanner and Nolan's connection was definitely beautifully writen but l would have liked to have read more sexy between the sheets and read more of them developing as couple together. It was like once they realised their feelings for each other, the story was finished. Will definitely look at giving this author's books another go though ☺
I absolutely loved this story, but what stopped me from giving it a higher rating was the frustrating editing errors that stopped the flow of the story working and a rushed storyline. Tanner and Nolan's connection was definitely beautifully writen but l would have liked to have read more sexy between the sheets and read more of them developing as couple together. It was like once they realised their feelings for each other, the story was finished. Will definitely look at giving this author's books another go though ☺
May 1, 2018
Good story, but needs editing!
I enjoyed the premise of the story and I liked and rooted for the main character Tanner. Although, there could of been more character development for Nolan.
A big downside of this book was the need for editing. Spelling mistakes like 'restraint' instead of 'restaurant', 'thy' instead of 'thigh'. Also, using Aunt Sue instead of Aunt Sarah. All these little mistakes distracted me from a good story.
I enjoyed the premise of the story and I liked and rooted for the main character Tanner. Although, there could of been more character development for Nolan.
A big downside of this book was the need for editing. Spelling mistakes like 'restraint' instead of 'restaurant', 'thy' instead of 'thigh'. Also, using Aunt Sue instead of Aunt Sarah. All these little mistakes distracted me from a good story.
May 7, 2018
I really loved Easton and Nolan. And I loved the side characters. Easton's story made me tear up a whole lot.
Buuut ... what was with the crazy quick ending? No MC interaction for ages and then all of sudden it plows in to the romance part of the book ... which then concludes super quick. It got close to insta-love because of the squished together ending.
Just give us a few more chapters to build their relationship!
Buuut ... what was with the crazy quick ending? No MC interaction for ages and then all of sudden it plows in to the romance part of the book ... which then concludes super quick. It got close to insta-love because of the squished together ending.
Just give us a few more chapters to build their relationship!
June 20, 2018
Hasta la mitad del libro va bien, casi cuatro estrellas, pero luego cae en picado...Deja de ser atractiva la historia y precipita demasiado los acontecimientos hacia el final.
Aún estando narrado desde los dos puntos de vista de ambos protagonistas, uno está más y mejor desarrollado, por lo que no consigue que conectes con ambos por igual y te falta parte de la historia de uno de ellos .
Se deja leer pero no engancha (o más bien llega a un punto que te desengancha)
Aún estando narrado desde los dos puntos de vista de ambos protagonistas, uno está más y mejor desarrollado, por lo que no consigue que conectes con ambos por igual y te falta parte de la historia de uno de ellos .
Se deja leer pero no engancha (o más bien llega a un punto que te desengancha)
August 16, 2018
Emotional
This book is such a rollercoaster of emotions and angst. The story is beautifully written and I have to say, I couldn't turn the pages quick enough. All the characters are great and I can't wait to read Gavin's story.
I've already started nagging book friends to one click.
This book is such a rollercoaster of emotions and angst. The story is beautifully written and I have to say, I couldn't turn the pages quick enough. All the characters are great and I can't wait to read Gavin's story.
I've already started nagging book friends to one click.
March 13, 2025
This really isn’t a romance. The characters are barely in the same room together until after the 75% mark in the story. In the last two chapters they finally spend time together and suddenly are madly in love. However, despite that, it is entertaining and both characters are likable.
Third person dual pov.
Third person dual pov.
April 20, 2018
Awesome bpok
This book was amazing. Loved the conspect of the book. These two were amazing together. Through all of his hard time, he has 2 families that took him in as a member of the family. Can't wait to hear about the other 2 books.
This book was amazing. Loved the conspect of the book. These two were amazing together. Through all of his hard time, he has 2 families that took him in as a member of the family. Can't wait to hear about the other 2 books.
April 25, 2018
This was the my favorite book by this author. Well written, a few editing issues, but nothing that distracts from the book. Poor Tanner, he just can not seem to get a break, from being kicked out of his home to being jumped. But kind people step in and help Tanner navigate the world around him!
May 6, 2018
Such a shame the spelling/grammar was iffy throughout. I really liked the characters and the story wasn’t bad, but as an author myself, the mistakes grated.
This was my first book by this author and I would love to read more, but please, please have it edited properly before publishing
This was my first book by this author and I would love to read more, but please, please have it edited properly before publishing
July 20, 2018
Well
This is really a cute story with interesting characters. The pace was good. The ending wasn’t exactly satisfying, but hopefully these two will come up in other books in this series. This author needs a decent proofreader. I was marking errors everywhere.
This is really a cute story with interesting characters. The pace was good. The ending wasn’t exactly satisfying, but hopefully these two will come up in other books in this series. This author needs a decent proofreader. I was marking errors everywhere.
April 26, 2018
First time
This is my first book by this author, and I completely enjoyed it. Editing was pretty good and the characters were well developed . Good love story.
This is my first book by this author, and I completely enjoyed it. Editing was pretty good and the characters were well developed . Good love story.
May 2, 2018
The ending was very rushed for me - could have done with another chapter...
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