Place Setting

by Claudia Mayrant

Cameron Dunlop has lived in the Lowcountry town of Summer Corners, South Carolina, his whole life. He loves his home, but his little town in the Deep South doesn’t offer much in the way of dating options.

Chef Gray Callahan has enjoyed success in the kitchen, but his last relationship sunk like a bad soufflé. When plans for his sister’s wedding go awry, it provides the perfect excuse to pack up and go home, where he can help out as he decides how to start his life over.

Gray’s path crosses Cameron’s, and he realizes together they might have all the ingredients to save the day—with maybe enough left over for something sweet just for the two of them.

States of Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.

Genres: M M Romance

70 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 18, 2019

Reviews

[Serena Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eating good food is one of my favorite pastimes, watching the occasional celebrity cooking show and reading stories about chefs a close second. ‘Place Setting’ is a promising title for a “foodie” romance, a chef looking for a new start is always interesting, and a small town in South Carolina might just be the ideal setting. With two men who went to the same high school but haven’t seen each other since at the center of some family and wedding drama, I was pretty sure this was going to be a cute story. And I was right!


Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Don Bradshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this short story. Being a foodie myself, the trope had me from the beginning. I've never given a five star rating to a short before but Ms Mayrant blew me away. I would enjoy reading more about Gray and Cam. Highly recommended!

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cameron – “Cam” works as a property manager for a rental company and is surprised to see Gray back in town looking for a place to rent. Cam still remembers his unrequited crush on Gray in High School.

Gray, frazzled from his failed relationship and having to walk away from his dreams of working in his own restaurant, is back in town to help with his sister’s wedding.

As Cam leaps in to help Gray find a place to live and a spot for Gray’s sister’s wedding, the two find they have something in common.

This is a pleasant enough short story, set in the Low Country of South Carolina. If you’ve never visited the coast between Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA, it’s a beautiful part of the country, with some rich history and amazing food.

While I enjoyed the setting and the premise of the book, I did think this could have benefited from being longer. It also would have benefited from some kind of drama or conflict that our main characters would have to work through to solidify their feelings for each other or the overall relationship. The romance was, in my humble opinion, rather vanilla and the light drama revolved around the Sister’s wedding.

Ultimately this was an amiable read, set in one of my favorite places in the States, but could have benefited from being longer.

Review is cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews
A copy of the book was provided by the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Ruthie Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

~~I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads ~~

This is a very sweet short story. It is truly an HEA for now with plenty of promise, which is reasonable given the time period it covers. Cam lusted after Gray in High School, but Cam being four years junior didn't really feature in Gray's teens. Now they are all grown up and the chance for sparks to fly has come at last!

I love that Cam was able to help Gray out with a venue, and that it will possibly ensure that he stays in town for the long term. I enjoyed the foodie discussions, and the indignity suffered by the local "nobility". There were plenty of fun little anecdotes of small town life that padded out the bones of the story and reassured the reader that the two men would be able to find happiness and safety in their futures together.

I would happily have read much more about their future, but was left with a positive vibe and plenty of hope.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story for foodies, it was the perfect mix of food and romance with just a splash of drama to keep it on point.

Cam and Gray have a right-place-right-time thing going on and they both deserved it making for a very satisfying read.

[Kirstin · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars rounded up

I was so looking forward to this because I love the idea of coming home and finding love.

When Chef Gray Callahan broke up with his boyfriend, he wasn't counting on having to sell his half of their restaurant and move back home. But when he arrives at his rental in South Carolina, he realizes that this could be just what he needs. And with his sister's wedding in a few weeks, he's got plenty to keep him occupied.

Cameron has never left his sleepy little town because he's so worried that he'll meet someone that doesn't want to move back there with him. So, he's resigned to live his life as a property manager and be single. But when he sees Gray is back in town, he feels like maybe he's the reason he never left.

As much as I wanted to really like this story, nothing really happened. It seemed like Gray and Cam just got together because they were conveniently the only two gay men in town and neither was bad looking. I saw no spark. The 'relationship' unfolded without effort or excitement. I felt like Cam was more excited about the pancakes the day after than their actual night together, which was off page.

I feel like if it had been a bit longer and there was more interaction between Gray and Cam, I probably could have enjoyed their story, but for what it was, I just couldn't get there. As far as romance goes, this just wasn't a win for me.

*Arc copy generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Cross posted to http://gaybook.reviews/ *

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Place Setting by Claudia Mayrant explores the people and the small town of Summer Corners in South Carolina, and introduced us to Cameron and Gray. Cameron knew Gray, who was a few years ahead of him in school, so they weren’t completely two strangers meeting.

I struggled with this review. On the one hand I enjoyed this story, the setting and the characters, but I wouldn’t consider this a romance. It just didn’t get to the point of being a romance. There was all the setup and potential for a great romance, but we ran out of pages. I always say that novellas can be hard. There’s a lot of story to pack into a few pages, 70 pages for this one. The problem was 65 of those pages was the setup for the relationship and that didn’t leave us time for the romance.

This story had a lot of potential! Gray and his boyfriend have broken up, and Gray leaves the restaurant they co-owned. When his sister has a wedding crisis, it’s the perfect project for him to work while trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life. He heads back to his hometown. He meets Cameron who loves living in his small town, except for the part of where he seems to be the only gay man in town. Gray and Cameron have the potential of a sweet romance - it just wasn’t in this story.

I really wish there was less story about the area and townspeople and more story about Cameron and Gray. I loved the setup of Cameron and Gray, and thought they had great potential, and maybe they do, but it ended with them just beginning. I definitely wouldn’t classify this as a HEA, if that matters to you, and probably not even a HFN because they weren’t in a relationship. So, this was a sweet story that lets you decide the future of Cameron and Gray.

Rating: 3.5 stars

**Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by DreamSpinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.**

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded to 3

Place Setting is short book about Gray and Cameron. Gray has returned to his South Carolina hometown of Summer Corners after breaking up with his business partner in Philadelphia. As a professional chef, he arrives home just in time to help his little sister with catering her wedding after an unexpected glitch in her plans.

Cameron is the property manager for Gray’s new rental home. He’s never left the small town, loves his aunt who raised him and enjoys his life. The two meet when Cameron shows Gray his new rental. It’s normally here where I’d say the sparks fly, but I never felt the sparks between Cameron and Gray. It almost felt like they were the only 2 gay men in town and so they got together due to a lack of options. There was no spark. I honestly got bored during the one sexy times scene in the book. I was way more worried about whether Gray’s sister’s wedding got off without a hitch after the drama.

And how was the wedding the epilogue? Wasn’t that just meant to be the next chapter? I mean, it was like the next day after the previous chapter! Then, after 2 weeks, one of which they admittedly saw little of each other, we were lead to believe they were committing to the other? Not believable…

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for a relaxing holiday read when I picked up this one. It hit the mark on all counts as it has uncomplicated plot designed to make reader feel good.
Gray and Cameron met again in their sleepy little hometown thanks to Gray’s sister wedding emergency. Cameron used to have crush on Gray when they were in in high school. Yes. Its one of those stories where everything lines up just right for happy end. The writing style is very good with occasional funny clip to break monotony.

But. It’s a cookie cutter romance story and doesn’t step away from the stereotype. I wasn’t overly interested in characters or if they will end up together. Considering writing style, which I liked, I’m wondering how are other stories from this author, because this one didn’t leave much of impression either good or bad.

I received copy of this book in exchange for review.
The review is also posted on Gay Book Reviews

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars rounded up

Gray Callahan’s love life is going down the drain – and when his sister needs his help with her wedding, Gray thinks it’s a good excuse to pack his life up and go back home to Lowcountry town of Summer Corners, South Carolina. Cameron Dunlop never thinks that he will see his high school crush again, renting a cottage that he takes care of. On top of that, he’s also gay!! (yes, Cameron always assumed that Gray is straight). So, can Cameron get another chance with the ex-star student athlete turned chef?

I think Place Setting fits the ‘coming home to the small town’ trope perfectly. This is one of my catnips in romance reading. I LOVE the sense of Lowcountry town – I think Claudia Mayrant successfully transported myself to the charm of this small town. I also think Cameron and Gray have good chemistry – the initial flirting is cute!!

It also helps that Gray is not one of those characters who hates his small town… he just thinks he can do better if he moves out. But he never acts like he’s better than anybody else who decides to stay in town.

Although as it gets near the ending, everything seems to be rushed, especially with Gray helping with his sister’s wedding. I don’t know why the author didn’t make this book longer, because I think it would be a much better story, in my humble opinion.



A Guest Review for The Blogger Girls



The ARC is provided by the publisher for an exchange of fair and honest review. No high rating is required for any ARC received.

[Suze · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice easy reading book.
Nothing major in terms of plot or angst, just a guy (Gray) heading home and reevaluating life whilst helping his sister out.
Cam is probably less known as a character though we do see his side too, he is a home body and also looking for the next thing.
Fairly quick plot development but relatively short story so ok.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review An Alisa Review:

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Such a sweet story. Cam and Gray meet when Gray moves back to his hometown and they have an instant connection along with Cam helping Gray to find a place for and put on his sister’s wedding.

I really liked both of these characters. Both of them are romantics at heart and are looking for love but haven’t found the right person yet, Cam can’t seem to find someone who will stick past one night and Gray has recently been burned by his previous partner. The story didn’t get to in depth about their relationship but it was easy to see their connection and that they seem to have a great future together.

The cover art by Brooke Albrecht is absolutely perfect for this story.

[Harrison Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story with some well-drawn characters. The author did a very good job with setting up a sense of place, as well. The story ends a bit abruptly, with more of a HFN with hints of a HEA but still a fun, relaxing quick read