Diving In

Family Found #2

by Kris T. Bethke, Nell Iris

Preston and Sawyer Waters need a vacation in the worst way. Life stressors have gotten to be too much, and they need to reconnect. A month-long vacation at a cabin in the woods is perfect to remember how to enjoy each other. But they never expect to meet the man who would fit with them so perfectly.

Wade Johansson loves his life. Running V Wilderness Adventures with his best friends, spending his life on the water, and being surrounded by nature is his dream come true. But he's missing one key someone to love.

The three men find an instant connection and are quick to explore the attraction. It becomes clear immediately that they want a relationship lasting longer than just a vacation. But with Preston and Sawyer living in another town and Wade worried about how he fits, can they find the courage to dive in head first?

113 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 30, 2019

About the author

Kris T. Bethke has been a voracious reader for pretty much her entire life and has been writing stories for nearly as long. An avid and prolific daydreamer, she always has a story in her head. She spends most of her free time reading, writing, or knitting/crocheting her latest project. Her biggest desire is to find a way to accomplish all three tasks at one time. A classic muscle car will always turn her head and weekend naps are one of her greatest guilty pleasures. She lives in a converted attic with an aquarium full of tropical fish and the voices in her head. She’ll tell you she thinks that’s a pretty good deal.

Reviews

[BWT · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you're grabbing this thinking it's going to be chock full of sex, sex, sex, and more sex...while there are some pretty steamy scenes, there isn't a ton of sex here.

Diving In is about a happily married couple and the man they meet who intrigues them both. Told in first person, multiple POV, with on page sex happening more than halfway through, it's not what I would consider "erotica" but rather a menage romance with a HFN ending.

Personally, I wasn't disappointed at all that it wasn't cover to cover sex (though there is plenty of heat), the characters and their friends are interesting (if not well fleshed out), and yet, to my surprise, I just didn't enjoy this. I usually love Kris T. Bethke's books, but this one just didn't ring my bell and I can't quite figure out why.

Diving In is book two in the Family Found series and frankly I was hoping for a better establishment of Everett, Drew, Jackson, and Wade's characters.

The two books in the series so far have been cute and fluffy with some heat, but I want, and need, some depth. So far, they've been too surface for me and I'm really hoping as the series progresses that the authors will take the time to really develop the characters.

Galley copy of Diving In provided by the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

This review has been cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews.

[peach · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfectly fine two-becomes-three story with good communication and minimal angst. Short and sweet and very instalovey.

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, read out of order (seems to be a trend for me) but I bought this because it was mmm. A married couple who have been stressed with work take an extended vacation in a camp-ground type place (cabins). They meet one of the owners and both feel drawn to him and vice-versa although he's nervous about getting involved with a couple. They decide to try it and see what happens when vacation ends.

I'm always amazed when people go "You live 3 hours away" and they don't see each other for month. Hell. Drive down for the day. Leave at 7:00, you'll be there by 10:00, then go home at 8:00 at night. A full day together. 30 hours, okay, that's a bit of a stretch. LOL But I guess I grew up in an area where a 2-3 hour drive on a Sunday was leisure and 6 hours each way for a weekend was "normal". *shrug*

Still, nice people you wanted to see happy. I guess all of the people who own the campground will eventually get their HEA.

[Loves · Rating 2 out of 5]

At one point in the novella someone complained about the throuple relationship moving forward "too fast". I agree with a modified version of the sentiment. The chronological timing of the developments was not the problem. The problem was that the relationship moved forward before we had a firm grasp of who these characters really were, before we had a chance to connect with them and get invested in the budding relationship. I've liked all three MCs but didn't feel like I've really got to know them, only their looks and snippets about their character. As a result, the physical aspect of their attraction seemed exaggerated at the expense of all other aspects. ...Which is odd, since the book had a relatively low heat level and few explicit sex scenes, especially for a menage book.

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely struggled with this one. Preston and Sawyer go to a lake for a much needed month long vacation. There they meet one of the owners of the vacation cabins, Wade, to whom Preston and Sawyer are attracted. My first issue - I didn't like Sawyer. Too snarky. Too over the top. Just too... After a few interactions with Wade, they decide that they want him. This is not new for them as they've invited a 3rd into their relationship before. In order for me to believe in an mmm relationship, I have to believe in the connections between the MCs and I didn't here. Wade, who, of course, has been thinking about the two men, goes on a date with them. Within a few sentences, Preston and Sawyer are declaring their seriousness in inviting Wade into their relationship. Sadly, I didn't buy it. Felt nothing for these men. I nearly DNFed but kept going in the hopes it would get better. It did not.