All Sheriff Decker Wright wants for Christmas is for the town’s new librarian to be competent and reliable. And not a serial killer. He and the good people of Covington, Rhode Island have been through a lot and Decker’s hoping a sane new librarian and a perfect holiday festival will help restore the town’s spirits after a string of tragedies.
Luckily for Decker, Meredith Crane is extremely competent and reliable. Despite his intentions to make his stay brief, it doesn’t take long for the reserved librarian to become enchanted with the charming little town. There is the matter of the peculiar characters inhabiting Covington and the ghosts inhabiting the Malbourne Inn but Meredith is determined to make the best of it. The owners of the inn have adopted him and Meredith makes it his mission to solve the mysteries that haunt the colonial mansion and help Decker deliver the perfect Covington Christmas.
Unfortunately for Decker, he can’t resist a well-mannered man in a well-cut suit and he’s not the only one who wants the town’s new librarian. The two do their best to ignore the heaps of sexual tension while hunting for answers to old mysteries. But fate, ghosts, and a few elderly matchmakers test their control and sanity.
This heartwarming haunted holiday romance is a spin-off of Lost Ground but is intended to be a standalone with just a little help from a few Lake Cliff residents. You do not need to have read Lost Ground or any of Lake Cliff to enjoy Merry & Wright.
Author of the popular Nannies of New York and Boys of Lake Cliff book series, K Sterling has self-published dozens of books. K. is known for fast-paced romantic thrillers and touching gay romcoms. There might be goosebumps and some gore but there’s always true love and lots of laughter.
I adored Decker in Lost Ground. And couldn’t wait for him to find his happy ever after.
Decker has settled into a life without love. He has a great job and a whole town of people he regards as family. He just can’t risk his career on a tryst. The problem is it’s been two years since his last out of town trip.
Decker just doesn’t realise what he’s missing. And how he desperately wants and craves love.
Merry is the new town librarian. It’s a temporary assignment just until he finds something more suitable.
Okay so I’m not going to spoil this. I’ll just say these two are adorable and perfect for each other. But will they get their act together before it’s too late?
The ghosts bothered me in Lost Ground but here they kinda worked. I think I just didn’t like Lavender and the ghosts together.
I'm so happy that we got a follow up on Decker and the ghosts! It's a perfect mix of a ghost story, a Christmas story and a love story (with a bit of sexy to make it even better).
Merry is so sweet and quiet but has a whole lot of fire that hasn't been released before. I loved his interaction with the ghosts and his growing attraction to the handsome sheriff. Merry and Decker are so "Wright" for each other and I love that Decker got his own man in a suit.
These guys are totally worth adding to the growing list of awesome men in the Lake Cliff series!
If you enjoy your holiday romance with a side of ghosts, this one might be worth trying. It’s a spinoff from a series, which I haven’t read, so there are references to things that happened in past books but I thought it worked great as a standalone.
This story had an excellent found family element to it. I loved how everyone was immediately taken with Meredith and how much it meant to him. There were quite a few moving moments as he realizes people genuinely care about him, something he hadn’t experienced before. Decker isn’t out to his community about being bisexual and it was good to watch him work through his fears and then extra good to watch everyone fully affirm him.
For the most part, I enjoyed this story but a few things marred that for me. Characters are always whispering, gasping, whining and whimpering. It often yanked me out of the story but your mileage may vary. Both Meredith and Decker, in fact, felt much younger in their portrayal than their actual ages because of these dialogue tags, especially Meredith. If you told me Meredith was a teenager instead of 36, I would have believed you. Decker decided to nickname Meredith "Merry" and he wasn't fully on board with this. I get that it was done to emphasize being a holiday romance but every time Decker called him Merry, it rubbed me the wrong way.
I also wished there’d been more exploration of Meredith’s sexuality. He believed he was asexual until he met Decker. Based on Meredith’s description of how he felt attraction, I thought he might be demisexual. But perhaps he’s Deckersexual? I would love to know what ace reviewers think of the representation.
CW: previous librarian turned out to be a serial killer and there are brief, non-graphic references to his crimes, past death of parent, uninvolved father, fear of homophobia, closeted characters, ghosts, arson
Meredith's stay in Covington,working at the library,is supposed to be temporary. Then he meets Decker,the town's sheriff. He can't understand the instant spark of recognition and desire, because Meredith has never had any interest in broad shoulders,muscles and big hands.
Not only his reactions to Decker,but a lot of things are confusing to Meredith since arriving to Covington. On the top of the list are the ghost. Yes,ghosts,and trickster ones at that. There's also a mystery tied to them,one that he's immediately interested in unraveling...with Decker's help.
It's all been the best kind of fun to read through:making friends with the ghosts and discovering their secrets. And most of all,Derek's drooling and lusting over Meredith's suits and the latter' s mystification over how magical an experience sex can be. (Who knew that a touch can make your blood boil or that a kiss can curl you toes? 🤔).
I can never get enough of how K. Sterling writes connections and attraction. It's a brilliant mix of sweetness and lust,tenderness and burning passion at the same time. In 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆&𝗪𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 specifically, it's also discovery. Merry's discovery of physical pleasure and Decker's understanding of who's his first priority. Together they're the best version of themselves and finally happily complete. At home in the amazingly crazy community of Covington.
First of all, can I just draw your attention to the title...Merry and Wright. Love it! Nice one Ms Sterling. I like it. Also, the cover, a work of art, and delicious.
I was so happy to be taken back to Covington. Decker is lovely, and deserves a nice romance, also, I wanted to catch up on both him and the ghosts. So I had absolutely no doubt that I would love this book, (as a huge fan of everything K. Sterling), and I certainly wasn't disappointed.
It was lovely to get to know Merry and Decker so well, and to watch their romance blossom. I enjoyed watching as their trust in each other became absolute - vital considering what they had to go through.The story combined all my loves, ghosts, Christmas and a haunted house, I mean what could possibly go wrong?!
As it so happens, all sorts. As someone, who enjoys a good ghost story, this book is a perfect tale. There's psychic attacks, and the frustrations of dealing with unhelpful ghosts. However, the boys never give up, and, a massive plus on my part, Aiden and Lane turn up in the story to help.
It's another great story from this lady, with realistic dialogue and excellent description. It draws you in from the word go, and builds in tension and suspense throughout. I basically couldn't put it down until I'd finished. It's most certainly a book I will read again.
This book takes place in the same town where the last Lake Cliff book, Lost Ground took place. If you’ve read Lost Ground you’ll be familiar with most of the characters, but it is definitely not necessary to have read that book first. Decker Wright is the town’s sheriff and is dealing with the personal emotional fallout of having had someone he cared about not be who he thought. Meredith is new to Covington; he’s there to fill the role of town librarian and is looking for a fresh start.
These two men have almost instant sparks and watching them figure out how and if they can be together was great. This book has ghosts, holidays, romance, kooky families, mystery, and discovery of finding one’s self.
I first met Decker in Lost Ground. And he deserved his own story. Miss Sterling didn't disappoint. Covington is in need of a Iberian Merrideth Crane is in need of a change. ( he shops with Mr.Lavender) The Inn. Merrideth is staying at has a few spirits. The guy's become friends over breakfast. Decker comes running when Merrideth is scared Together they want to find out why the inn is haunted. The owners of the inn are just lovely. The way these guys come together is perfect. You will not be disappointed. I've not found a bad story from Miss Sterling or as I call her my naughty girl
Enjoyed this Christmas ghost story themed romance by K Sterling. Characters are a beautiful continuation of those introduced in the previous Lake Cliff book and it was so gratifying to find out the why's behind the hauntings. One star off because the "bad guy" is kind of expected and also a little trite; it makes sense in that it clears other people's names but it feels a bit hollow and convenient, especially when everything just returns to normal straight after.
Holiday paranormal fun--This was such a fun and sexy book, and I'm sorry I finished it already. Meredith and Decker are lovely characters that I want to know more about. Hopefully we'll see them return in another book. I love how K. Sterling is able to put so much depth into the men she writes about. The story line carries us through a bit of paranormal mystery and is quite enjoyable. Another 5 starts!
This was such a wonderful tale. Merry and Decker are a delightful couple and I loved their story. It was so nice to see them both end up with a happy ending.
Decker stood out for me in the Lake Cliff book so I was really glad to see he got his own book. I really liked these characters - they were adorable together. The ghost part was interesting and added to the book.
K either does thrilling or super sweet and this was a combination of both! Loved the characters and the book! It was a good holiday read - I recommend!
Decker Wright, sheriff of a small town that is recuperating from the ultimate blow to their heart from their much loved librarian. Enter the replacement librarian, Meredith Crane, who catches the eye of Decker! Plus the mysterious ghosts! This is a sweet joy to enjoy!
Return to Covington to meet a fabulous librarian and adorable sheriff. Add in ghosts plus a visit from our favorite Lake Cliff couple and you get holiday love.
It’s a cute holiday story, a sheriff and a librarian. A little cameo by the original Lake Cliff boys and it also features some ghosts to throw a little suspense in. A good read and quite romantic.
The two MCs are just wonderful; Meredith filled me with joy with his earnest heart and simple needs and Decker, whilst occasionally making me cross with his unselfish motions, is a man of honour and community. There's a way that K Sterling writes her characters that makes them all incredibly relateable and even our ghosts are treated with a sympathetic vein.
I thoroughly enjoy the adjacent books to the Lake Cliff series and this just may be one of my favourites 5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was a bit of a different holiday romance, with a Sheriff and town recovering from finding out a friend was a serial killer, and ghosts at the inn.
Librarian Meredith was adorable, and his introduction to an active sex life with a passionate, considerate lover was hot. Sheriff Decker Wright is such a sweetie and his struggles with coming out as bisexual were relatable.
It's left me determined to binge all the Lake Cliff and adjacent books over the holidays (28 novels & novellas, plus an Anthology, baby!).
In this you'll find ✨MM paranormal romance ✨Closeted Bisexual Sheriff ✨Gay new librarian in suits ✨Small town holiday festival ✨Long term resident who turned out to be a serial killer ✨Ghosts ✨Fire ✨Cold case involving child abuse + death ✨Loss of job because of homophobia ✨Interfering elders ✨Cameo from autistic forensic psychologist ✨A HEA
This sweet gem of a book was all things Christmassy and filled with feels. We have Meredith, a dapper young librarian , trying to find his way to his place in his world and Decker, the town’s sheriff.
It’s set in the Lake Cliff world but you don’t need to read it to get the gist. I hadn’t read any of the Lake Cliff books but this novella makes me want to. I love the writing style. It has an almost period quality to it. I got sucked into the story. Meredith and Decker are sweet and surprisingly adventurous. (As a librarian myself, I don’t recommend doing the things they did.. LOL) If you like sweet men and their hot burly counterparts and a dash of mystery and cameos from other books, give this one a whirl.
Enjoyed the trip back to Covington and the cameos from Lane and Adrian but I really loved Meredith and Decker as they navigated their way through petulant ghosts, a town obsessed with its holiday traditions and the lingering grief from the previous tale about the Covington witches. As ever, I'm looking forward to another installment - what other mysteries can be solved through the Covington library? Come on K, give us more Merry and Decker and their Covington family
I loved this story! I fell for Decker in the last story and let's just to say I am still so fond of him and the rest of the people of Covington. I won't include any spoilers in my reviews, because that's just not me. But if you are a fan of the Lake Cliff series, then this will be a delight for you. It was a great story to read during this Holiday season and added to my Christmas cheer! Merry Christmas and happy readings!!!
Decker and Meredeth are a really sweet couple. We met Decker in A Lake Cliff Boys book 8 when our favorite, Aiden along with Lavender investigate a series of mysterious hangings. As the town tries to recover, Decker finds his forever love with Merry. The two of them investigate the hauntings at the inn and we get Aiden and Lane back to help them solve the mystery.
I enjoyed this holiday ghost story! The only question I walked away with (possible spoiler) was there peace for Billy, after his book was returned or was he still an angry spirit?
We read so many stories in this genre that the characters who struggle to come out or aren’t out at all have stories that deserve to be told, this was one of them.
As always I can't put Ms Streling's books down until the last page. I like her characters and the mystery of the story besides the love story of her men. This book was fun and quirky because of the ghosts and interesting because of Merry's sexual history. Riveting, fun, quirky and interesting, Thanks Ms Sterling I look forward to your next Books.
I just haven't felt these last couple stories in the series. I liked the way that Meredith interacted with the ghosts and the innkeepers. That being said neither Decker or Meredith had much in the way of a personality. They just seemed sort of flat.