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Tucker Springs #1
Where Nerves End
Welcome to Tucker Springs, Colorado. Population, 70-something-thousand. Home to beautiful mountain views, two respected universities, and a ridiculously high cost of living.
Jason Davis can handle a breakup. And an overwhelming mortgage. And a struggling business. And the excruciating pain that keeps him up at night thanks to a shoulder injury. But handling all of it at once? No, not so much. When his shoulder finally pushes him to a breaking point, he takes a friend’s advice and gives acupuncture a try.
Acupuncturist Michael Whitman is a single dad struggling to make ends meet. When a mutual friend refers Jason as a patient, and Jason suggests a roommate arrangement to alleviate their respective financial strains, Michael jumps at the opportunity.
Living together should be easy, and it would be if not for Jason’s undeniable attraction to his new roommate. The temptation to act on those feelings is strong, but Michael is straight.
Or at least, that’s what their mutual friend claims...
This previously published book is #1 in the Tucker Springs series, and can be read as a standalone.
Jason Davis can handle a breakup. And an overwhelming mortgage. And a struggling business. And the excruciating pain that keeps him up at night thanks to a shoulder injury. But handling all of it at once? No, not so much. When his shoulder finally pushes him to a breaking point, he takes a friend’s advice and gives acupuncture a try.
Acupuncturist Michael Whitman is a single dad struggling to make ends meet. When a mutual friend refers Jason as a patient, and Jason suggests a roommate arrangement to alleviate their respective financial strains, Michael jumps at the opportunity.
Living together should be easy, and it would be if not for Jason’s undeniable attraction to his new roommate. The temptation to act on those feelings is strong, but Michael is straight.
Or at least, that’s what their mutual friend claims...
This previously published book is #1 in the Tucker Springs series, and can be read as a standalone.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 3, 2012
129 people are currently reading
1561 people want to read
About the author
L.A. Witt
226 books2,735 followersL.A. Witt and her husband have been exiled from Spain and sent to live in Maine because rhymes are fun. She now divides her time between writing, assuring people she is aware that Maine is cold, wondering where to put her next tattoo, and trying to reason with a surly Maine coon. Rumor has it her arch nemesis, Lauren Gallagher, is also somewhere in the wilds of New England, which is why L.A. is also spending a portion of her time training a team of spec ops lobsters.
Authors Ann Gallagher and Lori A. Witt have been asked to assist in lobster training, but they "have books to write" and "need to focus on our careers" and "don't you think this rivalry has gotten a little out of hand?" They're probably just helping Lauren raise her army of squirrels trained to ride moose into battle.
Visit her website at http://www.gallagherwitt.com/.
Authors Ann Gallagher and Lori A. Witt have been asked to assist in lobster training, but they "have books to write" and "need to focus on our careers" and "don't you think this rivalry has gotten a little out of hand?" They're probably just helping Lauren raise her army of squirrels trained to ride moose into battle.
Visit her website at http://www.gallagherwitt.com/.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 361 reviews
July 31, 2020
dnf @ 70% - 1.5 stars
More than halfway through the story and I still don't think I know much about the characters beside what the blurb says.
I find both main characters very bland. There's no emotional connection and no chemistry between them. Jason is attracted to Michael right from the start, but I don't see anything more than just a physical attraction.
Michael claims to be straight,
I'm not feeling either of the characters, I can't cheer for them because there's nothing to cheer for. There's zero romance between them.
A pity, because I really enjoyed Iggy Toma's narration.
More than halfway through the story and I still don't think I know much about the characters beside what the blurb says.
I find both main characters very bland. There's no emotional connection and no chemistry between them. Jason is attracted to Michael right from the start, but I don't see anything more than just a physical attraction.
Michael claims to be straight,
I'm not feeling either of the characters, I can't cheer for them because there's nothing to cheer for. There's zero romance between them.
A pity, because I really enjoyed Iggy Toma's narration.
August 3, 2012
This was okay, I enjoyed parts of it but I had some issues with Michael. He just didn't seem to know what he wanted and waffled quite a bit.
It was a good read but I'm not sure how much I like Tucker Springs.
It was a good read but I'm not sure how much I like Tucker Springs.
August 11, 2013
The first half of this book could not keep my attention. We open with Jason, struggling to keep home and his business foreclosing, and get over a break-up and some serious nerve pain in his shoulder from a recent accident. Goes without saying the guy could use a break. So he decides to offer his acupuncture doctor to rent a room from him (his straight Acupuncture Doc).
This sets up the plot of this story. Well isn’t until after the 50% mark that anything even happens between these two. I felt as if I was waiting for something to happen and gradually losing interest in their story. And while I found the story sweet and my heart went out to Jason, i felt the story dragged for me.
As for Michael, the straight acupuncture doctor, I think as sweet as a character he appeared to be he needed more personality. I really felt the story needed more spice, and I am not referring to sex (although that was sorta mediocre as well),
3 so-so stars.
This sets up the plot of this story. Well isn’t until after the 50% mark that anything even happens between these two. I felt as if I was waiting for something to happen and gradually losing interest in their story. And while I found the story sweet and my heart went out to Jason, i felt the story dragged for me.
As for Michael, the straight acupuncture doctor, I think as sweet as a character he appeared to be he needed more personality. I really felt the story needed more spice, and I am not referring to sex (although that was sorta mediocre as well),
3 so-so stars.
June 5, 2012
3.5 stars
Review posted at The Armchair Reader.
Jason really fucked up his shoulder showing off mountain biking, and now, five years later, he can barely get through the day without debilitating pain, much less a single night's sleep. He's a very level headed guy, a skeptic you could say. And even though his business partner left him with a nightclub that is so far into the red there's almost no hope left to salvage it, and his partner left him and saddled him with a massive mortgage, he's still plodding along, trying to make it day to day and keep his life from completely collapsing around him. So when his best friend Seth swears to him that acupuncture really works and he should give it a try, he has a hard time believing him. But he's worried about having to take even more pain pills with the extra pain his shoulder's been giving him, and there's really nothing else he can think of to do, so he takes Seth's advice and goes to the practice of Michael Whitman.
Michael is straight, even though Seth has his doubts (the two having been friends since childhood), which is a shame for Jason, who can't help but admire the sexy man. When they both commiserate about the economy and their respective financial problems, Jason comes up with the idea of Michael moving in with him and sharing the mortgage, even though he knows living with such a beautiful, unavailable man is going to kill him.
There's really nothing big that is wrong with this book. I have a few, let's say medium-sized niggles, but the book is pretty well written and up to LA Witt's standard. I've loved many of her books in the past, but I didn't love this one. I found it okay, but for some reason I didn't really feel the connection with the characters. I can't even quite pinpoint what it is about the relationship, just that neither Jason or Michael really leapt off the page for me.
There's quite a bit in this book about acupuncture, which I found really interesting. There were several practices that Michael uses that I didn't know were real-life practices (like the electrical currents and some other things) if they are true to life. I've never had acupuncture myself, but I suppose I was under the impression that it doesn't help to the level that it does for Jason in this book. Even though some things are left real to life, like repeated treatments, the immediate and (short-term) lasting effects of the needles seemed a bit much to me, perhaps because of the intensity of pain Jason describes from page one. But then again, I know very little, so I could be wrong.
This will be interesting to read as a series, because it seems as if their friend Seth will be the focus of the next book, or one of the upcoming books, so the group of friends that surround the two MCs in this novel will probably stick around. I think it would help for me to see this couple happy in the future books because their rocky relationship in this first installment left me a little doubtful about how they'd handle a full relationship. Michael is going through a huge life change and Jason can barely keep his head above water with all the emotional trauma that has been dumped on him recently.
There were some niggles that bothered me -- such as often repeated information and the constant mention of Seth's background and family without revealing what exactly happened to him (another reason I suspect his story is coming). I thought, and Jason seemed to as well, that their relationship problems weren't really problems. It felt like a bit of unnecessary angst that they were making up problems that didn't need to exist, but then it made sense in the situation and it was handled pretty well.
Having read many of LA Witt's books in the past, I enjoyed that there was really a low level of angst, rather than that bit I mentioned. Even though I didn't feel like I really connected with the characters, they're still good characters and pretty solidly written. This is a Pretty Good story, I just didn't really connect with it. So, for me, it wasn't great and other books by LA Witt will remain my favorites.
Review posted at The Armchair Reader.
Jason really fucked up his shoulder showing off mountain biking, and now, five years later, he can barely get through the day without debilitating pain, much less a single night's sleep. He's a very level headed guy, a skeptic you could say. And even though his business partner left him with a nightclub that is so far into the red there's almost no hope left to salvage it, and his partner left him and saddled him with a massive mortgage, he's still plodding along, trying to make it day to day and keep his life from completely collapsing around him. So when his best friend Seth swears to him that acupuncture really works and he should give it a try, he has a hard time believing him. But he's worried about having to take even more pain pills with the extra pain his shoulder's been giving him, and there's really nothing else he can think of to do, so he takes Seth's advice and goes to the practice of Michael Whitman.
Michael is straight, even though Seth has his doubts (the two having been friends since childhood), which is a shame for Jason, who can't help but admire the sexy man. When they both commiserate about the economy and their respective financial problems, Jason comes up with the idea of Michael moving in with him and sharing the mortgage, even though he knows living with such a beautiful, unavailable man is going to kill him.
There's really nothing big that is wrong with this book. I have a few, let's say medium-sized niggles, but the book is pretty well written and up to LA Witt's standard. I've loved many of her books in the past, but I didn't love this one. I found it okay, but for some reason I didn't really feel the connection with the characters. I can't even quite pinpoint what it is about the relationship, just that neither Jason or Michael really leapt off the page for me.
There's quite a bit in this book about acupuncture, which I found really interesting. There were several practices that Michael uses that I didn't know were real-life practices (like the electrical currents and some other things) if they are true to life. I've never had acupuncture myself, but I suppose I was under the impression that it doesn't help to the level that it does for Jason in this book. Even though some things are left real to life, like repeated treatments, the immediate and (short-term) lasting effects of the needles seemed a bit much to me, perhaps because of the intensity of pain Jason describes from page one. But then again, I know very little, so I could be wrong.
This will be interesting to read as a series, because it seems as if their friend Seth will be the focus of the next book, or one of the upcoming books, so the group of friends that surround the two MCs in this novel will probably stick around. I think it would help for me to see this couple happy in the future books because their rocky relationship in this first installment left me a little doubtful about how they'd handle a full relationship. Michael is going through a huge life change and Jason can barely keep his head above water with all the emotional trauma that has been dumped on him recently.
There were some niggles that bothered me -- such as often repeated information and the constant mention of Seth's background and family without revealing what exactly happened to him (another reason I suspect his story is coming). I thought, and Jason seemed to as well, that their relationship problems weren't really problems. It felt like a bit of unnecessary angst that they were making up problems that didn't need to exist, but then it made sense in the situation and it was handled pretty well.
Having read many of LA Witt's books in the past, I enjoyed that there was really a low level of angst, rather than that bit I mentioned. Even though I didn't feel like I really connected with the characters, they're still good characters and pretty solidly written. This is a Pretty Good story, I just didn't really connect with it. So, for me, it wasn't great and other books by LA Witt will remain my favorites.
November 2, 2018
Jason’s shoulder is wrecked and will visit acupuncturist Michael, an advice from their mutual friend Seth.
Jason’s finance is wrecked and a solution to their mutual problem is when Michael will be his roommate. Problem solved… you think… only there are some things playing like…
Michael is a single dad… Jason is heavily attracted to Michael, Michael is in denial… work and private can’t combine… right?
“God. I’m going to live with this guy? He’ll be treating me for tennis elbow in a week.”
Their conversations are awesome, their connection strong. The tension is heavy and anticipation killing.
The story was educational, like most of this authors books. Well developed and the building up really good done. The story is told from Jason’s pov and that’s why I missed a bit of Michael internal struggles.
Both guys were engaging and the total story was entertaining.
Overall a good and smoothly written story
Read and Reviewed for Open Skye Book Reviews
Jason’s finance is wrecked and a solution to their mutual problem is when Michael will be his roommate. Problem solved… you think… only there are some things playing like…
Michael is a single dad… Jason is heavily attracted to Michael, Michael is in denial… work and private can’t combine… right?
“God. I’m going to live with this guy? He’ll be treating me for tennis elbow in a week.”
Their conversations are awesome, their connection strong. The tension is heavy and anticipation killing.
The story was educational, like most of this authors books. Well developed and the building up really good done. The story is told from Jason’s pov and that’s why I missed a bit of Michael internal struggles.
Both guys were engaging and the total story was entertaining.
Overall a good and smoothly written story
Read and Reviewed for Open Skye Book Reviews
September 4, 2012
Incredibly repetitive. Jason's thought processes appear to be: "Acupuncture is bunk! But what do I have to lose? But I just can't believe in it! But Seth said it worked! Could it work? I can't believe in it! But my shoulder hurts!" ad infinitum, and that's not even getting into the narrative's constant discussion of his messed-up credit, his bloated mortgage, and his sleepless nights. Yes, okay, we get he has a lot of problems; they don't need to be repeated every second sentence.
As other reviewers have mentioned, there's no real emotional connection between Michael and Jason. They're housemates, they hang out a couple times in a very casual way, Jason overhears Michael with a guest at night, and then they get together, sort of. I wasn't drawn to Michael as a person (he started out so bland he almost disappeared, I thought the way he treated his wife during their marriage was kind of eeeh, and I had no patience whatsoever for the whole, "We can't ~do this~" shtick that he had going on after his and Jason's first night) so I couldn't even substitute in my own enthusiasm for their relationship.
The writing itself was solid though not stunning, but there was also shoddy editing, including the heinous phrase "Monday thru Wednesday." Poor research and fact-checking, including an egregious portrayal of Grand Theft Auto. Nothing really feels resolved at the end, however, which contributes to a general sense of dissatisfaction. And there was so much inane pseudo-science I thought I was going to lose my mind, so there's that.
As other reviewers have mentioned, there's no real emotional connection between Michael and Jason. They're housemates, they hang out a couple times in a very casual way, Jason overhears Michael with a guest at night, and then they get together, sort of. I wasn't drawn to Michael as a person (he started out so bland he almost disappeared, I thought the way he treated his wife during their marriage was kind of eeeh, and I had no patience whatsoever for the whole, "We can't ~do this~" shtick that he had going on after his and Jason's first night) so I couldn't even substitute in my own enthusiasm for their relationship.
The writing itself was solid though not stunning, but there was also shoddy editing, including the heinous phrase "Monday thru Wednesday." Poor research and fact-checking, including an egregious portrayal of Grand Theft Auto. Nothing really feels resolved at the end, however, which contributes to a general sense of dissatisfaction. And there was so much inane pseudo-science I thought I was going to lose my mind, so there's that.
March 28, 2013
I enjoyed the start of this one and I quite liked the ending, but the in between part was way to drawn out.
I can’t say I felt much for Michael or Jason. Jason spent too much time thinking the same thoughts over and over, and Michael annoyed me with his actions. I can understand denial but I felt Michael at times was bordering on deceitful almost. There was no real chemistry between them for me either.
I did like the way the conversation went with Daina at the end, no bitchiness or her claiming to of known it all along made a nice change. The way it was handled with Dylan was another point in favour.
But as an overall story this is more a 2.5 read for me, but rounded up for the good points I mentioned.
I can’t say I felt much for Michael or Jason. Jason spent too much time thinking the same thoughts over and over, and Michael annoyed me with his actions. I can understand denial but I felt Michael at times was bordering on deceitful almost. There was no real chemistry between them for me either.
I did like the way the conversation went with Daina at the end, no bitchiness or her claiming to of known it all along made a nice change. The way it was handled with Dylan was another point in favour.
But as an overall story this is more a 2.5 read for me, but rounded up for the good points I mentioned.
November 23, 2012
This story was okay, really nothing special and the characters were not memorable and will not stay with me. I didn't really feel the romance between Jason and Michael, and didn't really care if they stayed together. I could have done without the x-wife and son and really didn't feel that they added anything to the story. I kinda was more interested in finding out more about Seth.
June 4, 2012
3.5 stars. Good m/m romance about a bar owner who's having a really rough time - his bar is losing money, he's having trouble paying his mortgage, and he has chronic pain from an injured shoulder. Having his straight acupuncturist rent part of his house should help his budget crisis, but he doesn't anticipate how sexually frustrated he'll be seeing the guy wandering around half-dressed all the time... While I enjoyed this, I had a couple niggles. First, the relationship just didn't make complete sense to me - I think there just wasn't enough time spent on it. Second, the financial problems didn't make sense to me, either - they were amorphous and started to feel unrealistic. If things were that dire and nothing really changed other than business slowing down for the summer, it doesn't seem as if he'd be able to stay out of foreclosure or bankruptcy.
November 26, 2012
I put off reading this because I hadn't really heard anything about it. And for about the first 50% I was really enjoying it, then it kinda went to shit! Then it got better. Then it kinda fell apart again. It did all come together in the end, but I felt like it was missing something...or maybe its because the ending was a bit rushed. I did enjoy the sexual tension and I can't believe I'm about to say this...but I've read too many gfy books in a row. Need a change.
3.5 Stars
3.5 Stars
September 20, 2018
!!! WARNING !!! WARNING !!! ::
This review is a pretty lengthy and ranty spoiler-review, so there are lots of potential ranty spoilers and a quote up ahead!! It is up to your own discretion, “risk”, and responsibility if you decide to continue reading this review!! But again, I will emphasize, there ARE spoilers and potential spoilers, so it’s up to your discretion on whether you decide to read this really annoyed review rant :-D!!!
WARNING!! RANTY SPOILERS UP AHEAD!!! There are NO spoiler tags!!!!
*****************************************
EDIT:: I have since read this whole book to further support this review!! Yup, I read all the way through!! I AM impressed I managed to read and finish this!! I am NOT impressed by the bullshittery of this book!!!! I hated everything about this book!! EVERYTHING!!!! I mean, FUCK, it’s like this author went out of her way to come up with as much clusterfuckery as possible here!!! This book just pissed me off!!!!
And it’s important to note that as a general whole, and with everything in this review aside, I generally think this author is a TERRIFIC writer, she seriously is or CAN be, SOMETIMES at least, when she REALLY tries [I have MANY of her books that I am REALLY looking forward to cracking open and KNOW will be absolutely fantastic!! And have also READ quite a few books that I’ve thoroughly ADORED], so when THIS sort of thing happens - and it shouldn’t because it seems so sloppy - it totally derails and ruins the reading experience!! I mean, in THIS instance I have to wonder if this author has some sort of latent drama kink or something ... because HOLY SHIT, the petty, contrived, over-the-fucking-top drama and bullshittery, REALLY takes the cake!!! Why plot a book this way?!!? Why put your MCs through that?!!? WHY make your readers severely dislike one or both of your MCs?!!? It's like watching that chick in a horror movie running UP the stairs instead of OUT the front door, you can't help but feel compelled to stare at your TV [or in this case, Kindle] and yell "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!!!!???!!!! This could have gone so many ways and the author INSISTS on the bullshit!!! This is a pathetic clusterfuck of a book!!! OH and Michael ... I COULD. NOT. STAND. HIM!!!!!!
*****
I recently heard that the ending to this book is all kinds of fucked up, so before I got too deeply involved in this book, I decided to take matters into my own hands and check out the ending; that’s right, BEFORE I read the whole thing!! And whoever said the ending couldn’t be considered an HEA or even an HFN was absolutely right!! The ending fucking SUCKS!! What’s with this author and liking to fuck around with her character’s happy endings?!!? It’s like she chooses the worst or most ambiguous endings, when the book all but leads her to giving her MCs a GLORIOUS and WONDERFUL HEA!!!
Is it because she loves the control? Is it because she loves the power? Does she get a rush from fucking around with someone’s Happy?!!? It seems so, because she always fucking does it!! After hearing about what this author can be like in real life - or at least to readers - [especially during the whole Santino train-wreck & tragedy, where quite a few people reported that she acted horrendously] , I’m not surprised that she likes to fuck with her MCs fictional Happily Ever Afters as well!! I just would have liked for her to have forgotten reality for a second, focused on FICTION, and just given her MCs a magnificent HEA!!
To say it wasn’t love but it wasn’t lust (that they were at least together), and that the MC thinks his shoulder at least didn’t fuck up his life, is an absolutely fucking RIDICULOUS way to end a book!!
BOOOOOO, LA Witt, BOOOOOO!!
I own quite a few of this author’s books [having thought she was a terrific author and that her books promised to be equally terrific] and I WILL read those, but if THIS is how the author plays with her books (lately), then I will definitely be HARD PASSING on any of this author’s books in the future!! There seems to be too much of HER in her books and what I am reading/finding, I most definitely DO NOT like :-/!!
I really hope this is a fluke and that the author just fucked up with THIS book; that this doesn’t set the precedent for what’s to come with her other books, IT FUCKING BETTER NOT!! Because if so, I am totally and completely DONE!!!!
Also, I’ll point out that I’m not worried the book as a whole will be a great one, it’s the HEAs and HFNs this author COMPLETELY sucks, crashes, and burns at :-/!! And isn’t that one of the most important points of reading a book and going through almost anything with the MCs?!!? Getting to a magnificent HEA???!!! Rhetorical, because YES, IT DEFINITELY FUCKING IS!!!!!!!!! And to anyone reading this, spewing BS about real life, DON’T EVEN START, this is A BOOK!!!!! So once again, YES YES YES, give me the fucking HAPPILY EVER AFTER!!!!!!!!!
Side note: I mean I get that not all things have an easy fix, so it’s totally fine that this MC’s shoulder isn’t magically fixed!! BUT, can’t you at least end the book with the MCs LOVING each other?!!? Are you THAT jaded by life that you can’t let a glorious HEA blanket your books??!! Stop fucking around with your MCs just because you can and give them a friggin’ HEA for goodness sake!!!!!!!!! I mean I get that maybe you [the author] like drama, uncertainty, and really ambiguous endings, but could you leave that to your own personal life and not reflect that so much in your books?!!? K-Thx-Bye!!!!!!!!
I mean look at this ... this is legit the way this book ends ... WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!!? That’s a super SUCKISH ending, THAT’S what >:-o!!!!!!! I’m baffled that this author’s editors, beta readers, and whatnot thought THIS bullshit ending was a good idea!!!! I’ll tell you what IS a good idea, giving an ARC to someone who thinks differently from this author and will think to disagree with her!!! UGH!!!
“It was too soon to call it something as complex as love, too late to call it something as simple as lust. But as we walked hand in hand from the town square toward Seth’s shop in the heart of the Light District, I was happy. Life wasn’t perfect. My shoulder wasn’t completely fixed. All my stress hadn’t magically evaporated. My club wasn’t miraculously a profitable, well-oiled machine.
But I had Michael. And we were happy.
I brought our hands up and kissed the backs of his fingers, and Michael smiled. I returned it and, as I lowered our hands, we kept walking.
Maybe my fucked-up shoulder hadn’t ruined my life after all.”
I mean this author LEGIT just lists all the points she feels are necessary to go out of her fucking way to point out; not even through story either, she just LISTS them!! For what?!!? To make a point?!!? The only point you’ve made here, dearest Author, is that you seriously friggin’ SUCKED at this ending!!! Don’t make it a habit!!!!!
This review is a pretty lengthy and ranty spoiler-review, so there are lots of potential ranty spoilers and a quote up ahead!! It is up to your own discretion, “risk”, and responsibility if you decide to continue reading this review!! But again, I will emphasize, there ARE spoilers and potential spoilers, so it’s up to your discretion on whether you decide to read this really annoyed review rant :-D!!!
WARNING!! RANTY SPOILERS UP AHEAD!!! There are NO spoiler tags!!!!
*****************************************
EDIT:: I have since read this whole book to further support this review!! Yup, I read all the way through!! I AM impressed I managed to read and finish this!! I am NOT impressed by the bullshittery of this book!!!! I hated everything about this book!! EVERYTHING!!!! I mean, FUCK, it’s like this author went out of her way to come up with as much clusterfuckery as possible here!!! This book just pissed me off!!!!
And it’s important to note that as a general whole, and with everything in this review aside, I generally think this author is a TERRIFIC writer, she seriously is or CAN be, SOMETIMES at least, when she REALLY tries [I have MANY of her books that I am REALLY looking forward to cracking open and KNOW will be absolutely fantastic!! And have also READ quite a few books that I’ve thoroughly ADORED], so when THIS sort of thing happens - and it shouldn’t because it seems so sloppy - it totally derails and ruins the reading experience!! I mean, in THIS instance I have to wonder if this author has some sort of latent drama kink or something ... because HOLY SHIT, the petty, contrived, over-the-fucking-top drama and bullshittery, REALLY takes the cake!!! Why plot a book this way?!!? Why put your MCs through that?!!? WHY make your readers severely dislike one or both of your MCs?!!? It's like watching that chick in a horror movie running UP the stairs instead of OUT the front door, you can't help but feel compelled to stare at your TV [or in this case, Kindle] and yell "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!!!!???!!!! This could have gone so many ways and the author INSISTS on the bullshit!!! This is a pathetic clusterfuck of a book!!! OH and Michael ... I COULD. NOT. STAND. HIM!!!!!!
*****
I recently heard that the ending to this book is all kinds of fucked up, so before I got too deeply involved in this book, I decided to take matters into my own hands and check out the ending; that’s right, BEFORE I read the whole thing!! And whoever said the ending couldn’t be considered an HEA or even an HFN was absolutely right!! The ending fucking SUCKS!! What’s with this author and liking to fuck around with her character’s happy endings?!!? It’s like she chooses the worst or most ambiguous endings, when the book all but leads her to giving her MCs a GLORIOUS and WONDERFUL HEA!!!
Is it because she loves the control? Is it because she loves the power? Does she get a rush from fucking around with someone’s Happy?!!? It seems so, because she always fucking does it!! After hearing about what this author can be like in real life - or at least to readers - [especially during the whole Santino train-wreck & tragedy, where quite a few people reported that she acted horrendously] , I’m not surprised that she likes to fuck with her MCs fictional Happily Ever Afters as well!! I just would have liked for her to have forgotten reality for a second, focused on FICTION, and just given her MCs a magnificent HEA!!
To say it wasn’t love but it wasn’t lust (that they were at least together), and that the MC thinks his shoulder at least didn’t fuck up his life, is an absolutely fucking RIDICULOUS way to end a book!!
BOOOOOO, LA Witt, BOOOOOO!!
I own quite a few of this author’s books [having thought she was a terrific author and that her books promised to be equally terrific] and I WILL read those, but if THIS is how the author plays with her books (lately), then I will definitely be HARD PASSING on any of this author’s books in the future!! There seems to be too much of HER in her books and what I am reading/finding, I most definitely DO NOT like :-/!!
I really hope this is a fluke and that the author just fucked up with THIS book; that this doesn’t set the precedent for what’s to come with her other books, IT FUCKING BETTER NOT!! Because if so, I am totally and completely DONE!!!!
Also, I’ll point out that I’m not worried the book as a whole will be a great one, it’s the HEAs and HFNs this author COMPLETELY sucks, crashes, and burns at :-/!! And isn’t that one of the most important points of reading a book and going through almost anything with the MCs?!!? Getting to a magnificent HEA???!!! Rhetorical, because YES, IT DEFINITELY FUCKING IS!!!!!!!!! And to anyone reading this, spewing BS about real life, DON’T EVEN START, this is A BOOK!!!!! So once again, YES YES YES, give me the fucking HAPPILY EVER AFTER!!!!!!!!!
Side note: I mean I get that not all things have an easy fix, so it’s totally fine that this MC’s shoulder isn’t magically fixed!! BUT, can’t you at least end the book with the MCs LOVING each other?!!? Are you THAT jaded by life that you can’t let a glorious HEA blanket your books??!! Stop fucking around with your MCs just because you can and give them a friggin’ HEA for goodness sake!!!!!!!!! I mean I get that maybe you [the author] like drama, uncertainty, and really ambiguous endings, but could you leave that to your own personal life and not reflect that so much in your books?!!? K-Thx-Bye!!!!!!!!
I mean look at this ... this is legit the way this book ends ... WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!!? That’s a super SUCKISH ending, THAT’S what >:-o!!!!!!! I’m baffled that this author’s editors, beta readers, and whatnot thought THIS bullshit ending was a good idea!!!! I’ll tell you what IS a good idea, giving an ARC to someone who thinks differently from this author and will think to disagree with her!!! UGH!!!
“It was too soon to call it something as complex as love, too late to call it something as simple as lust. But as we walked hand in hand from the town square toward Seth’s shop in the heart of the Light District, I was happy. Life wasn’t perfect. My shoulder wasn’t completely fixed. All my stress hadn’t magically evaporated. My club wasn’t miraculously a profitable, well-oiled machine.
But I had Michael. And we were happy.
I brought our hands up and kissed the backs of his fingers, and Michael smiled. I returned it and, as I lowered our hands, we kept walking.
Maybe my fucked-up shoulder hadn’t ruined my life after all.”
I mean this author LEGIT just lists all the points she feels are necessary to go out of her fucking way to point out; not even through story either, she just LISTS them!! For what?!!? To make a point?!!? The only point you’ve made here, dearest Author, is that you seriously friggin’ SUCKED at this ending!!! Don’t make it a habit!!!!!
June 21, 2020
4 stelle
Recensione a cura di Marika Schiavone per All Colours of Romance :)
Link: https://www.allcoloursofromance.it/fa...
Era da un po’ di tempo che non mi capitava di leggere un Romance LGBTQ in prima persona. E in Farsi forza di LA Witt, ho avuto modo di entrare totalmente in sintonia con Jason Davis. Lui è il protagonista e narratore del primo volume della serie Tucker Springs, pubblicata da Triskell Edizioni.
Jason è il proprietario del Lights Out, un locale molto frequentato di Tucker Springs e si suppone che faccia i soldi a palate, non è vero? Ahimé, il destino con Jason è stato davvero subdolo. Il suo socio in affari lo ha abbandonato, lasciandolo da solo a gestire ogni aspetto del locale, dalla finanza all’organizzazione.
E come se questo non bastasse, il suo compagno ha interrotto la loro relazione, sparendo completamente dalla sua vita e lasciandogli da pagare anche la sua quota di mutuo della casa. Penserete che le sfortune di Jason siano finite qui.
Mi piacerebbe dirvi il contrario, ma non è così. Da anni ormai, Jason convive con un dolore cronico alla spalla che si irradia in tutta la parte alta del corpo fino al collo. Tutto lo stress, le responsabilità e i problemi economici nel quale sguazza non fanno di certo bene al suo corpo.
Spesso, infatti, si ritrova a dover sopportare questo dolore nel cuore della notte, perdendo così ore preziose di riposo. Arrivato ormai allo stremo, Jason le ha provate tutte, ma le medicine sono solo un rimedio temporaneo. Dopo l’ennesima nottataccia, Jason decide di provare con un metodo alternativo: l’agopuntura.
Piuttosto scettico a riguardo, eppure arrivato al capolinea, Jason decide di fidarsi di Seth, suo amico e tatuatore. Le sedute sono molto costose e questa spesa non è certo facile da affrontare, sommata a tutti i debiti, ma decide comunque di provare una seduta con il dottor Michael Whitman.
Dopo la prima terapia, è impossibile per Jason negare l’efficacia del trattamento, ma una sola seduta non può bastare a guarirlo del tutto. I giorni passano e la vita continua, i problemi economici aumentano e il costo della vita a Tucker Springs sta diventando insostenibile. Non solo per Jason, ma anche per Michael.
Dopo qualche valutazione, specialmente per essere certo che per Jason non sia un problema vivere anche con il figlio Dylan, Michael accetta. Con il passare del tempo, però, Jason è sempre più frustrato dalla presenza del suo coinquilino. Se solo non si sentisse così attratto da Michael… la convivenza potrebbe essere sicuramente più facile. Perché Michael è etero e non potrà mai accadere nulla fra loro due, giusto?
Per scoprire a cosa porterà questa convivenza, non vi resta che acquistare Farsi forza e leggere cosa accadrà con i vostri occhi. Ho trovato questo romanzo molto piacevole e scorrevole. La storia tra i due uomini è slow burn, a cottura molto lenta, così come i sentimenti, che cresceranno poco per volta.
La narrazione in prima persona dal punto di vista di Jason mi ha permesso di entrare nella sua testa, di capire le sue paure, le sue sensazioni ed emozioni. Ho provato con lui la sofferenza del dolore e delle varie difficoltà che si trova a dover sopportare ed affrontare ogni singolo giorno. Eppure, mantiene sempre un tono ironico e fa di tutto per continuare, senza mai arrendersi e gettare la spugna. Motivo per cui lui è assolutamente il mio personaggio preferito di Farzi Forza.
La narrazione di Farsi forza è molto leggera e piacevole, così come l’intreccio in se’. Ciò che non mi ha totalmente convinta, è stato il cambiamento quasi improvviso in Michael. Un momento continua a rifiutare Jason e a creare tensione fra di loro, poi un momento dopo, cambia totalmente idea e ci si getta a capofitto?
[…] Per leggere la recensione completa e scoprire di più venite a trovarci sul sito del blog :) All Colours of Romance
Link: https://www.allcoloursofromance.it/fa...
Recensione a cura di Marika Schiavone per All Colours of Romance :)
Link: https://www.allcoloursofromance.it/fa...
Era da un po’ di tempo che non mi capitava di leggere un Romance LGBTQ in prima persona. E in Farsi forza di LA Witt, ho avuto modo di entrare totalmente in sintonia con Jason Davis. Lui è il protagonista e narratore del primo volume della serie Tucker Springs, pubblicata da Triskell Edizioni.
Jason è il proprietario del Lights Out, un locale molto frequentato di Tucker Springs e si suppone che faccia i soldi a palate, non è vero? Ahimé, il destino con Jason è stato davvero subdolo. Il suo socio in affari lo ha abbandonato, lasciandolo da solo a gestire ogni aspetto del locale, dalla finanza all’organizzazione.
E come se questo non bastasse, il suo compagno ha interrotto la loro relazione, sparendo completamente dalla sua vita e lasciandogli da pagare anche la sua quota di mutuo della casa. Penserete che le sfortune di Jason siano finite qui.
Mi piacerebbe dirvi il contrario, ma non è così. Da anni ormai, Jason convive con un dolore cronico alla spalla che si irradia in tutta la parte alta del corpo fino al collo. Tutto lo stress, le responsabilità e i problemi economici nel quale sguazza non fanno di certo bene al suo corpo.
Spesso, infatti, si ritrova a dover sopportare questo dolore nel cuore della notte, perdendo così ore preziose di riposo. Arrivato ormai allo stremo, Jason le ha provate tutte, ma le medicine sono solo un rimedio temporaneo. Dopo l’ennesima nottataccia, Jason decide di provare con un metodo alternativo: l’agopuntura.
Piuttosto scettico a riguardo, eppure arrivato al capolinea, Jason decide di fidarsi di Seth, suo amico e tatuatore. Le sedute sono molto costose e questa spesa non è certo facile da affrontare, sommata a tutti i debiti, ma decide comunque di provare una seduta con il dottor Michael Whitman.
Dopo la prima terapia, è impossibile per Jason negare l’efficacia del trattamento, ma una sola seduta non può bastare a guarirlo del tutto. I giorni passano e la vita continua, i problemi economici aumentano e il costo della vita a Tucker Springs sta diventando insostenibile. Non solo per Jason, ma anche per Michael.
Dopo qualche valutazione, specialmente per essere certo che per Jason non sia un problema vivere anche con il figlio Dylan, Michael accetta. Con il passare del tempo, però, Jason è sempre più frustrato dalla presenza del suo coinquilino. Se solo non si sentisse così attratto da Michael… la convivenza potrebbe essere sicuramente più facile. Perché Michael è etero e non potrà mai accadere nulla fra loro due, giusto?
Per scoprire a cosa porterà questa convivenza, non vi resta che acquistare Farsi forza e leggere cosa accadrà con i vostri occhi. Ho trovato questo romanzo molto piacevole e scorrevole. La storia tra i due uomini è slow burn, a cottura molto lenta, così come i sentimenti, che cresceranno poco per volta.
La narrazione in prima persona dal punto di vista di Jason mi ha permesso di entrare nella sua testa, di capire le sue paure, le sue sensazioni ed emozioni. Ho provato con lui la sofferenza del dolore e delle varie difficoltà che si trova a dover sopportare ed affrontare ogni singolo giorno. Eppure, mantiene sempre un tono ironico e fa di tutto per continuare, senza mai arrendersi e gettare la spugna. Motivo per cui lui è assolutamente il mio personaggio preferito di Farzi Forza.
La narrazione di Farsi forza è molto leggera e piacevole, così come l’intreccio in se’. Ciò che non mi ha totalmente convinta, è stato il cambiamento quasi improvviso in Michael. Un momento continua a rifiutare Jason e a creare tensione fra di loro, poi un momento dopo, cambia totalmente idea e ci si getta a capofitto?
[…] Per leggere la recensione completa e scoprire di più venite a trovarci sul sito del blog :) All Colours of Romance
Link: https://www.allcoloursofromance.it/fa...
December 28, 2015
It has been a while since I visited the Tucker Springs universe. I enjoyed this series and only had one niggle and that was the bit about me never getting around to reading book one. Imagine my excitement when the audio for the first book came out and I had the opportunity to not only get this one last story in the series, but also try a new to me narrator. This series is set in a small mountain town in Colorado and a pool of authors write the series about romances that each have their own flavor and bit of conflict.
In this one, poor Jason Davis is near a nervous breakdown with all the stress in his life that is aggravated even more by a painful shoulder injury that hasn't healed. Jason falls for his gorgeous acupuncturist, but there are complications because for one, Michael isn't gay and now he is Jason's roommate to help both of them with their financial burdens. Talk about added complications.
Each book in the series works well as a standalone as evidenced by the fact that I started with book three, went forward with a few others, then went back for book two, read the last book and now went back for book one. Haha! Yep, totally works fine out of order. There is the fact that the characters pop in and out of each other's books, but not in a confusing or spoilerish way.
So the story begins with Jason weighted down by the dual burden of a failing business and a heavy mortgage on his home. In both instances, he was to have a partner. He lost his business partner and now bears all the expenses of the nightclub and on the homefront, his ex walked out taking more than half and leaving a hefty mortgage payment because he found a sugar daddy. Jason feels the pain of being abandoned by both, but what really distracts him and keeps him awake at night is the pain in his shoulder. Finally, he gives in to Seth's insistence that his friend who is an acupuncturist can help his shoulder.
And that is when he encounters the drop dead gorgeous Michael. Jason gets relief from his shoulder pain, but now has a whole twinge after Seth tells him that his old buddy Michael is straight with an ex-wife and kid to boot. As things go along and they discover that they are both barely getting by financially, Jason decides to torture himself by asking Michael to be his roommate and go halves on the bill to help them both out. Why did Michael have to be straight, or was he?
This one doesn't have much external conflict and is fairly slow paced. Jason has been wounded physically, but it is the emotional pain that really hurt. He just can't seem to catch a break. Then there is Michael. Michael is as confused as a man in his thirties can be when his encounters with Jason bring startling revelations. To say it's complicated would be to put it mildly.
I both enjoyed the story because I wanted to see where things went, but I also felt the torture of these two guys not being able to go straight from point A to point B. Attraction and liking and wanting weren't ever in question. There is some hot and cold and frustration, but the angst was definitely at an appropriate level for what was going on. Jason was amazingly understanding of Michael even as he was frustrated to again, not be able to catch a break when he wasn't really asking for the moon or anything.
Two things could have made it better and they weren't awful so much as little niggles for me. Others probably won't care because these are mild concerns. First, it was all from Jason's POV, but I would have liked to get Michael's side, too, especially since he is going through so much internal stuff. The other was the fact that I felt there was some soapboxing going on particularly in the last half and it was repetitive. I get it. I really do. Folks need to be open-minded and accepting of differences, but it's a preaching to the choir thing (most people reading the book already get it) and I really just want to focus on a story and not an agenda when I'm reading a romance.
The romance was secret crush type so it advanced slowly. Michael seems oblivious while Jason is tortured by temptation which lent a little humor to it. But, the passion when it came, was nice and spicy. I found the home acupuncture sessions so sensual. I think those were hotter than the actual sex scenes.
The narrator, Iggy Toma, was new to me as I mentioned. I thought his voice and style were a good match for this story. I chuckled at the wry way he told Jason's story. I think he nailed the tone, pace, and voice of the characters particularly Jason.
In summary, this was an enjoyable story that was a good reminder of why I loved this series. Complicated relationships, but easy going in pace and a relaxing small town setting. I can recommend this book/series to other M/M Contemporary Romance fans.
My thanks to Riptide for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.
In this one, poor Jason Davis is near a nervous breakdown with all the stress in his life that is aggravated even more by a painful shoulder injury that hasn't healed. Jason falls for his gorgeous acupuncturist, but there are complications because for one, Michael isn't gay and now he is Jason's roommate to help both of them with their financial burdens. Talk about added complications.
Each book in the series works well as a standalone as evidenced by the fact that I started with book three, went forward with a few others, then went back for book two, read the last book and now went back for book one. Haha! Yep, totally works fine out of order. There is the fact that the characters pop in and out of each other's books, but not in a confusing or spoilerish way.
So the story begins with Jason weighted down by the dual burden of a failing business and a heavy mortgage on his home. In both instances, he was to have a partner. He lost his business partner and now bears all the expenses of the nightclub and on the homefront, his ex walked out taking more than half and leaving a hefty mortgage payment because he found a sugar daddy. Jason feels the pain of being abandoned by both, but what really distracts him and keeps him awake at night is the pain in his shoulder. Finally, he gives in to Seth's insistence that his friend who is an acupuncturist can help his shoulder.
And that is when he encounters the drop dead gorgeous Michael. Jason gets relief from his shoulder pain, but now has a whole twinge after Seth tells him that his old buddy Michael is straight with an ex-wife and kid to boot. As things go along and they discover that they are both barely getting by financially, Jason decides to torture himself by asking Michael to be his roommate and go halves on the bill to help them both out. Why did Michael have to be straight, or was he?
This one doesn't have much external conflict and is fairly slow paced. Jason has been wounded physically, but it is the emotional pain that really hurt. He just can't seem to catch a break. Then there is Michael. Michael is as confused as a man in his thirties can be when his encounters with Jason bring startling revelations. To say it's complicated would be to put it mildly.
I both enjoyed the story because I wanted to see where things went, but I also felt the torture of these two guys not being able to go straight from point A to point B. Attraction and liking and wanting weren't ever in question. There is some hot and cold and frustration, but the angst was definitely at an appropriate level for what was going on. Jason was amazingly understanding of Michael even as he was frustrated to again, not be able to catch a break when he wasn't really asking for the moon or anything.
Two things could have made it better and they weren't awful so much as little niggles for me. Others probably won't care because these are mild concerns. First, it was all from Jason's POV, but I would have liked to get Michael's side, too, especially since he is going through so much internal stuff. The other was the fact that I felt there was some soapboxing going on particularly in the last half and it was repetitive. I get it. I really do. Folks need to be open-minded and accepting of differences, but it's a preaching to the choir thing (most people reading the book already get it) and I really just want to focus on a story and not an agenda when I'm reading a romance.
The romance was secret crush type so it advanced slowly. Michael seems oblivious while Jason is tortured by temptation which lent a little humor to it. But, the passion when it came, was nice and spicy. I found the home acupuncture sessions so sensual. I think those were hotter than the actual sex scenes.
The narrator, Iggy Toma, was new to me as I mentioned. I thought his voice and style were a good match for this story. I chuckled at the wry way he told Jason's story. I think he nailed the tone, pace, and voice of the characters particularly Jason.
In summary, this was an enjoyable story that was a good reminder of why I loved this series. Complicated relationships, but easy going in pace and a relaxing small town setting. I can recommend this book/series to other M/M Contemporary Romance fans.
My thanks to Riptide for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 16, 2022
Audiobook version
(Its an Iggy Beat ❤🎧)
Well obviously the audiobook narration was great ❤ Iggy Toma was the narrator and of course he is part of my (X men/4 horsemen). *see my profile* So if an author has anyone of those narrating a book hell a dictionary, Id drool.
The story itself was ok.. Too much angst. Now I love DRAMA!!!😏👀 but the woe's me stuff I just can't deal with! 😒Ugh!!! I am more of a *this is happening NOW* type of person not a *ohh well 6 to 10 years ago i broke up with such and such.* And there seemed to be alot of that between Jason and Michael They almost lived in their pasts...
I just can't seem to get wit L.A Witt's novels and lord and (my bag 💵) knows I am trying.... I'll buy maybe one more if the Tucker Springs novels and see how I like it....
(Its an Iggy Beat ❤🎧)
Well obviously the audiobook narration was great ❤ Iggy Toma was the narrator and of course he is part of my (X men/4 horsemen). *see my profile* So if an author has anyone of those narrating a book hell a dictionary, Id drool.
The story itself was ok.. Too much angst. Now I love DRAMA!!!😏👀 but the woe's me stuff I just can't deal with! 😒Ugh!!! I am more of a *this is happening NOW* type of person not a *ohh well 6 to 10 years ago i broke up with such and such.* And there seemed to be alot of that between Jason and Michael They almost lived in their pasts...
I just can't seem to get wit L.A Witt's novels and lord and (my bag 💵) knows I am trying.... I'll buy maybe one more if the Tucker Springs novels and see how I like it....
June 3, 2019
3.5 ⭐️’s cute read😊
August 15, 2012
This was my first foray into the imaginative writings of L.A. Witt and I truly enjoyed my time with her. Her storytelling is rich with visual pictures that leap off the page and put you firmly in the scene. Her characters are so natural, so down to earth and the town of Tucker Springs could be your own hometown, it is so familiar.
Along the way there were a few glitches in the writing that left me a bit confused, but I will get to those in just a moment. First, let me introduce you to her men, Jason and Michael and tell you just a bit of their story.
Jason clings onto a business that is deep in debt, and a house that is the very definition of a money pit due to its massive mortgage. He has been abandoned by his life partner and lived through the suicide of his business partner. In the interim he has injured his shoulder to the point where he cannot live without taking increasing doses of pain killers, which he fears becoming addicted to every time he breaks down and takes one.
His friend recommends an acupuncturist who has helped him immensely. Jason, believing that this type of therapy is a load of bunk, reluctantly sets up an appointment. Enter Michael Whitman and the beginning of a lust that eventually lights up the page and blossoms into something just a bit more.
Michael has hidden himself so deeply in the closet that it is not until the constant attention of his new roommate Jason that he realizes the fact he has been trying to escape from all his life is real...he is gay. Previously married and now divorced and with a son, Michael is determined to resist the feelings he has for Jason, but he simply cannot.
"With you, that was the first time I've ever let my guard down completely and let myself be what I've pretended not to be for so many years."
And so begins their relationship...one that would eventually lead to Michael telling both his son and his ex-wife the truth...in a scene that was...well heartwarming to say the least.
But, while the story was good--great really, with solid believable dialogue and a realistic glimpse at how two men try to fight their attraction to one another until they can no longer hide their love, there were some problems as well.
While interesting, I felt the description of the acupuncture process to be too involved and rather repetitive. After the first two times of hearing it described, I felt the remaining examples really didn't turn over new ground--even when a different technique was introduced I found myself wanting it to be over--it kept pulling me from the story rather than adding to it.
And then there was several instances where there was repeated dialogue? No, I'm not nitpicking--this actually happened frequently--the same thought-repeated a few pages later--the conversation rehashed again. I began to notice a pattern of sorts and it left me scratching my head--wasn't once enough?
Yes, there were flaws here--but seriously? The story was really good--I LOVED these guys--was cheering them on and so glad that the ending at least came close to a happy ever after for them.
So, I gave Where Nerves End four stars and I also determined that I would definitely read this author again. She is well worth it--her storytelling is really grade A stuff and aside from those few annoyances, Ms. Witt did not leave this reviewer wanting in the least.
Along the way there were a few glitches in the writing that left me a bit confused, but I will get to those in just a moment. First, let me introduce you to her men, Jason and Michael and tell you just a bit of their story.
Jason clings onto a business that is deep in debt, and a house that is the very definition of a money pit due to its massive mortgage. He has been abandoned by his life partner and lived through the suicide of his business partner. In the interim he has injured his shoulder to the point where he cannot live without taking increasing doses of pain killers, which he fears becoming addicted to every time he breaks down and takes one.
His friend recommends an acupuncturist who has helped him immensely. Jason, believing that this type of therapy is a load of bunk, reluctantly sets up an appointment. Enter Michael Whitman and the beginning of a lust that eventually lights up the page and blossoms into something just a bit more.
Michael has hidden himself so deeply in the closet that it is not until the constant attention of his new roommate Jason that he realizes the fact he has been trying to escape from all his life is real...he is gay. Previously married and now divorced and with a son, Michael is determined to resist the feelings he has for Jason, but he simply cannot.
"With you, that was the first time I've ever let my guard down completely and let myself be what I've pretended not to be for so many years."
And so begins their relationship...one that would eventually lead to Michael telling both his son and his ex-wife the truth...in a scene that was...well heartwarming to say the least.
But, while the story was good--great really, with solid believable dialogue and a realistic glimpse at how two men try to fight their attraction to one another until they can no longer hide their love, there were some problems as well.
While interesting, I felt the description of the acupuncture process to be too involved and rather repetitive. After the first two times of hearing it described, I felt the remaining examples really didn't turn over new ground--even when a different technique was introduced I found myself wanting it to be over--it kept pulling me from the story rather than adding to it.
And then there was several instances where there was repeated dialogue? No, I'm not nitpicking--this actually happened frequently--the same thought-repeated a few pages later--the conversation rehashed again. I began to notice a pattern of sorts and it left me scratching my head--wasn't once enough?
Yes, there were flaws here--but seriously? The story was really good--I LOVED these guys--was cheering them on and so glad that the ending at least came close to a happy ever after for them.
So, I gave Where Nerves End four stars and I also determined that I would definitely read this author again. She is well worth it--her storytelling is really grade A stuff and aside from those few annoyances, Ms. Witt did not leave this reviewer wanting in the least.
July 16, 2017
Premetto che la signora Witt è una delle mie autrici preferite. Quando vedo un suo libro, di solito vado a colpo sicuro e resto soddisfatta perché sa il fatto suo. Anche stavolta mi è piaciuto, ma – ad essere sincera – un po’ meno di altri suoi lavori. Forse non è un 4 stelle piene, ma resta una lettura piacevole e l’idea è sicuramente originale come ambientazione, con una buona resa italiana.
Mi è piaciuto Jason, il nostro povero protagonista che è acciaccato, indebitato e sul punto di crollare, ma che non si arrende e vuole risalire la china con ogni mezzo; anche il bel dottor Michael si fa amare per la sua gentilezza e il fascino indiscusso. Come in ogni buon romance, ci sarà da penare prima della sospirata felicità, ma le scene sensuali non mancano e sono gradevoli e coinvolgenti.
Punto bonus per Seth, il nostro sensale, che spero abbia uno spazio tutto suo in futuro, visto che questo è il primo libro di una lunga serie.
Da leggere? Sì, perché regala qualche ora di piacevole intrattenimento.
Mi è piaciuto Jason, il nostro povero protagonista che è acciaccato, indebitato e sul punto di crollare, ma che non si arrende e vuole risalire la china con ogni mezzo; anche il bel dottor Michael si fa amare per la sua gentilezza e il fascino indiscusso. Come in ogni buon romance, ci sarà da penare prima della sospirata felicità, ma le scene sensuali non mancano e sono gradevoli e coinvolgenti.
Punto bonus per Seth, il nostro sensale, che spero abbia uno spazio tutto suo in futuro, visto che questo è il primo libro di una lunga serie.
Da leggere? Sì, perché regala qualche ora di piacevole intrattenimento.
June 20, 2012
This is the first book in the new Tucker Springs series. L.A. Witt wrote this book and the next one is going to be written by Marie Sexton/Heidi Sullivan. I have read some L.A. Witt stories that I've quite enjoyed. While this story was solid, it wasn't one of my favorites of hers.
Jason Davis is going through some tough times. He's lost his business partner and his club is in the red, he lost his relationship partner and he's having trouble paying the mortgage on his own, and he has chronic shoulder pain that is so bad it keeps him up at night. After resisting a recommendation from a mutual friend, Jason finally decides to see an acupuncturist even though he can barely afford groceries.
Michael Whitman is the gorgeous doc and he is also feeling the financial strain of the struggling economy. When Jason offers to open his house to Michael and his son, Dylan, it seems like a mutually beneficial arrangement. And it should be easy for Jason not to act on his attraction to Michael because Michael is straight. Or IS he? *cue music*
So this plot was okay and it starts out pretty well, but I personally didn't see the connection between the two MCs. I definitely understood how Jason was attracted to Michael because the story was from Jason's POV and he describes in great detail how super hot Michael is. The definition of tall, dark, and handsome....and then some. It also didn't help that Michael never wears a shirt. But it wasn't really clear to me why Michael all of a sudden decided to question his decades of straight-ness for Jason. I don't actually recall there ever being a description of Jason physically - if there was, it wasn't prominent enough for me to retain it. So I didn't get the sense of a real physical attraction there. There was also no real relationship build - these were two roommates just hanging out and playing video games one day and then the next...? So for me, the relationship just kind of went from 0 to 60 in a couple of pages.
The other place I think that L.A. Witt missed an opportunity was in building up Tucker Springs. This is supposed to be a series involving Tucker Springs and I was hoping to read about a place like St. Nacho's or Promise Rock or Cattley Valley...just a place that is almost magical in the way it brings people together. To me, it just became a setting and that's about it. In fact, Jason didn't even seem to really like it there and Michael was talking about how he would leave if not for his son. Jason also said it should be called Tucker Mud Puddle. None of this would really matter to me if the series itself wasn't called Tucker Springs.
So all in all, a decent story but I am hoping for more with Marie Sexton's book coming next...
Jason Davis is going through some tough times. He's lost his business partner and his club is in the red, he lost his relationship partner and he's having trouble paying the mortgage on his own, and he has chronic shoulder pain that is so bad it keeps him up at night. After resisting a recommendation from a mutual friend, Jason finally decides to see an acupuncturist even though he can barely afford groceries.
Michael Whitman is the gorgeous doc and he is also feeling the financial strain of the struggling economy. When Jason offers to open his house to Michael and his son, Dylan, it seems like a mutually beneficial arrangement. And it should be easy for Jason not to act on his attraction to Michael because Michael is straight. Or IS he? *cue music*
So this plot was okay and it starts out pretty well, but I personally didn't see the connection between the two MCs. I definitely understood how Jason was attracted to Michael because the story was from Jason's POV and he describes in great detail how super hot Michael is. The definition of tall, dark, and handsome....and then some. It also didn't help that Michael never wears a shirt. But it wasn't really clear to me why Michael all of a sudden decided to question his decades of straight-ness for Jason. I don't actually recall there ever being a description of Jason physically - if there was, it wasn't prominent enough for me to retain it. So I didn't get the sense of a real physical attraction there. There was also no real relationship build - these were two roommates just hanging out and playing video games one day and then the next...? So for me, the relationship just kind of went from 0 to 60 in a couple of pages.
The other place I think that L.A. Witt missed an opportunity was in building up Tucker Springs. This is supposed to be a series involving Tucker Springs and I was hoping to read about a place like St. Nacho's or Promise Rock or Cattley Valley...just a place that is almost magical in the way it brings people together. To me, it just became a setting and that's about it. In fact, Jason didn't even seem to really like it there and Michael was talking about how he would leave if not for his son. Jason also said it should be called Tucker Mud Puddle. None of this would really matter to me if the series itself wasn't called Tucker Springs.
So all in all, a decent story but I am hoping for more with Marie Sexton's book coming next...
February 3, 2013
2.5 Stars
Jason Davis recently lost his boyfriend and his business partner. He is struggling to make ends meet despite his overwhelming mortgage and his nearly defunct business (Lights Out, the town's gay night club). Add to that list the excruciating pain that keeps him up at night thanks to a shoulder injury. When his shoulder finally pushes him to a breaking point, he takes a friend’s advice and gives acupuncture a try. Like Jason, Michael Whitman is also struggling to make ends meet. He's a single dad and an acupuncturist. When Jason comes for treatment and suggests a roommate arrangement to alleviate their respective financial strains, Michael jumps at the opportunity.
This book had the makings to be really great. As it turned out, I was disappointed with it. I didn't really connect with either of the main characters. I liked Seth (the tattoo artist) better than Jason or Michael. Jason was okay and I really felt for him but I thought he was too passive regarding Michael's go-stop-go attitude. (Personally, I would have told Michael to hit the road and looked for another roomie!) I didn't like Michael because he seemed cold and aloof. But the bigger problem for me was the lack of an emotional connection between the MCs. Even at the end, the author sums up their situation as having-sex, then not, then having-sex-again and somewhere along the line they kinda, sorta, maybe felt something for each other. Huh? I had a hard time empathizing with Jason and Michael because the struggle boiled down to: we have to live together and we're totally hot for each other but we can't get it on. BFD. There was no love, affection, or intimacy. In my book, that's not romantic. *Yawn.* That's dull. Lastly, Daina's reaction to Michael's coming out? Bull shit. Nice but totally unrealistic.
Bottom line: I'm intrigued by Tucker Springs (I especially like Seth) despite a disappointing start with these lukewarm characters. I hope the next books are better.
Jason Davis recently lost his boyfriend and his business partner. He is struggling to make ends meet despite his overwhelming mortgage and his nearly defunct business (Lights Out, the town's gay night club). Add to that list the excruciating pain that keeps him up at night thanks to a shoulder injury. When his shoulder finally pushes him to a breaking point, he takes a friend’s advice and gives acupuncture a try. Like Jason, Michael Whitman is also struggling to make ends meet. He's a single dad and an acupuncturist. When Jason comes for treatment and suggests a roommate arrangement to alleviate their respective financial strains, Michael jumps at the opportunity.
This book had the makings to be really great. As it turned out, I was disappointed with it. I didn't really connect with either of the main characters. I liked Seth (the tattoo artist) better than Jason or Michael. Jason was okay and I really felt for him but I thought he was too passive regarding Michael's go-stop-go attitude. (Personally, I would have told Michael to hit the road and looked for another roomie!) I didn't like Michael because he seemed cold and aloof. But the bigger problem for me was the lack of an emotional connection between the MCs. Even at the end, the author sums up their situation as having-sex, then not, then having-sex-again and somewhere along the line they kinda, sorta, maybe felt something for each other. Huh? I had a hard time empathizing with Jason and Michael because the struggle boiled down to: we have to live together and we're totally hot for each other but we can't get it on. BFD. There was no love, affection, or intimacy. In my book, that's not romantic. *Yawn.* That's dull. Lastly, Daina's reaction to Michael's coming out? Bull shit. Nice but totally unrealistic.
Bottom line: I'm intrigued by Tucker Springs (I especially like Seth) despite a disappointing start with these lukewarm characters. I hope the next books are better.
January 27, 2013
I really enjoyed the dynamics of the story in this one. It reads as a gay for you style plot and L A Witt pulls it off smoothly. Jason and Micheal are brought together when Jason turns to acupuncture as a last resort for the chronic pain in his shoulder and Michael's practice fits the bill. To cut a long story short, the appointments help but the expense makes it hard for Jason to keep regular visits and he's struggling financially with the upkeep and running of his gay club, his house payments and his life in general - all related to his ex business partner. The treatments do start to help but he also has the problem of being very attracted to Michael and his "hands on" treatments tend to make him feel a little ' uncomfortable ', if you get my drift! Of course he finds out Michael is divorced with two kids so assumes he's straight and out of his league. Circumstances occur that make it circumspect for the two of them to house share, it helps them both out financially but of course being in close contact together the inevitable happens.
There is a lot to enjoy in this book, the chemistry and love scenes sizzle and there is a lot of humour but there is also a lot of emotion so you get a great balance overall. I loved the storyline around Micheal coming out to his family, especially his children. Very nicely handled. Tucker Springs is turning out to be a town full of great characters and I can't wait for the next installments in the series. With great writers of m/m fiction like L A Witt, Marie Sexton and Heidi Cullinan involved, how can it go wrong. Loving them up to now. When you've done this book you must get ' Second Hand ' you'll love them both.
There is a lot to enjoy in this book, the chemistry and love scenes sizzle and there is a lot of humour but there is also a lot of emotion so you get a great balance overall. I loved the storyline around Micheal coming out to his family, especially his children. Very nicely handled. Tucker Springs is turning out to be a town full of great characters and I can't wait for the next installments in the series. With great writers of m/m fiction like L A Witt, Marie Sexton and Heidi Cullinan involved, how can it go wrong. Loving them up to now. When you've done this book you must get ' Second Hand ' you'll love them both.
August 19, 2012
This story didn't work for me, but it might for others. I really felt like the whole story was hollow and needed some meat to it to make it substantial and a read that I would enjoy. There was so much repetition in this book that it really disturbed me as a reader and made me feel as though the author had to keep repeating as filler and didn't have enough substance for the story. I also didn't feel any romance...zero for me. I did come away with knowing a lot about acupuncture.
November 19, 2012
3.5 stars
It didn't really grab me, but it didn't bore me to death either. I didn't feel connected to the characters and Michael is a spineless idiot for me.
I'll be reading more of this series but it's doubtful if I'm ever coming back for Jason and Michael. Chances are, I might be coming back for Seth, though. :D
It didn't really grab me, but it didn't bore me to death either. I didn't feel connected to the characters and Michael is a spineless idiot for me.
I'll be reading more of this series but it's doubtful if I'm ever coming back for Jason and Michael. Chances are, I might be coming back for Seth, though. :D
August 20, 2013
I typically steer clear of books with kids, but I can't quit this series. This book didn't disappoint and I love the feeling of community, aided by the cameos from the other characters in the series. plus, you know, angst :)
June 7, 2012
I finished it in one day, but I doubt Michael and Jason will stay with me for long.
Read
October 6, 2012Can't bring myself to rate this one as it's part of my series, but as a biased member of this series, I enjoy this book and think you should read it!
April 6, 2016
***Audiobook*** 3.5 stars
July 24, 2017
Recensione a cura di Victor per Feel The Book
Veniamo immersi nel mondo di Jason Davis, un ragazzo che risalta facilmente ai miei occhi: il più delle volte il suo modo di pensare e agire rispecchiano molto il mio.
C’è subito un’entrata dura, niente storielle su quali paturnie la vita ha riservato al protagonista. Siamo immersi nel suo dolore, ed esso riesce a ramificarsi tra le pagine e fin dentro di noi.
La trama del romanzo viene tessuta in prima persona a un filone unico, questo agevola moltissimo l’introspezione del protagonista e devo ammettere che, ancora una volta la mano della Witt si sente potente e maestosa. Non ci sono passaggi sconnessi, oppure dove bisogna fermarsi per cercare informazioni su alcune dinamiche o procedure. Adoro il suo modo descrittivo che non rallenta la narrazione o i sentimenti d’amore.
Jason Davis è il titolare di un locale notturno chiamato Light Club, che è situato nel quartiere gay di Tucker Springs. A seguito di un incidente, Jason ha iniziato ad avere un dolore cronico alla spalla. La riabilitazione e varie terapie non hanno migliorato la situazione e questo dolore è entrato a far parte della sua quotidianità, ma sarebbe più corretto dire delle sue nottate insonni.
Gli impedimenti fisici e il continuo malessere di Jason lo hanno ostacolato nella vita sentimentale e con gli affari del locale. Senza contare i problemi con l’affitto della casa e il mutuo del locale: un vero disastro finanziario.
Seth è un amico di vecchia data di Jason, viene presentato come il miglior tatuatore della città, e tutte le volte che ha quei dolori acuti tenta di convincerlo a provare con l’agopuntura. Dopo qualche resistenza a tentare con questa pratica, Jason si convince a provarla.
Seth lo mette in contatto con Michael, un amico d’infanzia, che sa il fatto suo in questo campo.
Michael è un uomo davvero bello e sexy, e di certo non passa inosservato agli occhi di Jason e, seppur scettico, la brama di desiderio che si irradia in lui, è più forte del dolore alla spalla.
Un romanzo dolce e delicato, dove il dolore ha un certo spessore e l’unione riesce a far risollevare le sorti del destino.
Ci sono molti punti interessanti e riflessivi, mi piace come il tutto venga messo in relazione con la leggerezza che soltanto questa scrittrice riesce a dare ad un testo. È riuscita a farmi immergere nei sentimenti di Jason e sono stato rapito fin dal primo istante. Ogni sentimento viene collocato in modo netto e non ci si deve interrogare sul confine tra romanzo e realtà. Adoro l’empatia e soprattutto le scelte stilistiche.
In molti romanzi abbiamo un quadro completo sulla situazione dei personaggi, ma qui, pur essendo utilizzato un solo vettore di comunicazione, si riescono a percepire tutti i passaggi senza troppe difficoltà.
Editing recensione a cura di Lilith per Feel The Book
Veniamo immersi nel mondo di Jason Davis, un ragazzo che risalta facilmente ai miei occhi: il più delle volte il suo modo di pensare e agire rispecchiano molto il mio.
C’è subito un’entrata dura, niente storielle su quali paturnie la vita ha riservato al protagonista. Siamo immersi nel suo dolore, ed esso riesce a ramificarsi tra le pagine e fin dentro di noi.
La trama del romanzo viene tessuta in prima persona a un filone unico, questo agevola moltissimo l’introspezione del protagonista e devo ammettere che, ancora una volta la mano della Witt si sente potente e maestosa. Non ci sono passaggi sconnessi, oppure dove bisogna fermarsi per cercare informazioni su alcune dinamiche o procedure. Adoro il suo modo descrittivo che non rallenta la narrazione o i sentimenti d’amore.
Jason Davis è il titolare di un locale notturno chiamato Light Club, che è situato nel quartiere gay di Tucker Springs. A seguito di un incidente, Jason ha iniziato ad avere un dolore cronico alla spalla. La riabilitazione e varie terapie non hanno migliorato la situazione e questo dolore è entrato a far parte della sua quotidianità, ma sarebbe più corretto dire delle sue nottate insonni.
Gli impedimenti fisici e il continuo malessere di Jason lo hanno ostacolato nella vita sentimentale e con gli affari del locale. Senza contare i problemi con l’affitto della casa e il mutuo del locale: un vero disastro finanziario.
Seth è un amico di vecchia data di Jason, viene presentato come il miglior tatuatore della città, e tutte le volte che ha quei dolori acuti tenta di convincerlo a provare con l’agopuntura. Dopo qualche resistenza a tentare con questa pratica, Jason si convince a provarla.
Seth lo mette in contatto con Michael, un amico d’infanzia, che sa il fatto suo in questo campo.
Michael è un uomo davvero bello e sexy, e di certo non passa inosservato agli occhi di Jason e, seppur scettico, la brama di desiderio che si irradia in lui, è più forte del dolore alla spalla.
Un romanzo dolce e delicato, dove il dolore ha un certo spessore e l’unione riesce a far risollevare le sorti del destino.
Ci sono molti punti interessanti e riflessivi, mi piace come il tutto venga messo in relazione con la leggerezza che soltanto questa scrittrice riesce a dare ad un testo. È riuscita a farmi immergere nei sentimenti di Jason e sono stato rapito fin dal primo istante. Ogni sentimento viene collocato in modo netto e non ci si deve interrogare sul confine tra romanzo e realtà. Adoro l’empatia e soprattutto le scelte stilistiche.
In molti romanzi abbiamo un quadro completo sulla situazione dei personaggi, ma qui, pur essendo utilizzato un solo vettore di comunicazione, si riescono a percepire tutti i passaggi senza troppe difficoltà.
Editing recensione a cura di Lilith per Feel The Book
June 20, 2017
La mia recensione:
http://mmedintorni.blogspot.it/2017/0...
http://mmedintorni.blogspot.it/2017/0...
June 12, 2019
Fab
4.5* What a great story...loved the setup and the characters, the sweet conversations and the scorching sexy times. V enjoyable.
4.5* What a great story...loved the setup and the characters, the sweet conversations and the scorching sexy times. V enjoyable.
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