In this 150,000-word complete collection, Zach and Henry bare it all. You’ll get wild Los Angeles nights, the overwhelming emotional roller coaster of discovering yourself, plans gone awry, adventures, laugh-out-loud moments, and sizzling romance.
I had two things on my list when I arrived in Los Angeles. One, track down Henry Bennington, the uncle and guardian of my little brother’s best friend Tyler, and tell him to get his ass back to Washington—because his nephew was getting out of control. And two, figure out just how non-straight I was.
Nowhere on this list did it say, “Get Tyler’s uncle into bed and fall for him.”
Nowhere.
This is the complete collection of every story revolving around Zach and Henry. All 150,000 words of them, starting with the first novel, Out, continuing with the holiday sequel, Out for the Holidays, and followed by a novella previously only available to Cara’s newsletter subscribers, Out Cruising, as well as brand new content titled Out and About.
I'm often stoically silent or, if the topic interests me, a chronic rambler. In other words, I can discuss writing forever and ever. Fiction, in particular. The love story—while a huge draw and constantly present—is secondary for me, because there's so much more to writing romance fiction than just making two (or more) people fall in love and have hot sex. There's a world to build, characters to develop, interests to create, and a topic or two to research thoroughly. Every book is a challenge for me, an opportunity to learn something new, and a puzzle to piece together. I want my characters to come to life, and the only way I know to do that is to give them substance—passions, history, goals, quirks, and strong opinions—and to let them evolve. Additionally, I want my men and women to be relatable. That means allowing room for everyday problems and, for lack of a better word, flaws. My characters will never be perfect.
Wait…this was supposed to be about me, not my writing.
I'm a writey person who loves to write. Always wanderlusting, twitterpating, kinking, and geeking. There's time for hockey and cupcakes, too. But mostly, I just love to write.
This review is for the bonus novellas at the end. Sort of. I downloaded the first book without realizing there was a collection in one book. Anyway, this is more of a review of the collection as a whole. I guess. Whatever.
With their story completed, I can say this is a solid four star story. I love nothing more than seeing how far some couples go, and we don’t get to see that very often. This was a very full circle story and I appreciated it. It was funny and sweet and sexy and low on angst. They took a while to grow on me, but now that I’m done, I’ll miss them. And goddamnit I want Martin’s HEA.
Absolutely delightful! I'm happy I got to read their story in one go. Zach and Henry made a perfect couple. Zach on his first, and only, try and Henry at the right time in his rather unhappy life. They fit together perfectly. Their friends and small but loving family members added to the perfection of their story. This is a feel good story I will definitely read again.
This really is a full length MM novel about Henry who is 44 and extremely wealthy. He occasionally opens his bookstore in Malibu, California, if he feels like it. He’s detached himself as much as possible from his bigoted family who destroyed his self esteem. He lives alone with his cat, Eagle.
However, he is not a happy man. His orphaned nephew, Tyler, of whom he has sole custody, lives with his horrible snobby grandparents in Camassia, Washington. They have taken him way from his Uncle Henry. Tyler’s best friend Matt lives with his older brother Zachery, and Tyler treats them like his family. Zachery is very worried about Tyler, who lately seems to behaving very badly, he’s rude to his friends, especially if they aren’t as well off as he is.
Zachery, 27 years old is confused about his sexuality and doesn’t know how to find out if he is attracted to men more than women, even though he has had girlfriends in the past, but not very recently. Camassia is a small town with not many people or places to experiment safely. He runs a convenience store and lives in the town to be near his grandmother.
Because Tyler desperately needs help from his Uncle Henry in California and doesn’t keep in contact, Zachery secretly decides to go visit Henry Bennington to help Tyler get his life back in order. He manages to get an address for Henry from the Bennington family lawyer. Seeing as California is a more “out and proud” safe place, Zachery is hoping to kill two birds with one stone and find out more about his sexuality.
Arriving at the bookstore on a dusty Malibu street, the shop displaying a sign, “Open Sometimes”!!! Walking into the store, he picks up the nearest book and approached the counter. He hears sniffling noises as if someone is crying. “Hello, is anyone about” out comes a red eyed man, mid 40’s, extremely tall, and handsome. Zachery is taken aback, and just stares at the man. Instead of introducing himself, he just pays for the book and walks out, his heart thumping in his chest. Is this an answer to some of his questions about himself?
This collection “OUT” apparently combines the full story of Henry and Zachery, their families and friends. It is a really super engaging tale without much or any real angst, plenty of steamy lovey dovey occasions, colourful and exciting side characters. Plus the super chemistry between the May to December couple Henry and Zachery. Well worth the reading time. There is also standalone books about various other characters and their relationship on offer from author Cara Dee. Enjoy.
Re-read: This collection is such a comfort read for me. When I just want a happy couple with minimal angst, lots of steam, surrounded by amazing side characters (including cameos from some others I adore), this collection hits the spot. It spans a couple of years through the different books, and we get to see the evolution of Zack as he comes out and fully embraces himself. I have to actually restrain myself from re-reading this constantly because it's just like a warm hug from my favorite MM author.
***************************** Gah, I just love this collection.
Zach is such a fun character to narrate their story. I absolutely adore joining him as he comes "out" and the life that unfolds because of it. He starts out as this curious guy who is pretty sure he's into guys, but he's never had the chance to explore. And when he meets Henry and he gets that chance... fireworks, man.
I like jumping back into the LA scene with some of our favs from Cara's other books. Crossovers are my jam. This time we get the modeling perspective, instead of as an actor or producer or musician. Zach really blossoms in his new life. He and Henry are perfect for each other.
I think the reason I love this collection so much is because it's just really easy. There aren't a lot of issues or dramas to overcome. We have a little bit but it's never angsty. It's mostly just a slow evolution of Zach and Henry's relationship and Zach really coming into his own now that he's out. It's a sexy and fun read that I know I will reread over and over.
”If a vacation was the feeling of everything finally being wonderful, coming home was the vacation.”
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I’ve already reviewed ”Out” and ”Out For the Holidays” - so this review is for the bonus novellas featured in this omnibus - but the star rating reflects upon the series as a whole! :)
I enjoyed the bonus novellas! I have realized that I’ve become a bit of a sucker for a good adoption trope within the past couple months & I am just so so glad that Zach & Henry were able to extend their family!
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I’m curious if Martin will get a book in the future…♡
Out has long been my favorite Cara Dee novel so in delighted that it’s now available as a complete collection with its sequel, Out For the Holidays, a novella, Out Cruising, and an extended epilogue. This age gap, gay awakening novel features a couple whose journey to love feels very natural and passionate. It all takes place, in part, in Camassia Cove, Washington, so while it’s part of that universe it stands alone just fine.
Zach Coleman travels from Washington to Los Angeles in his old truck to find Henry Bennington, the uncle and guardian of his nephew, Ty, the best friend of Zach's little brother, Mattie. At seventeen, Ty is starting to go of the rails, having adopted a belligerent, misogynistic attitude and hanging around with the wrong crowd. Although Henry has full legal custody, Ty has been living with Henry’s parents since his own parents died. But they’re not doing well by Ty by modeling an entitled attitude and allowing him to misbehave. Zach has decided to take matters into his own hands by confronting Henry.
When he arrives in Malibu, Zach doesn’t expect wealthy Henry to be the cargo shorts wearing owner of an off-the-beaten-path indie bookstore, or to be so rugged and sexy. See, while in L.A., Zach is hoping to explore his newly discovered gay side which he’s been unable to do in small town Camassia Cove. Henry and his BFF, self-proclaimed queen, Martin, take baby gay Zach under their wings to introduce him to gay culture in the big city. But what Zach discovers he wants is Henry, and the feeling is mutual.
Zach’s life has been on hold since his mother died when he was eighteen and Mattie was just eight. Zach has been making a life for them, running a corner store in a poorer section of town. They fortunately still have their Nana around. But for Zach, educating, hobbies, and a social life have all been put on the back burner. He’s ready to make something of himself, to start on a new path, and living temporarily in L.A. while helping Henry and Ty reunite is the beginning of that.journey. But Zach recognizes that it's a fantasy life he’s experiencing and he'll have to go back to the real world before too long.
I love Henry so much. In fact, both leading men are very appealing characters and they have an endearing dynamic. They feel made for each other. While they begin to fall in love, Henry brings Ty to Malibu to sort out their relationship and Ty's troubles. Mattie comes along for the moral support. Ty and Mattie are fully developed characters that add richness to the story. Mattie its adorable.
Martin is an exciting, life-of-the-party type side character who cares deeply for Zach, Mattie, and Ty. Henry and Martin bicker happily like an old married couple. Zach observes, wishing he had friendships like theirs. Other characters from the Camassia Cove universe that appear in this collection include Noah and Julian, Adrian and Dominic, and Casey and Ellis. It’s nice to revisit their lives, but you won’t feel at all left behind if you’re not familiar with any of these men.
Out For the Holidays takes place a year after the end of Out as Zach, Henry, the boys, and even Martin are preparing for Christmas together. Unfortunately, Zach and Henry's dreams of a quiet holiday are repeatedly interrupted. Zach is living a whole new life but it’s been stressful and they’ve been apart too much. Henry had largely gotten over his insecurities about being too old for Zach, but then another man interferes, trying to convince Henry otherwise.
In Out Cruising, Zach, Henry, Noah, Julian, Adrian, Dominic, Casey, Ellis, and of course Martin, all go on a gay cruise together. Zach and Casey decide to role play as flirty twinks for their men and it’s quite entertaining. They indulge in sexy shenanigans and leave the heavy worries at home. Then, when they get home, they begin the rest of their lives together in a whole new way.
The epilogue takes place another eighteen months in the future, celebrating another Christmas. The ending is perfect.
I highly recommend this collection for any contemporary romance readers. It would serve as a great gateway to Cara Dee's work.
ARC kindly provided to Love Bytes Reviews in exchange for an honest review.
Loved it! Nothing like spending a weekend re-reading a book and holiday novella you enjoyed in the past and getting the chance to read more about that couple and how their relationship has evolved.
In the first story of this collection, OUT, we get to experience Zach’s coming out and we witness the development of Zach and Henry’s new-found relationship. As you would expect, this story was packed-full of humor and heat with interesting secondary characters and enough angst to keep you engaged and invested in the romance.
In OUT FOR THE HOLIDAYS, Zach and Henry have to suddenly head out to Mexico right before Christmas and then they head out to Philadelphia to find Mattie, Zach’s brother. Although only 40k words, this holiday sequel manages to showcase not only their connection but also their chemistry and their commitment to each other. I loved this story overall, but I especially enjoyed re-visiting a particular villa in the resort they were staying at. 😉
This is followed by OUT CRUISING, a once exclusive novella only available to Cara Dee’s newsletter subscribers. In this “outtake” we not only get to visit with Zach and Henry, we get to travel with them and their friends on a cruise through the Caribbean. But most importantly, we really get to see how much Zach and Henry have grown as a couple and how important their new-found family is to them. I loved visiting with some of the other Camassia Cove couples and seeing how their dynamic had evolved along with how well they all got along and supported each other.
The brand new content, OUT AND ABOUT, takes place during the holidays where we see get to see Zach and Henry settled into their roles as parents while still being the same sweet, funny and dirty couple we’ve to come to adore.
All in all, a wonderful collection.
and Henry settled in theirwhile visiting with some of the other favorite couples from the same having even more stories to read that takes through all the motions of The wonder, the
Actually this is a re-read of Out & Out For the Holidays, just in this more complete version, in which Henry and Zach have everything they ever needed in the end of it. Have made one of the best families I've ever read.
There was not a dull a moment, the Zach, Henry and Martin kept me engaged and invested throughout and frankly I enjoyed it and appreciated way more than I did the first time around. And I won't even go to all the dirty talk, the kink and generally how mindblowingly hot these two were together.
This book really set a precedence on what I expected from Cara Dee when it comes to kink, sex scenes and all the dirty talk one could handle and to be painfully honest I've noticed that lately her stories lack that bu having pivotal scenes off page or briefly mentioned through a character's musing and thoughts. When it comes to emotional scenes she still can kick our teeth in and punch our hearts out so here's me hoping that she'll start again putting all the kink and holy hawtness our hearts desire ON PAGE!
I absolutely loved the story of Zach and Henry! It gave me those gay for you vibes, but really was a beautiful story of Zach and Henry each finding out who they are and trusting themselves. This is an age gap, M/M story with a little bit of age play kink. Definitely less than some of Cara's books, but she dips her toe into the scene in this book. The side characters were my favorite, they were comic relief and added to the drama. I wonder if Mattie or Tyler will get their own books one day? I am glad I got their whole story in one go. The only think I missed in the story was their wedding. I loved the references to places in Los Angeles, and felt a special connection to them when they went to Yamashiro in Hollywood, because that was where my husband proposed and holds a special place in our hearts. Zach and Henry are another couple of Cara's that will stay with me a long long time.
This was fun, cute, and just a bit boring for me even with the kinks, haha. Zach really grows as a character from beginning to end--you almost can't recognize who he becomes at the very end of everything. It's nice to see the progression and how he becomes more comfortable in himself as well as his relationship.
Most of my "eh" moments are basically just things that I personally don't like so much. It's really mostly just really fluffy in general. Problems are cleared up pretty nicely, I actually wanted a little more... something. The friends are fun, Zach and Henry's lives are fun. I am not fond of children, which is where the book veered off towards the end, but it's really just mostly prevalent at the very end. I wanted more family time with Mattie and Ty.
Overall, just really sweet, mostly. Some kinky sex, which I definitely didn't mind, lol. Liked the book, just didn't personally like the direction of some choices the author made.
I really enjoyed reading about Zach and Henry and loved how their relationship became so loving and caring. Zach was one of my favorite people and I loved how he took such good care of Mattie and when he met Henry he was resistant to being taken care of and I wasn't sure that they would get together. When they did get together it was very sexy and hot and fun and their friends, especially Martin were also fun. I disliked Joseph and the scene where he walked in on Zach and Henry fucking in his bedroom and saw that Henry was the one being fucked and you knew Zach had deliberately done it because Joseph had said that Henry never bottomed for him was hilarious and very satisfying. I loved the kids that they fostered and then were able to adopt and the wonderful family that they made.
I'm going to reiterate once again how much I love chapter titles. They're quirky and fun, and they show an attention to detail that I think is the mark of a good author. This was a great romance, much less angst than I expected from Dee, most of it was quite sweet. Some pacing issues, which I'm sure I've said before about this author. I stick around for the amazing and damaged characters, not the plot arc. I haven't read many of the other Cammasia Cove books, so I was a little lost with some of the side characters, felt like I was missing things. Also, I get disappointed if some if the sexual "firsts" happen off-page.
I’m certain I’m reading books in this series out of order, but I really don’t care!!
I loved Henry and Zach so much, they were perfect for one another and so enjoyable to get to know!
Then there were Martin, Mattie, Ty, Nan, Sam, Hope and a whole cast of friends who added so much in making the story fun!
I liked that once Henry and Zach were committed they were all in, I liked that the story was told from Zach’s point of view, I liked that the ‘schmexy’ scenes were indeeeeeed ‘schmexy’!
Cara Dee is fast becoming my favourite MM author!!
This was a collection. Having had read the first parts. This one was mostly finishing up. Henry & Zach go through the process of fostering 2 siblings. A delay has them on a gay cruise with all their friends. Waxing for Zach, Henry loves. They get the siblings and are so happy together. An epilouge 18 months later at Christmas time has Sam and Rose (the siblings) and Ty and Mattie enjoying Christmas together.
I really liked this collection. The first one, Out, was my favorite. I really liked both MC’s, and I deeply appreciated that although Henry is insecure about the age difference, he doesn’t belabor it and beat it to death like *some* books have done. Loved how sweet the guys are with each other, and how they both find what they need in the other. Also enjoyed the supporting characters. Light, feel good, and well-written.
Everything I thought it would be and I loved it for that.
cute, funny, love angst story of two men falling in love - ok so there was a little drama but that's to be expected. I really enjoyed it, and this format for having all the related content in one place so I didn't have to hunt it all down
Have to admit I only bought this for the extras. Henry and Zach are 2 of my most fave characters, and it was lovely to see them realise their dream of becoming parents. Also great to catch up with several of the other couples from Cara's stories, and to see how the 'other half' live on a gay cruise!! 🛳 🏖🏝🛳
Zachary’s mission to Los Angeles was to save a soul and to test the waters but first, he had to meet up with his brother’s best friend’s Uncle Henry, the hottie. This was a collection of all things Zach, Henry, and the crew. Part I: Zach is funny, cute, and develops an unfiltered mouth. The story is sweet, sexy, and lighthearted. I enjoyed and empathized with the “Cat Caper”. (You’re so upset that you just have to do something…it was so funny). Part II: Although, likable — working on the relationship, surprising discoveries, and settling down; it was a bit meandering. Overall, a charming and romantic read with sexy bits.
This entire series from beginning to end was Fabulous. Wish it hadn’t ended the way it did because I believe there is still more to tell between Henry and Zach. From the moment they meet until the time they finally got their Christmas with no distractions and having to fly around the world. This is definitely a 5 star ⭐️ read. 💜
I read the original book when it, and Zach, first came Out. I enjoyed this extended version and seeing them later in their relationship. The sex was still scorching hot. The roundup of other couples from the Camassia series was nice.
I loved everything about this love story. Zach and Henry were sweet, and funny and just a little bit dirty. And I was here for all of it. I loved all the side characters as well and I'm definitely gonna go back and read some of the other couples stories.
This was wonderful. Cara Dee's characters have such distinct "voices" and it's so much fun to read their stories. This was both funny and emotional at times. And the chapter titles are hilarious.
I’ve read and loved the original two stories in this collection but the additional extras were just amazing as well as all the cameos from other Cassima residents
Zach's carrying for his brother's best friend, Tyler, takes him to LA. He is so overwhelmed when he meets Henry Bennington, Tyler's uncle. His questions about his sexual leanings are answered.