The boys of Woodland Village are back. This time it's Drew's brother, Ryan Adams, that's going through a crisis of doubt. He's always been the guy who breezed through relationships, never getting serious with the women he dates. He doesn't know why, but one-night stands and pretty women don't seem to give him that buzz like before.
Then one night, at his brother's barbecue, he encounters Drew's assistant, Martin Pierson. Martin agrees to design Ryan's new building for his gaming company - Fantasy Arts. As they spend time together in and out of the office, their working relationship grows into friendship and something more. But Martin can’t forgive himself for causing his brother’s death to allow for love. Ryan wants to be Martin’s safe harbor, a steadfast place where Martin can heal his heart. But can Martin put his trust in the notorious playboy of Woodland Village?
Viki Lyn is a successful writer of sexy romance. Her stories are an eclectic mix but it is always romance that drives the story to its final happily-ever-after.
A native of California, Viki travels the world in search of inspiration but calls Arizona home. She shares her beautiful adobe home with her wonderful husband and favorite man (fictional or real).
Well, I finished it, I wasn't sure I would. I wasn't able to connect to either MC, they both had great backstories, but even that didn't make me like them or care about them. Ryan was a Casanova, so what? I didn't really get Martin's issue. No one hated him, said he was a bad guy..nothing negative. Ryan was a good friend, Martin liked him , spending time with him, yet he says, I don't trust you, it won't work, maybe it won't, but at least talk to the guy and don't act like a yoyo. Yes, he was 'straight' but instead of talking to him, or giving him a chance, he is mean and pushes him away, at the same time he wants him. I think Ryan telling him about Steven should have been a hint that maybe there was more to his 'straightness' than met the eye. And Ryan, I felt tried, he tried to talk to Martin, to give them a chance, and went above and beyond in my opinion, maybe a bit too much actually, until the end where it all rushed together. The back and forth was suddenly forgotten and all was going to work out, still no real conversation or anything about it, but hey, sex works! . Others will like it, I'm sure, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
Ryan was the family black sheep. Hard core businessman; hard core womanizer; hard core computer game designer. His father was disappointed when he was younger and did not want to step into the role Daddy planned for him.
Drew is a successful architect, very recently divorced, and outed by his now love and life partner Skye. Daddy Dearest was seriously displeased on the divorce and coming out front and banned Drew from family events. That did not keep Ryan and Drew apart from each other.
Big time success is now keeping Drew so busy, his protégée Martin is tapped to do some design work on a new building for Ryan and his company.
Following their damaged hearts and holding on to each other and their growing affection might not be easy, but Ryan and Martin seem to have an amazing connection.
Drew and his Skye have a singular forever type love, if Drew is not too gun shy in the wake of his divorce.
Sometimes funny things take place: life and love happen, if you let it.
Steamy KU romance and coming to terms with self and life story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is sad, sweet, entertaining and romantic. Ryan and Martin are both suffering from a loss, and the guilt that they feel about them, that occurred in the past. Martin grieves for the brother he couldn't save from drowning a few years before, Ryan is grieving the loss of his childhood best friend. Martin doesn't let people in, Ryan hasn't cared enough to try for more than casual. When Ryan hires Martin to design a new building for his company, and the more time they spend together, the more attracted to Martin Ryan becomes. Which doesn't make sense because while Martin is gay, Ryan is straight. It's a beautiful story about two very likable people who are perfect for each other. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. This is my honest opinion of it.
Ryan is a playboy who never keeps his ladies around very long. Then he meets Martin, his brother Drew's architect assistant, at his Drew's picnic. Martin is assigned to design Ryan's new building for his gaming company. The growth of unexpected attraction draws them together, but Ryan is well known as a playboy and Martin is very out. Both have ugly hidden incidents in their pasts they each obsess over. The story of how they bridge their differences and come to respect and love each other is heart warming.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I enjoyed reading this MM romance, it has a well-paced interesting plot with likable characters who try to avoid their attractions to each other not realizing that what the heart wants cannot be denied. There is: a apparently straight playboy (Ryan), his brother (Drew) & his partner (Skye), Drew’s assistant (Martin), Martin’s sister (Michelle) drama, some twists, secrets, jealousy, strange attractions, confusion, verbal banter, devastating memories, guilt, friendly gaming matches, protectiveness, doubts, warnings, misunderstandings, verbal confrontations, manipulations, a life-threatening incident, compromises, some steam, contentment & a HFN ending.
I enjoyed this second book in the Woodland Village series. This one focuses on Ryan who has always thought of himself as straight, well mostly and Martin who is completely open about being gay. When these two meet, sparks fly, emotions are set loose and chemistry plays a big role in causing confusion for these two. I enjoyed the interactions between these two and the way they had to face painful events in their pasts in order to move forward into the future.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Ryan dates women and Martin dates men but they can't deny the attraction they feel for each other. They both have their secrets. Can they help each other overcome them. I really enjoyed this book. Ryan and Martin learn to trust and depend on each other.
Ryan Adams is intelligent, successful, charismatic man who attracts women to him like bees are to honey. When it comes to love and romance, Ryan has an unapologetic ‘love ‘em and leave ‘em’ philosophy that has worked for him for many years. But here lately, Ryan is feeling restless and he can’t shake the envy he feels as Ryan’s watched his brother, Drew, fall in love and into a committed relationship. Because of Drew’s happiness, Ryan begins to wonder if the revolving door to his bedroom isn’t everything he thought it was cracked up to be.
When Ryan spots an attractive male, Martin, at his brother’s cookout, he is immediately intrigued by his brother’s co-worker. Even though Ryan has always thought he preferred the fairer sex, he has to fight the urge to not sweep Martin in his arms, and find out why he’s so captivated by the handsome man. When Ryan finds out that Drew has no time to design the new building for his gaming company, Ryan jumps at the chance to work with his brother’s assistant, Martin, so he can get to the know him and find out why he’s so drawn to him.
Martin Pierson knows that designing a building for Ryan’s company is the break he’s been looking for. He instinctively knows this opportunity will jump start his career and hopefully give him the nudge he needs to make him more established in his career. But one of the drawbacks to this dream job is working with the very sexy and very unobtainable, Ryan. Ryan is everything Martin finds attractive in a man, but since he’s an unapologetic player and very straight, Martin is determined to push his attraction and budding feelings he has for Ryan aside. As the men continue to work together, Martin begins to see the man behind the cool façade, and he can’t keep from falling for him. But there are past hurts that both Ryan and Martin have kept buried deep inside them. Will they be able to work through their barriers of fear and past haunts and take a chance on finding true love?
I have to confess that I’m totally addicted to the Woodland Village series. All of the characters in these books are intriguing, likeable people, and I can’t get enough of reading about them. I admit, when I first started the story, I wasn’t sure if I’d like Ryan. He’s a player and pretty much knows he’s all that and a bag of chips, so I figured he’d be a one-dimensional character. Wrong! Ryan is so much more than what he appears, and little by little as he started revealing his true self, I began to love him. For years, he’s been fighting guilt and turning his back on his sexual attraction to men (for reasons you have to read and find out why) and because of this, he has built a wall around his heart. I appreciated the intense feelings and attraction he had for Martin, and his determination to find out why he felt the way he did about him.
Martin was another character I loved. He’s smart, handsome and is extremely frustrated that he’s attracted to the seemingly straight Ryan. At first, Martin is hesitant of hanging out with Ryan because he instinctively knows Ryan is someone who he can fall in love with. I loved watching these men dance around each other, as the sizzling chemistry between them practically smoked up my e-reader’s screen. I also appreciated how they seemed to genuinely like each other, and ended up having a deep respect and camaraderie between them. They were truly a sexy and well matched pair, and I loved watching them work through their many issues, so they could be together.
I do wish this book had been longer. Even though it is part of a series, I did feel like there were some issues they still needed to work through, but it was still obvious they would eventually achieve their HEA. I thought the book ended a little abruptly, and wish there had been another chapter or three to solidify things a little more. But having said that, I still loved this story and this couple and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
Ms. Lyn has a way of really getting to the heart of her characters. Her characters are flawed and do not always make the right decisions, but she has a way of still making them likeable, good-at-heart people that will live long in my mind after I’ve finished reading their story. I’m looking forward to reading more by Ms. Lyn and will actively be looking for more books written by her in the future. If you’re looking for an emotionally charged series with unique and interesting characters, the Woodland Village series is definitely for you!
Here are the Woodland Village books in series order:
Reviewed by Stacey Jo: This is the second book in the Woodland Village series by Viki Lyn. This one featured Ryan Adams, Drew's younger brother and Martin Pierson, Drew's architect assistant, both smaller characters from the first book. We get to see a little of Drew and Skye in this second book.
Ryan has the reputation of a player with the ladies, although he has a secret in his past. He meets Martin at Drew and Skye's BBQ and it ends up that Martin will be the one to design Ryan's new building for his video gaming company. They spend a lot of time together in the process and Martin realizes very early on that he's falling for Ryan, but he doesn't want to jeopardize his job by starting something with the bosses brother or with a seemingly straight man who will only break his heart when he refused, in the end, to commit to a gay relationship. Martin even devises a clever way to try to end their relationship, or whatever they might be calling it at such an early stage, with the help of his sister, but Ryan refuses to let Martin crush what they could have. Meanwhile, Martin has to leave the state to exorcise some personal demons of his own. Ryan realizes how much Martin needs him and makes a grand gesture in going after him. In the end, Ryan's persistence and charm prove too much for Martin to withstand and he finally accepts that he and Ryan could make a great couple.
First of all, you don't have to read the first book in order for this book to make sense, although I would suggest it. There are bits and pieces, and little references, that will make so much more sense if you've read the first. This one also has a good bit of angst with Ryan chasing after Martin, once he decides, and then Martin doing everything to end what they've just started. It's a well crafted story with the same lovable cast of character that we met in the first book. A big theme of this book is also redemption or personal forgiveness, as both of them have a lot eating at them.
I did have two problems, or more like issues with this book. The problems between Martin and his dad felt unresolved. That was a big hangup for Martin and I don't remember there being any type of real resolution. And I think the story should have gone on just a little longer. Or here would have been an excellent place for an epilogue, They haven't returned back home yet so we're not sure how people will react to them as a couple and how that will affect Ryan's and how he views them as a couple. Sure, he says he's there for good, but when he's faced with coming out as a gay man, or at least bi, can he truly handle it. An epilogue, say six months or a year later, would have been the perfect way to show that Martin and Ryan were doing well together and wrap up any lose ends such as the issues in Martin's life.
Despite any issues I may have had, and they were minor, this was another well written book by Vicki Lynn. The dialogue was tight. The characters are endearing and lovable. The sex is hot. This is definitely and author worth looking into.
Ryan’s Harbor is the second book in the Woodland Village series. The MCs are Ryan Adams a game developer who owns his own company, Fantasy Arts, and Martin Pierson an architect. The story is told in third person from both Ryan and Martin’s povs.
3.5 stars. I liked this second book in this series much better than the first. In this story, we have Ryan Adams, brother of Drew from the first story, and Martin, Drew's assistant, getting together. Ryan is a total player - has a new girl every time we see him in book 1 and as this story opens, he's been single for a few months, so he seems to be looking. He finds himself attracted to Martin while at a barbecue at Skye's place, but luckily there is one single woman there that he focuses on because he doesn't want to deal. However, once Ryan starts working with Martin on the design of his new building, things take another turn. It seems that both men have had some serious losses and drama in the past and that serves to make them very shy of relationships and commitment. There are some other family issues that surface as well. All in all, I liked how the story progressed with the men and their attraction and relationship. I look forward to the next book.
Original review on Molly Lolly Three and a half stars! This story was very interesting. Both Ryan and Martin had enough baggage to make a relationship an unlikelihood that it makes you wonder how they managed to make it work. But they lean on each other when they needed to. They also pushed each other away when they weren’t ready to lean yet. Martin and Ryan worked well together when they finally got there. They just have more things to overcome before they can make it “forever”. My biggest issue was how Ryan kept comparing Martin to women. It made sense for Ryan to have those thoughts since he thought of himself as straight before, despite past actions. But to harp on it, and to even say some of those thoughts out loud to Martin was disrespectful to Martin, women, and their budding relationship.
A nice follow up to Blue Skye, but I didnt get into this one quite the same - 3.5*
Ryan, Drew from Blue Skye's brother, is straight, a bit of a player, doesn't do relationships - all big ticks in the No column for Martin, Drew's assistant. However, Ryan is confusing himself with his mixed messages about Martin whilst Martin is putting him firmly in the No Go Area. I would have liked to see more of the development between the two, as I never really go a feel for Ryan's dilemmas - felt it was more told. I liked Martin but at times felt he was portrayed a bit too female. However, liked it as a follow up to book one, enjoyed it, it was fast paced and read well.
I liked visiting the Village again to meet up with Skye and Drew through Ryan and Martin.
The books ends very suddenly though. I am not convinced that Ryan will be able to take the steps necessary to have an out and proud relationship with Martin. I hope so. It ended in a very HFN. I am not sure how things will go when they return to the Village.
2.5 stars. Ok m/m romance about the architect from Blue Sky'e gay assistant and the architect's straight brother - this was a better read than Blue Skye, but be warned that the HFN ending suggests there could be more books in the future... *sigh*
Not a bad gay-for-you romance with likeable characters. I am just a bit disappointed that the story hasn't made better use and flesh out the conflicts and it has a rather rush ending.