Book 54, 2023

Cherry Picked by May Archer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I used my day off to finish reading Cherry Picked, which is the third book in May Archer's "Sunday Brothers" series. I deliberately waited until this weekend to begin the book, as I knew I wanted to wallow in it. LOL! Story is told in alternating first-person pov between the main characters, Hawk Sunday and Jack Wyatt.

Hawk has been carrying a torch for Jack, his brother's friend and his boss, since he was 17. Now that he's 24, Hawk is tired of waiting for Jack to notice him as anything other than a friend, an employee, and a de facto little brother. Hawk is also tired of reading about romance and not experiencing it himself. Therefore, while out hiking with Jack one day, Hawk asks him to be his first.

Jack adores Hawk; he has ever since they met seven years ago. He can't imagine his life without Hawk in it, but Jack doesn't do relationships. When Hawk propositions him, Jack is utterly bamboozled. He turns Hawk down, but now he can't help but notice that his "little brother" is all grown up and hot as hell. And when Hawk starts talking about creating a Grindr account, Jack is horrified. Worse still is when Simon, the slick, handsome representative of Evola (the company that wants to build a resort near Little Pippin Hollow) starts sniffing around Hawk. Jack is convinced Simon just wants to use Hawk, and he's not going to sit by and allow it to happen.

As always, it's the characters that make these stories so wonderful. Not just the main characters, but familiar ones from previous books, as well as familiar townsfolk. I utterly adored Hawk's friend Crys. She was a riot! Hawk is dead set against the development project, for fear Evola will destroy the pristine wilderness they want to pitch as a marketing ploy. Jack is looking at the development from a more practical standpoint, as in the influx of money that could boost the Hollow's revenue. Hawk takes his stance to the extreme when he initiates a one-man camping protest. While Jack admires him for taking a strong stand, he also can't help but miss Hawk and worry about him. Muddled feelings, misunderstandings, and mix-ups abound, but it all adds to the story and makes the ending that much sweeter.

Favorite lines:
♦ Fortunately, the death blow to my pride and the slow bleed of my smashed-up heart didn't have visible symptoms.
♦ Spontaneous human combustion in Little Pippin Hollow! Film at eleven.
( So many more... )

A delightful read, and one I've been looking forward to for quite some time. Can't wait for the next one, which I'm guessing will feature Reed Sunday and other-Chris. Did this book have its drawbacks? Sure, but I loved it and I'm giving it five stars.