Book 63, 2023

[chez_jae]

The Secret by May Archer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Over the course of 24 hours, I powered through The Secret by May Archer. This is the third part of her "Love in O'Leary" series of male/male romance. Main characters in this one are Micah Bloom, new to O'Leary and trying to establish a floral business, and Constantine Ross, whose family is established in O'Leary, along with their business, Ross Landscape and Flowers.

Con is struggling. His old car just died, and money is tight. He works for the family business without pay, still trying to make amends for something rash and stupid he did in his teens that nearly lost his family everything. Con has no way to pay for a new car...until Micah Bloom, his family's biggest competition, offers him a job. Constantine would like to say no just on principle, but he really does need a paying gig, and Micah is easy on the eyes.

Micah isn't as interested in local business as he is in getting established in the area, which is a wedding destination. That's where the real money lies. Nevertheless, he gamely sets up a booth each Saturday at the farmer's market, where he has to put up with Constantine Ross' antics across the aisle. Con is charming, irritating, and too damned gorgeous for Micah's peace of mind. When he learns his nemesis needs a job, Micah offers to hire him. He could use the help, and he knows Con needs the money. Now, if only he can keep his mind on his business and not on Constantine.

This was a sweet, funny story. I love how Con and Micah bickered. Con can't not wind Micah up any chance he gets, and the two of them dancing around their attraction to one another was epic. It was heartwarming to see them learning more about each other and thus understanding each other better. As always, other characters add a lot to the story, from Con's family (whom we're familiar with from The Gift) to Micah's impudent twin sisters and his unicorn-loving niece. Of course, there are some misunderstandings and hurt feelings, but O'Leary has a way of smoothing the path to true love. Amazing!


♦ When life hands you lemons, you juggle those fuckers and make somebody laugh.
♦ "I don't think I've ever seen you depressed before, Connie. It's adorable. You're like a bewildered little kitten." // "Just what every man dreams of having a beautiful woman compare him to. A kitten." // "Ruh roh. This is more serious than I thought. Did some boy dare reject you? Or was it a girl, you bisexual beast, you? Tell Jordan all about it, precious, and we'll come up with a plan. I'll hold your earrings."
♦ "You succeeded in distracting me against my will."
♦ My ability to flirt with a passably-cute guy like he was all three Hemsworth brothers at the same time was one of the few true talents I possessed.
♦ If life were fair, someone with a stick lodged so firmly up his ass would look the part. He should be oily and sneering. Hooked-nosed and dressed in black. He should basically look like Severus Snape, but before we all got sympathetic toward him.
♦ The brilliantly idiotic idea to employ Constantine Ross that had leapt into my brain in a way that made me rethink all my grandmother's ideas about religion because demonic possession was real, goddammit.
♦ The train to Good Choices had left the station and I was not on board.
♦ "No consideration for the fact that I singlehandedly saved O'Leary from a werewolf attack last night? I mean, yes, it turned out that Mrs Quinn's werewolf was actually a stray dog in her garage, but it all could have ended in tragedy."
♦ "What part of not talking confuses you, Ross? I'm not sure how to break it down into smaller words you can understand. Oh! I know. It's like, if this conversation was a tiny, precious seed? And that seed didn't shut the fuck up, so I drove this van over it." // Con slapped a hand over his mouth. "Oh shit. You do have a sense of humor. It's just dark and bitter like your coffee."
♦ Have you ever felt like a part of you--the rational, sensible part of you--was watching from a distance in horrified fascination, perhaps eating popcorn, as the irrational, idiot part of you was about to make a Very Large Error?
♦ I was so startled I clapped a hand to my bosom like I had a fucking bosom.
♦ Rational Micah wasn't even eating popcorn anymore; he'd graduated to silently rocking himself in his corner and hoping the trauma would end.
♦ "I'm going to start a band. Even though I can't sing for shit. Just so I can call us Backwoods Floral Mafia."

Lovely story, start to finish. Five stars!

Comments

[wpadmirer]

I have fallen in love with some of the M/M series I can get on my Kindle. I plowed through the Sunday Brothers series.

I'll have to check these out!

[chez_jae]

I love the Sunday Brothers! These O'Leary ones are just as good. You'd enjoy them.