Book 118, 2023

[chez_jae]

Sweet as Honey by Lucy Lennox

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I began reading Sweet as Honey late last night and finished it this afternoon. It's the second book in author Lucy Lennox's "Aster Valley" series of male/male romance. The main characters are Sam Rigby and Truman Sweet.

Needing a break from his dysfunctional family in Houston, Sam has decided to visit friends in Aster Valley. Before he even enters town, however, he comes across an adorkable young man in a bee costume being harassed at the side of the road. Sam intervenes, putting himself into the middle of small town drama. The more time he spends with Truman, however, the more Sam is thinking of uprooting from Houston and taking up residence in Aster Valley.

Truman tries to stay under the radar. He keeps his head down, runs his business, and tries to avoid the Stanner family. When he's saved from one of the Stanner brothers by a hottie on a motorcycle, Truman begins to want different things from life--things for himself for once. As the danger around him escalates, so too does the heat between Truman and Sam, and for once in his life, Tru is determined to fight for something.

This was difficult to read. I loved the story, the setting, and the characters, but I swear my blood pressure nearly went through the roof each time poor Truman was hassled, harassed, and hunted. It brought forth my inner Irish brawler! Grr! It was lovely, however, to see Sam supporting Truman all while giving Tru the courage to stand on his own. This was on top of Sam being gaslighted, manipulated, and taken advantage of by his mother and sisters. Galling! It was also wonderful for Truman to realize that he had a stronger support system around him than he'd been aware of, and to learn to lean on others for help. The plot was gripping, and characterizations were marvelous--even the "bad guys" were portrayed well. I enjoyed seeing plenty of Tiller and Mikey from the first book in the series, and I'm looking forward to more.

Favorite lines:
♦ It was so frustrating to see grown adults cut off their noses to spite their faces.
♦ "Why don't I fix it for you while I'm in town?" // Truman's mouth opened, but nothing came out. // "It's the least I can do for helping you yesterday and having my bike crushed by your assailant." // His mouth closed with a click. "That's sarcasm." // "Indeed."
♦ How many kinds of cumin were too many for a cumin chicken date?
♦ "Sometimes protecting yourself means you can't keep protecting everyone else."
♦ "That guy is a meddling prick," I muttered. // "No kidding. Also a pompous windbag, which is an expression I've always wanted an excuse to use."
♦ "This doesn't call for some kind of slapdash payback attempt. This calls for a magnificent, well-planned, and expertly executed vengeance extravaganza."

Exciting story (although not always the 'good' kind of excitement!), and I am eager to read more in the series. Five stars.