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The Pretenders of Copper County by May Archer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


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Today I finished reading The Pretenders of Copper County by May Archer. It’s the first in her “Copper County” series of male/male romance. Story is told in alternating first-person points-of-view of the main characters, Reed Sunday, undercover bodyguard, and Chris Winowski, shy charcuterie enthusiast.

Reed’s current assignment should be easy enough: pick up his latest protectee in Vermont and keep him safe until his mafia boss uncle signs a plea deal and testifies. What Reed hadn’t counted on was just how adorkable and accident-prone his new charge would be, nor how naive and chatty. When Chris befriends the drug dealer next door and blows their cover, Reed must go on the run with him as they search for a new safehouse. They both end up going undercover as the new caretakers of a rundown campground near O’Leary, NY. Make that married caretakers. The more time Reed spends with Chris, however, the less pretend their relationship seems.

Chris leads the most boring life in existence. When his boss tells him he should open himself to new experiences and seize the day, Chris responds by allowing Reed Sunday to pick him up. Only what Chris thought was a date seems more like a kidnapping, and what’s this about his beloved Uncle Danny being a crime lord? But, when Reed saves him from the midst of a bar brawl (one that Chris might have sort of accidentally instigated), Chris begins to see his protector in a new light. Too bad Reed is only pretending to like him as part of their cover.

This was laugh-out-loud funny, in spite of the danger lurking in the background. I loved how the author wove this story neatly into other series she writes: “Love in O’Leary”, “Sunday Brothers”, and “Whispering Key”. There were so many misunderstandings, especially in regards to Chris and his co-worker, Crys, and there was a lot to unpack and untangle along the way. This was like reading a Ray Cooney play. LOL! Of course, Reed and Chris developed feelings for one another, but neither wanted to say anything for fear the other didn’t feel the same. Maddening. But, what’s a May Archer book without its HEA?

Favorite lines:
♦ I resisted the urge to punch myself in the face.
♦ Was this how I would finally lose my mind?
♦ “Shouldn’t the universe have limits on the number of times a person can mortify himself in one day?”
♦ “He couldn’t walk across an open field without triggering a groundhog rebellion and compelling the bumblebees to fight for him to the death.”
♦ “You did call me the greatest lover of all time, which I think I’m going to have printed on a T-shirt and noted on my Grindr profile.” // “Do with it what you will. Ten out of ten. Excellent service. Will come again.”
♦ “Life’s all about embracing your own personal weird.”
♦ “See how much we have in common? Tell me you like hockey and I’ll make us friendship bracelets right now.”
♦ “Nothing says I want to be committed to you like getting hit in the face with a chair for the person you love, right?”

But, there was also this line: ”I’ve got eleven-eleven-cases that have all gone hot at once.”
Can’t even escape the curse of 1111 in a May Archer book!

Funny, flirty, fabulous, and hot! Five stars!

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.

Hand Picked by May Archer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I rocked through Hand Picked, by May Archer, in two days. It's the second in the "Sunday Brothers" series, but the first I've read. Story is told in alternating first-person point of view of the main characters, Luke Williams and Webb Sunday.

After winning a contest, Luke pulls up stakes and moves to Vermont, convinced he's landed in a fairytale. Unfortunately, the house he won is in shambles and he's forced to live in a small trailer on his property. Luke wants to fix up the house, but money is definitely an object, as is trying to get some help. He's convinced that the residents of Little Pippin Hollow are snubbing him, simply because Webb Sunday still blames Luke for misplacing his son, Aidan, several months ago. Webb knows he shouldn't still be annoyed with Aidan's teacher, Mr Williams, but family is everything to Webb. However, when he and Luke end up in a local bar one night, drinking Rusty Spikes, Webb decides it's time to be a little more neighborly. He and Luke end up blowing the Unity Bugle on the town green, believing it simply symbolizes their new friendship. To the rest of the town, however, it means they're now hand-fasted. Per town law, they must now complete a list of tasks to cement their bond. Luke and Webb have no intention of doing any such thing, but they didn't count on how seriously Hollowans take their match-making. Soon they're being urged, goaded, and tricked into ticking items off the list. However, the better they get to know one another, the less Luke and Webb want to deny the attraction between them. Is it possible that a grumpy apple grower and a too-cheerful teacher will find their fairytale ending?

I didn't just love this book, I effing loved it. I swear, I had the silliest grin on my face all while reading it. Luke is so charming and adorable, how can Webb resist him? Webb's family are all fun, funny, and quite mad. The way the townsfolk made such a big deal of the hand-fasting was a hoot, and the sparks that flew between Luke and Webb were sizzling. Yum! There was just enough conflict to keep things from being an utter fluff-fest (although I do love me some fluff!), and it was just such an enjoyable and uplifting read.

( Favorite lines )

Such an enchanting, delightful story! I want to move to Little Pippin Hollow. Hee! Loved this, and will certainly look for more, not just in the series, but by this author. Five stars!