The truth is harder to hide when someone sharp starts poking around.
Grant Eastbrook hit the ground crawling after his wife kicked him out. Six months later, in Seattle without a job or a place to live, he escapes to the woods of nearby Vashon Island to consider his options. When he’s found sleeping outdoors by a cheerful man who seems bent on irritating him to death, Grant’s plans to resuscitate his life take a peculiar turn.
Oliver Rossi knows how to keep his fears at bay. He’s had years of practice. As a local eccentric and artist, he works from his funky home in the deep woods, where he thinks he has everything he needs. Then he rescues an angry man from a rainy ditch and discovers a present worth fighting the past for.
Amid the buzz of high summer, unwelcome attraction blooms on a playing field of barbs, defenses, and secrets.
Standalone romance novel. HEA.
Amazon
Ooof. This book was a long, rambling mess. If it was cut in half with a good editor and fact checker, it could be good. But as it stands, sorry. It’s terrible.
Let’s see. Grant is fairly recently divorced. From a very successful woman. And apparently he had the world’s worst divorce lawyer because he doesn’t get alimony. He works at a copy store. Because that is all he has done. Until he is all but fired, so he quit. Which is STUPID.
With no money, no job and no car, he gets himself to an island off of the coast of Washington state. He remembers his former brother in law buying a cabin there to rehab as a summer home. So he figured he would crash there for a while. Except it isn’t a cabin, it is more like a shed and he is better off outside. Until he is busted- by said former brother in law. Who brought one of his sons. Luckily the one who really likes Grant, because this kid is the black sheep of the family.
‘
The kid and Grant go for a walk. And somehow fall asleep. IN A DITCH. Like no big deal, that happens. And Oliver finds them and brings them home.
Oliver is a super eccentric artist. Who likens himself a therapist with zero training. That’s cool, right? He doesn’t call himself a therapist, but he has sessions with people. OMG the rolling eyes.
This happens, that happens, Grant and Oliver come to an agreement so that Grant can use basic ammenities for doing things for Oliver. Trim the hedges, do the grocery shopping. It was stupid. I get that Oliver, the not therapist, thought he was helping Grant, but really it was terrible. Grant had to practically grovel.
Come to find out Oliver has issues. BIG SHOCK. We don’t know the extent of those issues. But big issues.
Grant takes a few tweens under his wing- including his former nephew for nature walks and the like. He never seems to think to ask for parental permission. Nor does Oliver who watches from the wings.
Oh, Oliver also has a friends with benefits. And decides all of a sudden to give the guy an ultimatum. A guy who spends most of his time in Asia as a journalist chasing a Pulitzer. Sure, he will drop everything to become a monogamous boyfriend on an island in Washington.
I can’t even go on. I finished the book. I thought maybe it would redeem itself. It didn’t. I promise. And it is a long book- over 400 pages. Wasted time that I will never get back.
1.5 Pieces of Eye Candy