Release Review: First Light: Christina Lee and Felice Stevens
First Light
(Heartsville#2)
Christina Lee and Felice Stevens
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Buy Amazon | Amazon Universal (Kindle Unlimited)
(Heartsville#2)
Christina Lee and Felice Stevens
Add to Goodreads
Buy Amazon | Amazon Universal (Kindle Unlimited)
Release Date November 26, 2018
Two years after the death of his wife, Aubrey Hendricks is still weighed down by grief. He can’t focus on anything beyond working at the family farm, First Light. At the urging of a friend, he takes a step toward resuming a normal life and reopens the bakery his wife once ran. He places a Help Wanted ad in the local paper, and to his surprise, an applicant shows up the next day.
When Oliver Hansen gets a second chance at life, he grasps it with both hands. Leaving his stressful life in New York, he plans to enjoy the simpler things. Driving to Heartsville in the Pocono Mountains to thank his heart donor’s widower is a top priority. But the brusque man with the melancholy eyes strikes a chord in Oliver. So when Aubrey mistakenly believes he’s there to apply for the bakery job…Oliver takes him up on the offer.
As Oliver busies himself with the grand reopening, he and Aubrey establish a tentative friendship, which soon shifts to blazing attraction. Oliver falls hard for him, yet he can’t help but wonder if Aubrey’s feelings are an attempt to maintain a connection to the wife he’s still mourning. And Aubrey is unsure if Oliver will tire of the slow pace in Heartsville and go running back to the city he loves. The two must successfully navigate the stormy waters of grief, doubt, and their very different lifestyles, or they risk losing both their hearts—again.
*Please note: This is in the same world as our MMM, LAST CALL, except FIRST LIGHT is MM and a complete standalone.
Aubrey Hendricks is a farmer in Pennsylvania that has been grieving the loss of his wife for two years. But it is a lonely life full of hard work and not much living. He is quiet, broody, tired, and isolates himself. He is just beginning to take little steps towards moving on.
Oliver Hansen's entire life also changed two years ago. He was a high powered lawyer in New York who suffered a major health scare resulting in a heart transplant. So for the past two years he has been finding himself again, taking cooking classes, travelling, and trying to find purpose. One step he is now taking is heading to Heartsville, Pennsylvania to meet one of his donor's families.
Oliver Hansen's entire life also changed two years ago. He was a high powered lawyer in New York who suffered a major health scare resulting in a heart transplant. So for the past two years he has been finding himself again, taking cooking classes, travelling, and trying to find purpose. One step he is now taking is heading to Heartsville, Pennsylvania to meet one of his donor's families.
And that puts him right at First Light Farm when Aubrey is looking for help to reopen his wife's old bakery. Fate. Destiny. Chance. Either way, Oliver takes on the unexpected new job and begins a fresh start in Heartsville.
Oliver and Aubrey slowly begin to strike up a friendship. They both could use companionship and a connection. And there is this underlying attraction and pull. But Oliver's got his secret and he is not sure how it will be received. And Aubrey has been through a lot and is not great at communication. They also work together, so it is a fragile situation.
This is a slow burn, emotional, passionate story about unexpected love and blessings coming out of tragedy. I loved that these men were mature, intelligent, patient, and in touch with themselves and their needs. I liked seeing the growth and change in them as they started feeling more alive and appreciating newfound happiness. But there are challenges from the real world and personal fears and insecurities that are realistic concerns due to their situation.
They will both have to be brave and take a leap of faith in order to try to move on and learn how to fully live again and find a new normal.
These authors styles flowed well to form a beautiful, heartfelt, friends-to-lovers story with a twist. The main characters were well developed and easy to like. I was glad to get both of their points of view, and felt their connection, confusion, and chemistry. I enjoyed the dichotomy of the farm setting and short stops in New York. I was glad to get more with Quinn, Gray, and Emery from Last Call. Some of the other side characters were supportive and others I wanted to throttle, but it was a unique and emotional situation to navigate.
Oliver and Aubrey slowly begin to strike up a friendship. They both could use companionship and a connection. And there is this underlying attraction and pull. But Oliver's got his secret and he is not sure how it will be received. And Aubrey has been through a lot and is not great at communication. They also work together, so it is a fragile situation.
This is a slow burn, emotional, passionate story about unexpected love and blessings coming out of tragedy. I loved that these men were mature, intelligent, patient, and in touch with themselves and their needs. I liked seeing the growth and change in them as they started feeling more alive and appreciating newfound happiness. But there are challenges from the real world and personal fears and insecurities that are realistic concerns due to their situation.
They will both have to be brave and take a leap of faith in order to try to move on and learn how to fully live again and find a new normal.
These authors styles flowed well to form a beautiful, heartfelt, friends-to-lovers story with a twist. The main characters were well developed and easy to like. I was glad to get both of their points of view, and felt their connection, confusion, and chemistry. I enjoyed the dichotomy of the farm setting and short stops in New York. I was glad to get more with Quinn, Gray, and Emery from Last Call. Some of the other side characters were supportive and others I wanted to throttle, but it was a unique and emotional situation to navigate.
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Last Call
Quinn Monahan and Grayson Page have been friends since high school. Despite their differences, they’ve been there for each other through thick and thin. Opening Last Call together, a bar tucked away in the small town of Heartsville, PA seemed a natural progression—even if it makes it harder to live with the secret longing they’ve always had for each other.
Hoping to score an easy buck and a place to sleep, unemployed circus roadie Emery Woods chooses Last Call to run a few bets and enjoy a decent beer before moving on. When he finds himself stranded, the unexpected kindness Quinn and Gray show him leads to temporary work and a couch to lay his head. Sensing unresolved history between Quinn and Gray, he squashes his immediate draw to the men, opting to avoid trouble. But as days turn into weeks, denying the attraction is easier said than done.
When the men finally give in to the simmering sexual tension, it quickly develops into more than a way to pass the lonely nights. And as they begin to lean on each other for emotional support, it becomes nearly impossible to think of one man without the other two. But while Quinn and Gray are afraid to cross the line of friendship between them, Emery fears once they do, he’ll quickly be cast aside. A real family is finally within their grasp, but unless the men can learn to trust each other, they just might miss their hearts’ last call home.
***PLEASE NOTE: This is an MMM romance.
Christina Lee
Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son--her two favorite guys. She's addicted to lip balm, coffee, and kissing. Because everything is better with kissing.
She writes MM Contemporary as well as Adult and New Adult Romance. She believes in happily-ever-afters for all, so reading and writing romance for everybody under the rainbow helps quench her soul.
Felice Stevens
I have always been a romantic at heart. I believe that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending around the corner, My characters have to work for it, however. Like life in NYC, nothing comes easy and that includes love, but getting there is oh so fun and oh so sexy.
I live in New York City with my husband and two children. My day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass (or two of red wine). I practice law but daydream of a time when I can sit by a beach somewhere and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there are bound to be a few bumps along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.
Keep up with Felice by signing up for her newsletter!
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