Reviews: The Making of Jonty Bloom and A Long Way Back: Barbara Elsborg
The Making of Jonty Bloom
(Unfinished Business #1)
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Finding his fiancé in bed with his brother was bad enough, finding out they’re getting married is the final blow.
Devan Smith needs to cool his anger. He needs to forget the lies and betrayals and work on resetting his life. When his boss orders him to scope out a remote hotel for a possible buyout, Devan’s only interested in getting the job done and getting out. What he’s not interested in is the guy with the piercings, bleached hair, and the smart, kissable mouth behind the reception desk.
Working the hotel reception is the only thing that’s stable in Jonty Bloom’s unstable life. His best friend has had a terrible accident, his ex refuses to move on, and his eight-year-old self is still waiting for his mother to collect him from school. Jonty needs his job. What he doesn’t need is the rude, arrogant, and hot as they come guy who’s rocked up demanding he be let into his room right now.
Thrown together by a freak accident, Devan and Jonty’s lives entwine, and neither wants to loosen the knot. Can the irrepressible Jonty be the reset Devan needs? Can Devan be the making of Jonty Bloom, or will secrets drive them apart?
Devan Smith’s life imploded five months ago and he is still pissed off, bitter, angry, hurt, and lashing out over it. He definitely had reason. His boss send him on an assignment to get away, get his head together, and check out a possible investment in a new hotel. There he encounters the impossible Jonty Bloom at the hotel desk.
Jonty is quirky, vibrant, sarcastic, and says whatever comes into his mind, no matter how inappropriate...which often gets him into trouble. And that gets Devan's attention right away, but not necessarily in a good way. Jonty is generally a positive and outgoing person that just jumps in and tries to handle everything as best as he can despite the fact that his own personal life is a dumpster fire. At first these two clash and they give good snark, but then something happens that brings them together. And slowly we start to see the development of a friendship, attraction, and feelings. Jonty is sunshine to counteract Devan's dark cloud. But Devan has a secret that could affect Jonty's future and what Jonty thinks of him.
These two literally help save each other from their demons and start to bring each other back to life. They learn to live, laugh, compromise, and love. I liked their little adventures and how they could push and challenge each other. Once Devan’s anger started receding, I really liked him. He appreciated Jonty's quirks and wanted to support him like no one ever had before. He was protective, generous, caring, supportive, and sure of what he wanted. I felt really bad for Jonty because he had so much loss and pain in his life and it seemed like everyone always left him...except the ex that kept threatening him. There was a bunch going on under the surface that could ultimately rip these two apart. So both of them had to be cautious about how fast they let their hearts get involved.
The side characters added more drama and humor at times. There really is quite a bit of drama surrounding these two. I’m excited that there is a side character that’s going to get his own book because I was very interested in that. And we’re going to get Jonty's Christmas and I can’t wait for more with him and Devan.
A Long Way Back
(Unfinished Business #2)
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A serious accident may have left Tay’s body broken, but he’s determined to live an independent life at any cost. Except he’s barely coping. Alone and isolated in London, his only solace comes from the pain numbing drugs he’s become addicted to.
Ink’s on the run. He keeps his head low, but London streets don’t feel safe. The only way to stay under the radar is to keep moving and not let anyone or anything get close. But the stray mutt that’s latched onto Ink has other ideas.
A chance encounter and Ink’s bungled attempt to free himself from his four-legged companion leads to the offer of a job as a live-in helper. Tay’s moody and difficult, but he’s also scared and vulnerable, and Ink finds himself saying yes when he should be saying no.
Can Tay and Ink find a clear path on the road towards true love? Or will their broken lives prove to be one roadblock too many?
This is the second book in the Unfinished Business series but can be read as a standalone.
This story has dark elements and possible triggers for some—bullying, death of a minor, violence, terrorism and drug addiction.
I was so intrigued by Tay's story after reading The Making of Jonty Bloom. He has lived through something horrible that was no fault of his own and is still struggling with the repercussions. We finally get his point of view about what happened. He is still recovering physically, depressed, angry, lonely, lost, and using poor coping mechanisms.
Ink is a man just living day to day. He has been through something that caused complete destruction to his life and has no hope of a good future or happiness. His demons never leave him and some keep chasing him, so he can never stay still for long. But brief contact with Tay ends up with him being his caregiver. And along the way, they begin to connect. Ink can see through Tay's issues and pushes him to do better and not take his life for granted. And Tay gives Ink something he wishes he could finally stay for.
Two broken young men who have suffered so much and robbed of their lives and happiness. Secrets that threaten to come between them. The inkling of hope from a connection that neither expected. A fight to save each other and what they could have.
This installment deals with darker subjects and a lot of past pain and current issues. But I felt that it was not handled in such a heavy-handed way that it was too depressing for the reader. I was invested in both Tay and Ink's journeys. Despite what they had been through there was an innocence and vulnerability to their relationship that touched my heart. And their snarky banter adds some humor. They both are survivors in a game that they never wanted to play but were thrust into anyway and had to deal with the consequences. I was rooting for them to overcome and find acceptance, true love, and redemption.
It is angsty, emotional, tragic, inspiring, mysterious, and has a few surprises. It is a longish book and will admit at a few times it might have dragged a bit, but it might have just been me wanting to know all of Ink's secrets faster and to see if Tay and Jonty would find a resolution. But there were also bits that surprised and had me gripping my kindle harder.
These two books intertwined really well and I am looking forward to more with Jonty's Christmas story. Yes there are much needed cameos eventually, and there is another side character that I would be interested in reading more about as well.
Barbara Elsborg
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Barbara Elsborg lives in Kent in the South of England. She always wanted to be a spy, but having confessed to everyone without them even resorting to torture, she decided it was not for her. Volcanology scorched her feet. A morbid fear of sharks put paid to marine biology. So instead, she spent several years successfully selling cyanide.
After dragging up two rotten, ungrateful children and frustrating her sexy, devoted, wonderful husband (who can now stop twisting her arm) she finally has time to conduct an affair with an electrifying plugged-in male, her laptop.
Her books feature quirky heroines and bad boys, and she hopes they are as much fun to read as they were to write.
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