Release Review: Grumpy Bear: Slade James
Hooking up with an employee is not on my to-do list.
Making sure other men have a good time is my business, even if it means suppressing my own desires. It’s opening weekend at my clothing-optional campground, guests are starting to arrive, and I’ve got a pool party and a few hundred peoples’ vacations to save while battling Mother Nature’s tantrums.
The last thing I need is a temporary employee who can’t even put up a tent.
Luke Cody’s not my type. He’s too young, too pretty, and too much like my late partner. Another flaky musician? No thanks. But when a storm blows down his campsite, I can’t just leave him outside and soaked to the bone. Now he’s staying in my cabin, sleeping in my bed, and worst of all, he’s completely ignoring the proverbial sign over my head that says Grumpy Bear: Do Not Approach.
I’m not quite as immune to his charms as I want him to believe, but he’ll only be here for a few days.
Nothing’s going to happen…
Grumpy Bear is a boss/employee, grumpy/sunshine romance set at a gay campground full of bears. (Not shifters; the other kind of bears.) It’s the first full-length book in the Bear Camp series and can be read as a standalone.
What do lumberjacks do at a gay, clothing-optional campground during the off-season? Play with wood, of course.
It’s time for the Jackolympics, the camp’s annual wood-splitting competition. This year I’m more determined than ever to win because I’ve got skin in the game.
I fell in love with Gunner the first night I met him. Two and a half years later, I’m still deep in the friend zone. I can’t go another season without telling him how I feel.
The wager is: if I win, he has to go on a date with me.
The Uncut Wood is a 12,000-word short story prequel to the Bear Camp series, featuring friends to lovers, a cabin in the woods, and a kilt-wearing lumberjack. This story can be read as a standalone.
When I first read the description, I was not sure...naked bear-type men...camp. But I will freely admit that I loved this book and cannot wait for more at Bear Camp!
Sawyer runs a clothing-optional men's camp and there is always work to be done and issues to deal with. So he does not spend a lot of time on niceties. And he does not really do hookups or relationships. He is big, burly, stoic, intimidating, and truly a grumpy bear.
Luke Cody is just looking for a break, even if it only provides him some food, cash, and lodging for one weekend. He has just made the trek from Cali to Edgewood to follow his music dreams, but he is almost out of money and has no prospects. His new friend, Austin, is sure he can get him at least a weekend gig at the camp.
Luke is allowed to stay, but the situation is not perfect. It involves an irritated bear making him follow him around, a tent, a monsoon, and there is a lot of testosterone around.
Sawyer is adamant Luke is absolutely not his type, but somewhere along the way a bit of a protective instinct starts to emerge as well as an unwanted attraction. Luke seems to naturally draw Sawyer in and get under his skin.
These two are so opposite, but so endearing. Dark cloud vs. sunshine. Do not engage vs. can't shut up. Musclebound bear vs. lanky otter. Hairy beast vs. Hippie Surfer Cowboy. Set in his life and just trying to find his way. But they also share a few common interests and are both fantasy book nerds and have an artistic flair. And they somehow find a connection they never expected.
But they both have issues stemming from their pasts, and they seem to be indifferent phases of life. Luke is in limbo and determined to follow his dreams wherever they take him. And Sawyer has obligations that keep him rooted. Even though it was mostly on a weekend, it did not feel rushed because I believed in their connection and it seemed to happen organically.
This is an engaging, witty, hot, emotional, opposites-attract, M/M romance set at a men's camp. The setting feels so real and I could picture all the different areas of camp. I freakin' loved both Sawyer and Luke. They are just so layered, so likable, and have such good hearts that I could not help but root for them. The side characters are fun, quirky, and at times dramatic.
Slade James' writing style flows well and sucks you into this vivid world. It is hard to believe this is his first full-length novel because it is so well done. And it feels like a book written by a man with experience from a real man's perspective. For example, during the sex scenes there is a lot of talk about body hair and armpit sniffing etc. being sexy. So it made it more edgy and raw at times. But the emotional connection is as important as the physical.
I already enjoyed the novella The Uncut Wood about Hank and Gunner. I have definitely found a new author to follow. I am looking forward to more with Austin. I would love to see sweet Jim find him some love.
Sawyer runs a clothing-optional men's camp and there is always work to be done and issues to deal with. So he does not spend a lot of time on niceties. And he does not really do hookups or relationships. He is big, burly, stoic, intimidating, and truly a grumpy bear.
Luke Cody is just looking for a break, even if it only provides him some food, cash, and lodging for one weekend. He has just made the trek from Cali to Edgewood to follow his music dreams, but he is almost out of money and has no prospects. His new friend, Austin, is sure he can get him at least a weekend gig at the camp.
Luke is allowed to stay, but the situation is not perfect. It involves an irritated bear making him follow him around, a tent, a monsoon, and there is a lot of testosterone around.
Sawyer is adamant Luke is absolutely not his type, but somewhere along the way a bit of a protective instinct starts to emerge as well as an unwanted attraction. Luke seems to naturally draw Sawyer in and get under his skin.
These two are so opposite, but so endearing. Dark cloud vs. sunshine. Do not engage vs. can't shut up. Musclebound bear vs. lanky otter. Hairy beast vs. Hippie Surfer Cowboy. Set in his life and just trying to find his way. But they also share a few common interests and are both fantasy book nerds and have an artistic flair. And they somehow find a connection they never expected.
But they both have issues stemming from their pasts, and they seem to be indifferent phases of life. Luke is in limbo and determined to follow his dreams wherever they take him. And Sawyer has obligations that keep him rooted. Even though it was mostly on a weekend, it did not feel rushed because I believed in their connection and it seemed to happen organically.
This is an engaging, witty, hot, emotional, opposites-attract, M/M romance set at a men's camp. The setting feels so real and I could picture all the different areas of camp. I freakin' loved both Sawyer and Luke. They are just so layered, so likable, and have such good hearts that I could not help but root for them. The side characters are fun, quirky, and at times dramatic.
Slade James' writing style flows well and sucks you into this vivid world. It is hard to believe this is his first full-length novel because it is so well done. And it feels like a book written by a man with experience from a real man's perspective. For example, during the sex scenes there is a lot of talk about body hair and armpit sniffing etc. being sexy. So it made it more edgy and raw at times. But the emotional connection is as important as the physical.
I already enjoyed the novella The Uncut Wood about Hank and Gunner. I have definitely found a new author to follow. I am looking forward to more with Austin. I would love to see sweet Jim find him some love.
The Uncut Wood
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What do lumberjacks do at a gay, clothing-optional campground during the off-season? Play with wood, of course.
It’s time for the Jackolympics, the camp’s annual wood-splitting competition. This year I’m more determined than ever to win because I’ve got skin in the game.
I fell in love with Gunner the first night I met him. Two and a half years later, I’m still deep in the friend zone. I can’t go another season without telling him how I feel.
The wager is: if I win, he has to go on a date with me.
The Uncut Wood is a 12,000-word short story prequel to the Bear Camp series, featuring friends to lovers, a cabin in the woods, and a kilt-wearing lumberjack. This story can be read as a standalone.
Slade James
One summer, not so long ago, Slade James started writing gay romance, turned fifty, and met the love his life. (In that order, in a matter of weeks!)
Slade and his partner, Stevie, live in a magical land in the American Southeast where three states converge. They call it "GeorBamaSee." They can be found playing disc golf in the parks, hiking in the mountains, kayaking in the creeks, and living in their own real life love story.
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