‘Buchanan House’, a fictional B&B/guest house on the Oregon coast set up for the LGTBQ crowd, is a great place and I always look forward to every story set there. Best friends Eric, a former line cook, and his best friend Nathan, a very talented host, set it all up, and both men have found happiness in previous books. Eric is in love with Tim, a local handyman, and Nathan finally managed to get together with his lifelong best friend, Paulie. What I found especially fascinating about this fourth book is that two of the secondary characters from previous volumes now move into the limelight, not least because Paulie has decided to set them up, hoping they will finally see sense and get together already. Of course that is not as easy as it looks, and the trials and errors as they struggle through their various issues had me sighing in exasperation more than once.

Kyle has a very strict Japanese father, and even though he has more than one artistic talent, he ended up as an engineer – just to please his dad. He has already had one change of career and is currently a chef, which makes him much happier. But it is a stressful job, there are issues with his boss, and he has no time to find “that special someone” he has been looking for to settle down with. So far he has had no luck with any of the men he has dated, and even though he trusts his friends at Buchanan House, when he finds out they set him up with a cop, no matter how darned attractive Brandon is, Kyle is not happy. Kyle has issues with cops to start with, and Brandon’s initial behavior is less than ideal.

Brandon is a great guy, but he has more than one issue himself. He always wanted to be a teacher, but being a cop was easier, and he is good at his job. When he has to get tested for cancer, he fears the worst, but when the doctor declares him free of all issues he decides to celebrate life by getting as much “action” as he possibly can – just in case the next test will be different. So no matter how attracted he is to Kyle, Brandon will not let himself explore the possibilities and runs.

Since both Kyle and Brandon have friends at Buchanan House, they keep running into each other. Each encounter only confirms they should give it a go, but there is a lot of back and forth before they get their act together. Theirs is not an easy relationship at all. Even once they begin to see and admit the truth their situation is not as straightforward as it might be, but at least they stand a chance. And with Paulie and the rest of the crew at Buchanan House determined to help them as much as they can, I was soon hoping for the best.

If you like stories about men who are at cross-purposes for much longer than they should be, if you want to see how facing the truth about what you want in life can set you free, and if you’re looking for a read that is full of complicated characters, denial followed by gradual personal growth, and touching moments, then you will probably like this novel. Its initial despair is more than made up for by the ultimate warmth of Kyle and Brandon’s romance, and all the charming details along the way made it a journey well worth taking for me.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )