Reviewed by Alexander
TITLE: Sultry Sunset
SERIES: Mangrove Stories
AUTHOR: Mary Calmes
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 1 hour 57 minutes
NARRATOR: Greg Tremblay
BLURB:
Hutch Crowley is well-liked in the small resort town of Mangrove—he’s got friends in his new neighbors, he’s the owner of the town grocery, and he’s building a community center—but he’s still unlucky at love. Every man he’s attracted to is either taken or simply not interested, including his best friend, Mike Rojas.
When Mike came to Mangrove two years ago, Hutch gave him a job and a place to stay in his guesthouse, where Mike has remained ever since. Despite the rumors circulating about them, Hutch knows Mike is straight and looking for the right woman. But his friends disagree, and after some hints to the contrary, even Hutch finally has to admit that maybe the rest of the town sees something he’s been missing. If Hutch wants to spend each sultry sunset with the man of his dreams, it might be time to figure out what’s going on with his best friend’s heart.
REVIEW:
To be honest, of the Mangrove stories, this one did not hit the same level as the first two in terms of how I related to the characters, even though the friends to lovers trope is a favorite of mine. I will admit that for a brief time, I thought the romantic coupling would be different, and admire Calmes for the little twist that will hopefully lead us to the fourth installment.
I felt that for a good portion of the story, Hutch and Mike were portrayed as close friends, and it was more of an unrequited love situation on the part of Hutch towards Mike. I guess that may be part of the reason I didn’t feel the connection between Hutch and Mike, as their direct interaction took place in the second half of the book and felt quite spontaneous, regardless of their lengthy history as friends. Fortunately once past that part, it was great to follow the two guys as they navigated the new dynamic. In the end, I liked the direction that the story took and was satisfied with the outcome, if not the journey, which felt more like a set-up for additional stories.
Tremblay did a good job with the various characters, giving each of them a distinct sound. Of particular note was how well Tremblay addressed the female characters, especially Ivy Dodd, Hutch’s new neighbor’s daughter who ended up being my favorite character. She was fun, fresh, and Tremblay truly brought her character to life. As I expected, the pace of Tremblay’s narration was just right, although I did find Hutch’s intonation to be a bit on the flat side, at times feeling a bit monotone, but when emotion was needed, Tremblay came through and his delivery of humorous lines was also well done.
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