Reviewed by Roberta
TITLE: A Change Of…
AUTHOR: JM Cartwright
PUBLISHER: Loose Id
LENGTH: 310 pages
BLURB:
Scenery
Change job: check. Move to new city: check. Meet a guy who makes you think about getting hot under the covers as soon as you arrive: uh, wait just a sec.
Con Danvers leaves big-city Chicago for small-city Warm Springs, West Virginia. On his first day in town, he meets Stephen Rydell. While feeling a strange, compelling attraction for the other man, Con is most definitely in denial. He’s not gay. He doesn’t want to want another man. That way leads to trouble, as Con well knows.
Stephen, meanwhile, is comfortable with who he is and is quite happy running his garden shop. He knows he and Con could be the real deal – but it takes two to get this gig going.
Con is a stubborn Yankee who’s had just about all the change he needs in his life, thank you very much. Stephen is a determined Southern Gentleman who knows exactly what he wants. Who’s going to come out on top?
Pace
Andrew Cunningham is ticked off. He’s taken the fall for his old boss, the mayor of Chicago, and is forced to head to Asheville, North Carolina to avoid the press who’re hounding him. He’s so not in the mood to be nice. Once he meets sexy cabinet-maker Ridge Huntington, though, he unbends enough to get up close and personal.
Ridge isn’t sure that Mr. Right Now is worth the aggravation. They argue, Drew curses a lot, and Ridge rolls his eyes. But while Drew manages to step on a few toes as he adjusts to life in the south, Ridge finds himself entertained in more ways than one.
Can an uppity Yankee and a laid-back Southerner meet in the middle?
REVIEW:
I was pretty excited to read these two stories as I just had read another book by this author and I really liked it. So, with an excited heart I jumped into this book.
Scenery:
Con Danvers and Stephen Rydell( Grease, Anyone?) are the two MC’s in this story. I have to say that these two guys had me laughing at them. No matter what they were going through, the Yankee vs Southerner was just so much fun to watch. I loved how Con was always having to win Stephen back after he’d said or done something.
Con is trying to make a change in his life after spending years working in the job that politics won’t allow him to move up in, Con makes the choice to leave for a better job in West Virginia. Con is a man who keeps denying that he’s gay. He’s had some experience in college and wouldn’t allow it to go any further. He’s kinda dated others and not for a couple of years. He believes that he can keep hiding who he is, that is until he meets Stephen. Con is that guy who wants to do his job to the best of his ability. He’s got that fast paced, big city attitude. He’s also struggling with being in a relationship with Stephen. Con gets bossed around like it’s nobody’s business when it comes to Stephen. He can’t help but be totally captivated by Stephen. Con is such a manly man in his career. He’s so confused that it takes over his whole life.
Stephen is such a great foil for Con. He’s got his wonderful southern ways and yet, he’s also got this spine of steel. He owns his own business and he’s a part of the community. Stephen has always been honest about who he is. He doesn’t necessarily announce that he’s gay, but he doesn’t hide it. That small town mentality and all that, got to keep it under wraps. Stephen knows who and what he wants, a relationship with Con, but he won’t allow Con to get away with hiding him or their relationship. Stephen keeps putting Con in his place when he steps out of line and it was really fun to watch. Stephen is such a strong character. He is a loyal friend and a great boss. He’s so sweet and kind and yet, when he’s riled up….WATCH OUT!! Con learns that first hand, repeatedly.
This was a wonderful story that made me laugh and yet made me want to smack Con a couple of times. But it was great to watch Stephen play Con like a fiddle to get him where he needed to be in order for them to move forward and create a life together. Con did say some things that were wrong and he truly needed to put those thoughts to rest. To figure out who he was and how he was going to live his life.
So….the sex in this book was HOT!! I couldn’t believe that my Kindle didn’t melt. It was off the charts steamy. Con was such a dominant lover and that was EXACTLY the kind of lover Stephen wanted. These boys were so Hot together. They were what the other needed and craved. Sexy times were a happening there!!
A great book to read and fan yourself over. I liked that fact that this was a fun story to read and yet it also had a man coming to terms with who he was and how he was going to live his life.
Pace:
Drew Cunningham is this wonderfully aloof and prickly character. Drew hasn’t had the easiest of lives. Raised in a group home until he was 15 and then adopted by Charles and Yvonne Stratton. Drew grew up to work with his Dad in their engineering firm. That work he loved doing. Then when Charles went into politics, Drew of course went along with his dad. Drew loved the engineering work. He loved making this work. He’s not a people person and he certainly hates politics. The fakeness of the people and the backstabbing isn’t what he’d like to be involved in. When he’s left to be the fall guy for his father, he’s bitter because he was forced to leave, not the fact that he had to leave. So, he’s off to work in North Carolina to work with a college friend of his father. Drew isn’t the hearts and flowers type of guy. He’s afraid of opening up his heart. Drew has only allowed his parents into his life and his heart. Well, them and his dog, Elsa and his horse, Bella. I swear, the love that Drew has for his animals is just beautiful to watch. How he babies them and takes their care to heart. NOTHING and I do mean NOTHING is too good for his girls.
Ridge Huntington is a sweet, kind and so very sensitive young man. He helps with the inn that his family owns and his sister, Rae runs. Ridge works in carpentry and has his own studio that he’s trying to get his custom work business off the ground. It’s growing slowly, but surely. Ridge is in his mid-twenties and he’s only had one boyfriend and that was in college. Ridge is the kind of man that you want to take in your arms and hold close and let him know that it’s all going to work out. The part that I really liked about Ridge is that he was a helleva lot stronger than you would think. Ridge has had to be strong to deal with the bumps that life has thrown at him. I really liked his character. His sweet nature and his strength was perfect for Drew.
This book was not like the first one in which the character had to come to terms with being gay. Drew’s growing came from learning that love isn’t a bad thing and that it was ok to take a chance. I really enjoyed Drew’s humor and his ability to see those around him. To be able to see in Ridge what others didn’t see. I liked how Ridge saw the boundless love that Drew had to give and that he knew that he had to fight to make Drew see past his fear. Again, it was nice to see the growth of both MC’s.
Now the sexy times in this book were HOT as well. Never let it be said that JM can’t make your Kindle just about melt. Holy Hannah, these two guys went at it like it was nobody’s bizness and they were so steamy together.
Overall, this was a really good book. I loved the idea of northern and southern war of manners and ideas. These guys had me in between laughter and just wanting them to get past their issues. These stories weren’t really angsty at all. They just had some issues that they needed to come to terms with and when they did, these guys did it beautifully.
Worth The Read.
RATING: 
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