Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: Rustic Moment
SERIES: Rustic #3
AUTHOR: Nic Starr
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 151 Pages
RELEASE DATE: April 15, 2016
BLURB:
The last few months have been tough on Grant Parnell. He discovered his boyfriend was having an affair and it’s taken its toll, both emotionally and financially. With his business facing ruin, Grant could lose everything.
Dave Monroe is excited to start a new phase of his life. He’s following his dream and pursuing an exciting career opportunity. When Grant visits his friends in the country and finds out Dave might be moving to Melbourne, he offers him a place to stay. For Dave, life’s looking good.
Dave had only met Grant a couple of times before moving in with him, but the simmering sexual attraction is undeniable. As he settles into Grant’s home, deeper feelings develop. It’s hard not to fall for Grant’s gorgeous exterior, but it’s the strong man underneath who captures Dave’s heart.
Grant always craved success. His business and his home are testament to just how far he’s come, proving his family wrong and making something of himself—or he had. Now everything is falling apart. As Grant’s world spirals out of control, Dave is the one sure thing in his life.
But if they are to have any chance at happiness, Dave will need to teach Grant what’s really important.
REVIEW:
For those readers who are acquainted with the Rustic series, the names Dave and Grant will be familiar to you. We met both men as secondary characters in Rustic Memory, and it was obvious in that book that these two men would end up with their own story. Having said that, this book can easily be read as a standalone, and if you were looking to sample just one Nic Starr book, then I’d urge you towards this one. I’ve read most of what this author has released, and I’m fairly certain that this is my favourite book she has written to date. In my opinion, taking her once common novella length stories and lengthening them, has really allowed Ms. Starr to show how well she can develop a character.
And what a character Grant is! Material possessions mean a lot to Grant, and to the people in Grant’s life. Finding out that his boyfriend was cheating on him has cost him more than just his pride, it’s cost a whole lot of money, and perhaps his business and home too. Needing the comfort of the only person who genuinely cares for him, Grant runs off to the country to visit his best friend Ty (Rustic #2) and once again meets Ty’s new friends, one of whom is Dave Monroe.
Ok, so maybe I peeked at some other reviews of this book, which I totally shouldn’t do, but now I kind of feel the need to extol the virtues of Grant. I get Grant, Grant is pretty much me. Stuff is awesome, expensive stuff is better, and if you threaten to take my stuff away there will be tears and tantrums. Yeah, I know. Not exactly healthy or mature, but there you have it. To me, Grant was very real. But while I would cry and rage, as I said, Grant just keeps fighting and trying, and eventually he has the sense to realize that he’s fighting for the wrong reasons. Dave plays a big part in making him realize that, but Grant also has to sort some of it out himself. I think the author did a great job of working her characters with and against each other (and that was totally not meant to sound sexual!) to get the best out of both of them.
I loved Dave and Grant together, right from the get go. They have remarkable chemistry between them, even when they’re simply friends, and I really enjoyed the build up to actually getting into bed together. Nothing about their forming relationship felt off pace to me – there was no too fast or too slow – in my opinion, the author absolutely nailed these men. Their reactions made sense, their flaws were explored and their insecurities were poked at perfectly.
Although Rustic Moment does take us out to the country, for the most part the story is set in Melbourne, and although I have definitely enjoyed the country town setting, I was wondering at the beginning of the book just how Grant would fit in back in Armidale. I was glad that the author didn’t feel the need to force her characters into a setting that wasn’t right, just to suit the series.
This third book was easily my favourite of the series and I can’t wait to see where the author might take us next. One thing is certain, Nic Starr’s writing gets better with each new release.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS: