Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Nortown Box Set 1 
SERIES: Nortown #1-3.5
AUTHOR: Ofelia Gränd
PUBLISHER: Beaten Track Publishing
LENGTH: 376 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 23, 2018
BLURB:
Welcome to Nortown, where the men are bearded, the shirts are plaid, and
where wood is found in more places than the forest.
In this box set, you’ll get to know some of Nortown’s inhabitants
and follow them on their journey to love.
Once in a Snowstorm: Aiden & Tristan
Aiden gets trapped in a snowstorm in the middle of nowhere and is saved by a real-life lumberjack. Tristan doesn’t want his tranquillity disturbed, but he can’t leave the poor man to freeze to death, and there are more ways than one to warm a person.
Once in a Forest: Tom & Jason
Jason has one rule when it comes to holidays—find a willing body to distract himself with—and this Easter that body will be Tom. Tom doesn’t do relationships, and he doesn’t do flings, but his house grows terribly quiet this Easter, and say what you want about Jason, but he isn’t quiet.
The Empty Egg: Aiden & Tristan
Aiden plans on surprising Tristan with an Easter egg filled with sweet toffees and silky fun, but he grows more and more nervous as the egg gets emptier and emptier.
Once in May: Zachary & John
John is hiding from his ghosts. He has found the perfect little place, far away from people, to do so. Then one day, a huge, bearded man knocks on his door. Zach knows he should leave the skittish man alone, but for some reason, he can’t.
Happy Endings: Aiden & Tristan
Aiden is working hard to get his massage studio off the ground. Tristan thinks he’s working too hard, so when Aiden’s back is giving up on him, he tries to hide it. Tristan, on the other hand, decides it’s time for Aiden to be on the receiving end of a massage.
REVIEW:
Set in the UK, the Nortown box set is a series of five stories involving people from Nortown, whose inhabitants mainly rely on felling for income. They are all short stories told in the third person, present tense. They also have interconnecting characters. A central part of all the tales is the café, whose owner, Jen, nudges situations and reprimands as she sees fit.
With each new adventure comes (in italics) more blub, so be careful not to confuse it with the start of the story. Each chapter, too, doesn’t have numbers but has a heading. Though there are clear starts and ends to each tale.
Once in a Snowstorm: Aiden & Tristan – 4 hearts
This tale is the first of three featuring Aiden and Tristan. Unfortunate events mean Aiden is heading home to his estranged family for Christmas. The snow is too much for his vehicle, and he gets stuck. Aiden leaves his car to find civilization on foot. After a while, exhaustion overcomes him, and he sinks into the snow. Tristan finds Aiden and takes him to his cabin.
Initially, their interactions are as cold as the weather and personality wise; they are like chalk and cheese. Thus, what follows is a series of crossed wires, assumptions and miscommunication. Both men come over as a little bratty – Aiden more so than Tristan, and there are explanations for it. However, there is that little spark between them that could mean more. It isn’t until they strike up a form of communication mixed with friendly meddling that they understand something is broken in each of them.
Using around 25% of the box set space – I found this to be an entertaining story and a good start to the box set. Tristan is the one to melt the senses. Although, Aiden has his moments too, where my heart went out to him. For such a short story, much is made of the time available.
Once in a Forest: Tom & Jason – 3.5 hearts
A friend of Aiden’s visits. Unfortunately, a clash of pets means Jason can’t stay at the cabin with Aiden and Tristan. Jason’s thoughts of Nortown and its people are much the same as Aiden’s was when he first arrived – they’re not pretty. Then, thanks to a lost dog, he bumps into Tom.
What follows is a more lighthearted story than Once In A Snowstorm. There is a period of adjustment, anxiety, preconceived ideas, hurdles to overcome and another gorgeous lumberjack. Tom prefers to keep his business to himself, whereas Jason wants to know everything and asks more questions than Tom would like.
Another tale where opposites attract. Initially, Jason laments at not having bedded Aiden when he had the chance. Jason’s sixth sense makes him flirt with Tom. Then, an injury to his hand brings out Tom’s protective side and their relationship begins to change.
There were two scenes that I found particularly entertaining. The hospital scene and the one where Tom frets about Aiden giving Tom a massage.
Unfortunately, there were anomalies that put speedbumps in my reading enjoyment.
Firstly, when Jason first meets Tom, he is described as having perfectly coiffed hair. Not sure how this can be since he’d trudged through the forest looking for his lost dog, had just fallen over and was at Jason’s feet? I don’t care what hair gel or hair cut one has. Unless one is bald or has a buzz cut – the fallout won’t be perfectly coiffed.
Secondly, Because of a dog clash of personalities, Tristan asks Tom if Jason can stay with him, though, the idea is Aiden’s. Later while Aiden is talking to Jason, it seems to be assumed that Aiden has told Jason about him staying at Tom’s. I didn’t read the news being broken to Jason or a message being sent that Tom had agreed. Nothing was apparent when Jason rolled into Tom, earlier.
Thirdly, the story says that beer that Jason gave to Tom had been in the freezer since yesterday. A beer can be drunk if it’s been in the freezer for an hour, but overnight, it would be rock solid. To clarify, I asked a university student.
Those hiccups aside, the story flows well with some good drama.
I found this tale to be another entertaining ditty, spanning around 29% of the box set. It was a shame about the slips, hence the lower mark.
The Empty Egg: Aiden & Tristan – 3 hearts
Aiden gets in a twist over his special Easter meal for Tristan. While I sympathize with what he’s going through, I can’t say I enjoyed this very much. Preparing a meal is sweet, but Aiden eats the present he got for Tristan and while doing so, also complains about what needs to be done to the cabin. A cabin that Tristan has been happy in for years and one that Aiden has only lived in for three months He moved a few days after meeting his lumberjack. It just didn’t seem right. On the bright side, the sex is good.
In essence, The Empty Egg is a tale of fluff with a little bit of apprehension taking up around 4% of the box set.
Once in May: Zachary & John – 5 hearts
John suffers from extreme anxiety. He is slowly recovering from the abuse of his ex. In Nortown John believes he has found solace. He can keep out of the way, and only have social contact whenever he felt up to it. His home is his blanket, his comfort and his fortress. Inside he felt safe. His rules were his way of coping and a route to healing. John has his timetable, and he intends to stick to it.
Zach returns to Nortown because he wants to end his travels and settle down. Bunking on his ex’s couch isn’t a good idea. Andre still loves him, but Zack only loves Andre as a friend. Sadly, Zack has nowhere else he can go, so he is stuck with the situation and the resulting fallout.
Sentiment makes Zach want the cabin that John is living in, and he wants to know if John will sell. To get an answer, he must talk to John, which is no easy feat. Zack learns that the man is skittish. So, small action by small action he gets closer to John. But what started as an exercise to buy property, turns into something more meaningful. For John, suspicion over Zach’s motives soon turns to comfort at his presence, and he finds himself in a place he never thought he would be in ever again.
Once In May, is my favourite of all the stories using over 30% of the space. There was so much I liked. Consistency with emotions, and different situations that test them. There are some whiplash reactions too, but in this tale, I can understand their origins more than some of the others.
Like all the other lumberjacks, Zach is a good man and generally calm. Though, he, too, has his moments of uncertainty.
Between Zach’s persistence and John’s willingness to push his comfort zone, I found this a story that I got more involved with than any of the others.
Happy Endings: Aiden & Tristan – 4 hearts
Aiden wants to pay his way at the cabin. To do that he works as hard as he can, making his muscles ache. Aiden is in so much pain that he is standoffish to Tristan, who has noticed.
Using the last few single figures of box set percentage; based on actions – quick and incorrect conclusions are formulated. Aiden is trying to do the right thing in this story, which I found endearing. Though, for the life of him, he can’t stop trying to take control. Thankfully Tristan is having none of it.
In essence – Happy Endings is fluff on a massage table.
Overall
The Nortown Box Set is a collection of short stories that pair, for the most part, city folk with lumberjacks. So, there are clashes between city habits and the quiet, lumberjack way.
These tales are what fiction is meant for. They pay homage to the strong, axe-wielding silent types where fantasies come to life and are pro-small-town living. Also, only in creative writing, could one town contain so many gay men. There’s a hint of realism and a hefty dose of ‘if only’. God bless fiction.
For much of the time, Aiden and Jason come over as demanding and bratty though they are graced with a few redeeming moments – especially Jason. Their hearts are in the right place; it’s their actions that grate. Then again, if everyone were a saint, there’d be no story.
Other than some story anomalies, everything is technically sound. Given that all the tales are short, events are condensed and happen at a much quicker pace. All the main characters suffer from jumping to swift, incorrect conclusions and can change their viewpoint on a hatpin. Though, they also seem to be, fast decision makers – committing to relationships quicker than most people would arranging a second date. The romance that was an exception to this was Once In May.
All the stories contain explicit, intimate scenes, which are written very well. Two of the super-short tales are made up of mostly sex, and that isn’t my bag. I prefer a story with sex complimenting it, rather than sex making it. However, an argument could be made that Aiden and Tristan’s story started the Box Set, and the two shorts were complimentary. Nevertheless, some will love the break from the intense drama. And, one can’t forget the lumberjacks who melted my heart.
Therefore, if you are the kind of reader who wants a little escapism with some axe-wielding hotties and a few fast-moving stories – this box set is for your library.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS: