Reviewed by Tori (Vicki)
TITLE: Trusting the Elements
SERIES: Never Too Late #1
AUTHOR: Elle Keaton
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 200 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 25th, 2019
BLURB:
There’s nothing like a near death car accident to open your eyes. Otto Proulx decides surviving was a sign; he’s being given a second chance to claim the life he wants to live. For the past few years he’s been hiding in the shadows, vague texts from a troubled ex-partner keep him at home along with his general lack of luck in the romance department. This is his last chance, he’s certain, this time he’ll meet the man for him, the one he’s sure is out there somewhere.
Greg Trainor runs a specialty kite shop and helps his friends out when they ask. That’s the kind of guy he is, if somebody needs something, they call on Greg. He’s a big guy and no genius, but he’s dependable. So…yeah, when he sees a car precariously perched on the side of the road, he stops to help out; it’s what he does.
One night of passion leads to…several more and suddenly both men are searching around to define what they have together. Neither wants to scare the other off and neither wants to ask for more. Will the two men be able to set aside their fears and create a family together, trusting the elements are in their favor?
REVIEW:
We first met Otto in Elle Keaton’s Accidental Roots series, and I was HOPING he’d get his own book! He owns a naughty little store called Otto’s Erotica in Skagit Washington. He comes across as a self sufficient man, a successful business owner, and as we learn in this book, one with a past. Otto has a stalker… he also has a dream to open another store in Westfort, a town not too far from Skagit, but a much smaller town. Otto heads to Westfort in a storm, where he is rescued after meeting a deer, by a handsome stranger.
Greg also has a past. He’s living in Westfort, but is originally from Spokane Washington. He’s been abandoned by his family, and has lost someone close to him, now he’s a bit of a loner, other than his friend Blaine, and a neighbor girl. He struggles with dyslexia, but is still a successful small business owner. He and Blaine are working on a big project, a kite festival in Westfort. While driving home in a storm, he encounters a handsome stranger.
The two meet up at a bar after Otto has checked in to his room, and a drunk Otto is too tempting for Greg to resist… This leads to a long weekend of fun and sex, and the two part with no plans. But! Otto is contemplating a move to Westfort, and maybe something with Greg? Unfortunately the two have some issues to deal with. Greg’s family situation reappears, and Otto’s stalker situation takes a turn for the worst.
I was excited for this new series from Elle, and it is off to a solid start. I enjoyed this book, especially the solidness of Greg, and the spunkiness of Otto. Their relationship was a joy to watch as it developed from a weekend fling to a love match. I liked the new location, even though as a lifelong Washingtonian I struggled to figure out where the fictional town was located! I liked Blaine, Greg’s friend, hopefully we’ll see more of him. I was also happy to see Angel from Skagit. The inclusion of Otto’s stalker added some drama to the story, but something bothered me about the resolution to that issue. I’m not sure what exactly.
I did have a couple of issues with this book though. One was the number of typos. I have found that to be fairly consistent with this author, there are always a handful of typos. I know I was reading an ARC, so maybe they were caught in a final read, but it was annoying after the first few. The other issue was the inclusion of some unnecessary drama at the end of the book caused by a family member of Greg’s. I’m trying to avoid spoilers so I won’t say who did what, but it didn’t work for me at all. It blew in, felt fake, and had a weird resolution.
Overall I enjoyed this book and I look forward to more in this series. It was a nice love story between two lonely men, there was sex, a bit of drama, kite flying, and kittens! What more do we need? Give it a read!
RATING: 
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