Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Outwitted by a Husky

SERIES: Mystic Pines #1

AUTHOR: Shea Balik

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 201 pages

RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2020

BLURB:

Come join us for a fun-filled vacation in Mystic Pines, Alaska, where the weather isn’t always warm but our hospitality is.

Spencer Clarke and his four best friends decided to take the abandoned town of Mystic Pines and turn it into a vacation destination for the LGBTQ community. But nothing about Mystic Pines was as he thought it would be, especially when he encounters someone who challenges his notions of family.

When Reese Alston heard about Mystic Pines, he had to admit to being intrigued by the idea of a town that would accept everyone for who they were. But when he moved there in hopes of opening an animal daycare, he found that not everyone was as accepting as he wished. An animal lover at heart, Reese was dismayed to find out that Spencer Clarke was adamant no pets would ever be allowed in his resort.

Will they be able to come to a compromise? Or will one husky have to outwit them both to see the future they were meant to have?

Warning: This series takes place in the middle of the Alaskan Triangle. Anything could happen, from Bigfoot, to aliens, to disappearances and upside-down trees, so expect the unexpected.

REVIEW:

Mild possible triggers: homophobia, talks of abuse, and losing home for coming out. Nothing in major detail but enough that it may be a problem for a few.

This book was perfect for me for the dog alone. Huskies are one of my favorite breeds ever. And Sammy made this book absolutely perfect. I think I could write a review on the dog alone, but I won’t lol. But I had to laugh too, because even though these are not the same series as Cedar Falls, it did remind me a bit of the series. Especially with Axom and his Bigfoot theories and the way he dressed. Plus his personality. Like I said, these are not the same series, at all. But there are little reminders ever so often and it makes you giggle like you would at Jesse. I’m really liking the start of this series and am anxious to see how this is going to continue.

When Spencer’s friend, Anook, inherited the town of Mystic Pines, them and their other 3 friends decided to go in with Anook to start a resort and build up a town that was LGBTQ friendly. Some of them not having the best times in their coming out years and even after, it was important to them. There, of course, are old fogies who are causing problems, but for the most part, the town is happy to have people helping rebuild this little town and bring it back to life. But one of the problems now cropping up, is that everyone else wants the resort pet friendly. And Spencer does not. And since he’s supposed to be running this hotel the way he sees fit, he doesn’t understand why his friends aren’t backing him. It doesn’t help when he meets Reese, the one supposed to be running the pet hotel. And despite a huge attraction, Spencer does not want to back down. Reese suspects there’s a reason why, and sure enough, it took his husky, Sammy to get to the bottom of it. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop on the conversation between Spencer and his dog, but what he heard broke his heart. And now he knew it was up to him and his special husky, to break through the walls that Spencer has built up.

Obviously, I’m  not going into what happened between Sammy and Spencer, but suffice to say, you are going to need some tissues for this one. And for me, the urge to punch my way through this book. Some people really shouldn’t be allowed to have children. And that’s all I will say on that. Anyway, I loved this story. Like I said, Sammy the husky made the book for me just by being there. But it’s more than that. There’s is so much humor, and some tense moments as well. And of course, Axom and his determination to find Bigfoot, no matter the cost. But underneath that, is a chemistry between two people who aren’t quite sure what to do with each other yet. Being on opposite sides of opinion at one point, it causes some tension, but Reese and Spencer can’t deny what they feel for each other. The hard part about it all is that because of Spencer’s past and a few things his friend’s have done, it’s made it hard for Spencer to trust people. And who could blame him? Reese knows he’s going to have to go a bit slow for Spencer to not scare him off. And if it’s going to be as worth it as he thinks, he doesn’t mind a bit. Because in the end, you will do anything it takes to be able to be there in any way for the ones you love.

It’s a really good start to this series. I’m loving it. I’m anxious to see who Axom is going to get saddled with and if he gets the man he’s dreaming of. Because it’s going to take someone strong willed to deal with the man lol. He’s a pistol.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

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