Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: The Hideaway Inn
AUTHOR: Philip William Stover
SERIES: Seasons of New Hope
PUBLISHER: Carina Adores
LENGTH: 288 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 26, 2020
BLURB:
High school wasn’t the right time or place for their relationship to grow, but now, fifteen years later, a chance encounter changes both of their lives forever.
No one in the charming river town of New Hope, Pennsylvania, needsto know that Vince Amato plans on flipping The Hideaway Inn to the highest bidder and returning to his luxury lifestyle in New York City. He needs to make his last remaining investment turn a profit…even if that means temporarily relocating to the quirky small town where he endured growing up. He’s spent years reinventing himself and won’t let his past dictate his future.
But on his way to New Hope, Vince gets stuck in the middle of nowhere and his past might be the only thing that can get him to his future. Specifically Tack O’Leary, the gorgeous, easygoing farm boy who broke his heart and who picks Vince up in his dilapidated truck.
Tack comes to the rescue not only with a ride but also by signing on to be the chef at The Hideaway for the summer. As Vince and Tack open their hearts to each other again, Vince learns that being true to himself doesn’t mean shutting down a second chance with Tack—it means starting over and letting love in.
REVIEW:
I was attracted to this book because I grew up very close to New Hope and spent a lot of time there (it is a real town). Location is a big part of the book and the author is obviously a proud local.
There are numerous good qualities to The Hideaway Inn, but they are overshadowed by one glaring drawback: Vince, one of the book’s protagonists, is utterly unlikable.
The book begins with Vince as a changed man, but the results are not necessarily all good. He grew up with the nickname Skinny Vinny and was bullied for being scrawny and gay.
Every breath I take is a controlled study in hyper-masculinity, from my voice to how I hold my body to my lack of overly expressive emotion. This is Vince. I’m Vince. I’ll never be Skinny Vinny again.
Now after reinventing himself as a muscular macho dude and powerhouse investor in NYC, he’s returning to his small hometown after fifteen years to invest in the Hideaway Inn. His intention is to get in and get out of town quickly, just long enough to have the inn renovated and flip it.
Unfortunately, Vince is stranded on the side to the road not far from New Hope and is picked up by none other than his teenage crush and sexy farmer, Tack. Not only does Tack provide a ride, he ends up being Vince’s new chef at the inn because Vince’s attitude makes the current one quit and all Vince can do in the kitchen “would be like a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving with toast and jelly beans”.
The Hideaway Inn is an enjoyable story, with the exception of Vince. First, what I liked:
The Diversity of Characters – Quite a few of the secondary characters fall under the LGBTQ+ umbrella, which speaks to the town’s inclusivity. Even Tack’s six-year-old child is non-binary.
Sense of Place – It’s like taking a walking tour of a quaint riverside town in beautiful upper Bucks County. Maybe it resonates with me more because I’m familiar with the area, but author Philip William Stover nails it with his vivid imagery.
Humor – I enjoyed the bantering and dry humor.
Nice writing style and solid editing
Tack – He has grown up a lot since the days when he watched other boys bully Vince in school. He now understands his part in Vince’s torment. He accepts his sexuality now and is a good parent. He’s kind to everyone and well-liked. The big question is, why does he put up with Vince?
So... what, or whom, I didn’t like:
Vince – He is obnoxious. No, that’s being too kind. He’s obstinate, petty, and cruel to Tack, and Vince’s old mentor and friend. It’s very difficult to have a likable romance novel when one of the main characters is a selfish jerk. It’s tough to root for the couple if you can’t stand one of them. It’s hard to get emotionally invested. I did, however, root for Tack to not be saddled with Vince. Vince strives to be emotionless and fights against having any connection with Tack.
This is a tough book for me to rate. There are a number of qualities I like, but the one negative has a great impact on the likability of the book. This is a toss-up between a 3.5 and a 4.0 rating. I’m going to go with a 4.0 in the heart ratings below, but it’s really more like a 3.75. As always, your mileage may vary.
RATING: 
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