Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: Griff’s Place

AUTHOR: Riley Hart

SERIES: Havenwood #4

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 215 pages

RELEASE DATE: October 21, 2020

BLURB:

GRIFFIN

I always felt I wasn’t wired like my peers, but when my brother, Kellan, gave me three terms—ace, aromantic, and demi—I had possible names for it. Those three words have been on my mind ever since, as has my brother’s best friend, Josh Westbrook. It’s been cool getting to know him and spending time together, just us. He makes me feel something I never thought I’d be able to feel. When we end up alone in a cabin with only one bed, all my crossed wires finally connect and point toward being demi and wanting him.

JOSH

Griff and I were never supposed to be more than friends, but I like him more and more. I like being the reason he smiles, and…yeah, I enjoy making him writhe with pleasure too. But Griff doesn’t hook up casually, and I swore off love a long time ago. Still, we keep finding ourselves drawn together, a shared loneliness and a deep want guiding us. Kellan’s afraid I’ll hurt Griff. Frankly, I am too. My past is still an open wound that keeps me from getting too close.

One thing is becoming clear, though—my Grumpy Griff is making me break my own rules. He says he’s never known his place in the world, but I do. It’s with me. The only way for us to move forward is for me to stop looking back…before I lose sight of him for good.

REVIEW:

Griff’s Place is the perfect finale to Riley Hart’s Havenwood series, and is my favorite of the four books. It’s the perfect mélange of friends-to-lovers and best–friend’s–brother tropes, a slow burn love, snappy dialogue, and a realistic depiction of a demisexual main character.  

The story begins with Josh and Griff spending more time together and becoming closer friends. Griff is a shirt-off-my-back kind of guy: selfless, responsible, giving. He’s never had a lasting relationship or a satisfactory sexual relationship, and it’s left him with lots of questions and confusion. He’s struggling to find himself, but with some guidance from his brother, Kellan, he’s now able to identify as demisexual. As such, he needs to have a strong emotional bond with someone before he feels sexual attraction. This appeals to my love of a slow burn and plenty of unresolved sexual tension. Ms. Hart has written the most accurate portrayal of a demi character I have read; she doesn’t just talk about what it means for Griff to be demi, she shows us the gradual process he undergoes to establish a foundation with Josh. As the parent of an adult son who identifies as demi, I appreciate Ms. Hart’s representation.  

Josh is a fun-loving, cheerfully cocky man who has a strong loyalty to those he calls friends. His M.O. has been to indiscriminately sleep with a succession of men, resulting in encounters that have no substance. He’s not interested in finding love. Griff wonders if his promiscuity (no judgement or shaming here!) is a sign he’s running from something in his past or is trying to chase away lonely feelings. Loneliness is a commonality for Josh and Griff and seems to be one of the building blocks of their friendship. They’re both feeling a little sad and left behind by their coupled-up friends. They don’t get together just because they’re the odd men out, though. They’ve been on this trajectory – dancing around each other to some degree – since Giving Chase. In fact, none of their friends are surprised they’re dating … it seems to be a foregone conclusion.  

As a couple, Josh and Griff thrive because of their honesty (mostly), respect for each other, and deep caring. I welcome the straightforward, open communication between these two guys. No big misunderstandings in sight. Ms. Hart does a bang up job with dialogue, which must have been a blast to write. Josh and Grumpy Griff’s interaction is chockfull of playful banter and they razz each other endlessly. Griff projects a mock dislike for his friend, while Josh is fond of sprinkling his speech with sexual innuendo to get a rise out of Griff (so to speak). Speaking of sex, their encounters are not just sexy, they’re filled with care, too. And boy, oh boy, Josh’s dirty talk is scrumptious. I think I liked it almost as much as Griff did. 

The same tight-knit group of friends – Kellan, Chase, Law, Remy, Knox, and Callum – now all paired off, gets lots of page time. And yay! I was so happy to see more of Natalie. I missed her in books two and three. She gets her own happy ending here, too.  

It’s sad to see the end of this wonderful series and say goodbye to Havenwood, a town that’s become so familiar. Griff’s Place has a great ending with an epilogue eighteen months in the future. All of the series’ characters find their happy endings, including a couple of big surprises, so there’s good closure. I highly recommend Griff’s Place and the entire Havenwood series. It’s safe to say Griff’s place is beside Josh. 

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

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