Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Fools

SERIES:  Licking Thicket

AUTHORS:  Lucy Lennox and May Archer

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  276 pages

RELEASE DATE:  February 28, 2021

BLURB:

Tucker Wright’s Clues for Life:

What’s a 4-letter word for an utterly oblivious, totally commitment-phobic, heartbreakingly gorgeous man with a pet pig named Bernadette?

That’d be D-U-N-N, as in Dunn Johnson, my very best pal and fishing buddy since I moved to Licking Thicket.

What’s a 6-letter word for a nerdy, crossword-loving town doctor who’s doomed to be hopelessly, thoroughly, irrevocably, in love with that straight best friend for the rest of his born days?

That’s T-U-C-K-E-R, as in me.

But when I agree to let Dunn be my 24/7 dating coach, and he decides to get our whole nosy town in on the act, there’s only one 5-letter word to describe the pair of us.

F-O-O-L-S.

REVIEW:

Clueless (adjective): 1. Hopelessly unaware or bewildered  (noun): 2. Dunn 

Everyone in Licking Thicket loves dairy farmer and proud pig parent, Dunn Johnson. He’s a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy, but he’s incredibly, frustratingly oblivious to the fact that he’s in love with his life-long, best best friend, Tucker Wright, the town doctor. This pathological cluelessness is the clever foundation for the plot of Fools, the third novel in Lucy Lennox and May Archer’s Licking Thicket series.  

What sets these books apart – and the authors themselves – is the exceptional writing quality, the highly developed, quirky characters, and the brilliantly executed humor infused into nearly every sentence. These ladies have a special flair for creative writing that perfectly bridges the space between ordinary and overly flowery prose. There’s an effortlessness and depth to the narrative that makes reading their books an elevated experience. 

Lennox and Archer are possibly the most gifted comedic authors in the MM romance genre. Fools is literally the funniest– and most fun – MM book I’ve ever read. The dialogue – particularly Dunn’s – has me ROFL. The authors go the extra mile, peppering pop culture references like the Looney Tunes anvil and the Billy the Bass singing wall plaque throughout the story. And, of course, there’s no small amount of ridiculousness with all the cow paraphernalia, festivals like the Bovine Bike Parade and the Entwinin‘, and the never-ending double entendres.  

Back to the story…Tucker has been in love with Dunn forever, so when Dunn asks him out for a dinner date, he’s delighted. Until it turns out it’s not a date at all in Dunn’s eyes; it’s an opportunity to inform his best best friend that he’s going to be playing matchmaker to find Tuck a partner. Tuck is not pleased. What ensues is a parade of disastrous dates with the most horribly mismatched men in Licking Thicket and the neighboring Pecker Lurch and Great Nuthatch. (Oh, the bottomless fount of absurd festival names and innuendos that could spout forth from these towns!) 

There’d soon be a freakin’ holiday to commemorate Ol’ Doc Wright’s Terrible String o’ Dates. The Datin’, they’d call it. Or the Sighin’. Or the Shamin’. All would be accurate. 

These dates made me laugh so hard I pulled a muscle. Dunn’s family and friends fight to control their snickers, snorts, and eye rolls at Dunn’s inability to acknowledge his own feelings. Soon everyone in town is trying to set up Tucker, including octogenarian Amos Nutter rooting for his nephew, Elmer, a mechanic who “knows his way around some hot fluids, and he’ll take real good care of your crank shaft.” The delightful absurdity reaches a pinnacle in chapter seven when Dunn and his quasi-girlfriend crash a date Tuck is on with Carter, an old roommate/boyfriend. Oh my, the jealousy! Denial is not just a river in Egypt, my dear Dunn. 

The only time Fools isn’t funny is when it’s busy being steamy. Their first kiss is oh–so swoon-worthy with all the feels. Their second kiss and what comes next…holy moo moo! Hot. Finally, finally, Dunn admits to Tuck what everyone else already knows: 

“I need you the way… the way… crops need rain. And without you, I’d be nothing but a rotting corn cob, waiting for the crows to peck at me.”  

So eloquent, that boy. But Dunn is still afraid to drag his truth out of the closet. What if I’m not good at being gay? he worries. Tuck is also nervous about moving forward because he is worried Dunn will have regrets and change his mind, thus breaking Tuck’s heart. 

As always, the character development is top-notch and encompasses not only the leading men but the extensive, beloved cast from the previous books: Brooks, Mal, Ava, Paul, Cindy Ann, Red, Diesel, Parrish, Gracie, Colin and Ryder, plus many of the familiar, eccentric townspeople. Brooks and Mal, my personal favorites, have fairly significant roles. The continuity these returning characters bring is in large part what makes the series so successful. Readers feel right at home in Licking Thicket.  

The epilogue is wonderful with a sweet surprise for Dunn and Tucker. There are lots of smiles for Brooks and Mal fans, too. Coming up next is Carter on deck for some nosy, small town shenanigans and romance in Hijacked, the first story of the writing duo’s new series, Thicket Security.  

Fakers is on my Ten Best Books of 2020 list; I know with certainty, even though its only 8 weeks into 2021, that Fools will be on this year’s list. For some deep belly laughs and a pitter-pattering heart, go grab Fools.  

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon