Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Keeping Kellan

SERIES:  Keeping Him #2

AUTHOR:  Amy Aislin

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  268 pages

RELEASE DATE:  June 9, 2021

BLURB:

Brant Harkrader is done living by other peoples’ rules. He may not know exactly what he wants out of life, but he’s perfectly happy letting that question figure itself out while starting a new job as a tour guide.

Too bad the one thing he does want—his sister’s BFF—only sees him as a little brother.

Or so he thinks…

Kellan Shelby-Briggs has never shied away from going after what he wants. And what he wants is the important contract that will put his brand new company on the map—and Brant.

Too bad Kellan’s career keeps yanking him away just as things heat up between them.

Now that Brant is back in town—up close and personal in Kell’s living space—can they finally get the timing right to go after the love that has eluded them both for too long?

REVIEW:

Keeping Kellan is the second book in Any Aislin’s Keeping Him series. It’s a quiet and unassuming, feel good story with a friends to lovers theme. As with many FTL stories, there is a lovely sense of inevitability about the evolution of Kellan and Brant’s relationship. Theirs is refreshingly healthy relationship free of drama and angst. 

Brant was one of three freshmen on the ice hockey team at Glen Hill College in Vermont when we met him in Keeping Casey. It’s now six years later and Brant has graduated college, worked two years in Toronto, and is returning to his hometown of Nelson, British Columbia. He’s discovered the corporate world is not for him, so he’s trading in his big salary for more freedom, fewer rules, and less anxiety. He’s also ready to leave behind a recent breakup and a lousy roommate. While he figures out the next step in his life, he’ll be employed as a tour guide. 

He’s glad to be back near his older sister, Wendy, but not so much his controlling, emotionally abusive step-father and passive mother whom he hasn’t spoken to in a couple of years. Since Brant was fourteen and his parents divorced, his father moved away leaving him with his mother who looked the other way at her husband’s manipulation and her stepson’s homophobia. His teenage years were difficult.  

Most of the pleasure Brant derives from returning home, however, is because of Kellan. Kellan grew up next door to Brant and is Wendy’s best friend. It’s been thirteen years since they were neighbors but the men have maintained a long-distance friendship, and it appears they both have lingering crushes on the other from many years ago. While he gets established, Brant will be living in Kellan’s spare room. 

Brant and Kellan are a perfect match; their journey from friends to lovers feels fated. For me, FTL stories are so appealing because they feature a relationship where trust, respect, shared interests, and companionship are already in place. Their history allows then to see each other like no one else does. Both men are on a path of personal fulfillment in their work lives and trying to arrive at appropriate work-life balances. I like that the need for personal satisfaction outside their relationship is emphasized as a necessary component of the relationship’s long-term viability.  

Oh, how I enjoyed visiting the town of Nelson, which I was delighted to discover is a real place. I have a bit of wanderlust in my soul, so as I’ve mentioned in other reviews, a great book transports me to a destination I can vicariously experience. Ms. Aislin vividly paints the scenery of picturesque Nelson nestled lakeside in the mountainous Kootenay region. I’m now longing to book a bed and breakfast, go hiking, and take in all the sights. 

I was not expecting this book to shift in a completely different direction from Keeping Casey. It’s numerous years later and, therefore, is not a college/new adult story, and it’s set across the continent in a different country. Was I disappointed? Not in the least. The maturity of the older characters who avoid drama appealed to me, and this book has all the components of a heartwarming, easy read: low angst, highly likable leading men, a steamy love story, a standout setting, and let’s not forget one of the stars of the book, Ollie the loyal Australian Shepherd, who accompanies the men almost everywhere.  

I highly recommend the charming Keeping Kellan to all contemporary romance readers. This can comfortably be read as a standalone. 

RATING: 

BUY LINK: 

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