Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: Out: The Complete Collection
AUTHOR: Cara Dee
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 533 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 8, 2021
BLURB:
In this 150,000-word complete collection, Zach and Henry bare it all. You’ll get wild Los Angeles nights, the overwhelming emotional roller coaster of discovering yourself, plans gone awry, adventures, laugh-out-loud moments, and sizzling romance.
I had two things on my list when I arrived in Los Angeles. One, track down Henry Bennington, the uncle and guardian of my little brother’s best friend Tyler, and tell him to get his ass back to Washington—because his nephew was getting out of control. And two, figure out just how non-straight I was.
Nowhere on this list did it say, “Get Tyler’s uncle into bed and fall for him.”
Nowhere.
This is the complete collection of every story revolving around Zach and Henry. All 150,000 words of them, starting with the first novel, Out, continuing with the holiday sequel, Out for the Holidays, and followed by a novella previously only available to Cara’s newsletter subscribers, Out Cruising, as well as brand new content titled Out and About.
REVIEW:
Out has long been my favorite Cara Dee novel so I’m delighted that it’s now available as a complete collection with its sequel, Out For the Holidays, a novella, Out Cruising, and an extended epilogue. This age gap, gay awakening novel features a couple whose journey to love feels very natural and passionate. It all takes place, in part, in Camassia Cove, Washington, so while it’s part of that universe it stands alone just fine.
Zach Coleman travels from Washington to Los Angeles in his old truck to find Henry Bennington, the uncle and guardian of his nephew, Ty, the best friend of Zach’s little brother, Mattie. At seventeen, Ty is starting to go of the rails, having adopted a belligerent, misogynistic attitude and hanging around with the wrong crowd. Although Henry has full legal custody, Ty has been living with Henry’s parents since his own parents died. But they’re not doing well by Ty by modeling an entitled attitude and allowing him to misbehave. Zach has decided to take matters into his own hands by confronting Henry.
When he arrives in Malibu, Zach doesn’t expect wealthy Henry to be the cargo shorts wearing owner of an off-the-beaten-path indie bookstore, or to be so rugged and sexy. See, while in L.A., Zach is hoping to explore his newly discovered gay side which he’s been unable to do in small town Camassia Cove. Henry and his BFF, self-proclaimed queen, Martin, take baby gay Zach under their wings to introduce him to gay culture in the big city. But what Zach discovers he wants is Henry, and the feeling is mutual.
Zach’s life has been on hold since his mother died when he was eighteen and Mattie was just eight. Zach has been making a life for them, running a corner store in a poorer section of town. They fortunately still have their Nana around. But for Zach, education, hobbies, and a social life have all been put on the back burner. He’s ready to make something of himself, to start on a new path, and living temporarily in L.A. while helping Henry and Ty reunite is the beginning of that journey. But Zach recognizes that it’s a fantasy life he’s experiencing and he’ll have to go back to the real world before too long.
I love Henry so much. In fact, both leading men are very appealing characters and they have an endearing dynamic. They feel made for each other. While they begin to fall in love, Henry brings Ty to Malibu to sort out their relationship and Ty’s troubles. Mattie comes along for the moral support. Ty and Mattie are fully developed characters that add richness to the story. Mattie its adorable.
Martin is an exciting, life-of-the-party type side character who cares deeply for Zach, Mattie, and Ty. Henry and Martin bicker happily like an old married couple. Zach observes, wishing he had friendships like theirs. Other characters from the Camassia Cove universe that appear in this collection include Noah and Julian, Adrian and Dominic, and Casey and Ellis. It’s nice to revisit their lives, but you won’t feel at all left behind if you’re not familiar with any of these men.
Out For the Holidays takes place a year after the end of Out as Zach, Henry, the boys, and even Martin are preparing for Christmas together. Unfortunately, Zach and Henry’s dreams of a quiet holiday are repeatedly interrupted. Zach is living a whole new life but it’s been stressful and they’ve been apart too much. Henry had largely gotten over his insecurities about being too old for Zach, but then another man interferes, trying to convince Henry otherwise.
In Out Cruising, Zach, Henry, Noah, Julian, Adrian, Dominic, Casey, Ellis, and of course Martin, all go on a gay Caribbean cruise together. Zach and Casey decide to role play as flirty twinks for their men and it’s quite entertaining. They indulge in sexy shenanigans and leave the heavy worries at home. Then, when they get home, they begin the rest of their lives together in a whole new way.
The epilogue takes place another eighteen months in the future, celebrating another Christmas. The ending is perfect.
This being a Cara Dee book, expect five flames sexy times. It’s especially hot because Zach is a gay virgin. While this is in no way a Daddy/boy story, Henry does sometimes call Zach his baby boy which gets them both off. The dirty talk is plentiful and delicious.
I highly recommend this collection for any contemporary romance readers. It would serve as a great gateway to Cara Dee’s work.
RATING: 
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