Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  The Pretenders of Copper County

SERIES:  Copper County

AUTHOR:  May Archer

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  348 pages

RELEASE DATE:  September 24, 2024

BLURB:

It was supposed to be a straightforward protection job. Remove the target from Vermont, get him to the safehouse, keep him there until his mafia uncle testifies, get back in my employer’s good graces.

Boom, done. Easy.

But it turns out things get complicated real fast when your target is an adorkable, accident-prone cutie with a shockingly low sense of self-preservation, zero clue that he’s related to the Fromadgio crime boss, and 100% too much inclination to chat happily with strangers.

When Chris compromises our safehouse (and accidentally starts a “lowkey, unavoidable” bar fight), our only option is to go undercover… pretending to be campground hosts in Copper County, New York.

Make that married campground hosts. (Long story.)

Now I’m hiding out with a guy who’s obsessed with action-adventure shows and hand-knit sweaters, and whose most fearsome talent is arranging charcuterie boards, all of which is far less helpful in a gunfight than you might think.

And worst of all… the sweet little virgin I rescued is growing on me.

Somehow I find myself listening to his happy chatter when I should be watching the woods, trying to figure out how his mind works when I should be getting us out of this predicament, and appreciating the way he looks in my shirts when I should be focused on getting my career back on track.

But when the Fromadgios’ enemies finally find us, protecting Chris is no longer just a job. I’ll do anything to protect what’s mine… and there’s nothing pretend about it.

REVIEW:

Note:  While the “setting” of this story will be familiar to readers of Love in O’Leary and Sunday Brothers series, it totally works as a standalone.  I do think, however, that if you haven’t read those series yet, this story will likely convince you to dive right in 😉

Chris Fromadgios is trying to figure things out 😉  He’s working at his Uncle’s friend’s pub while he Uncle Danny is off in Alaska and out of contact.  Things haven’t gone well.  Chris seems to have a knack for getting himself into trouble – from exploding kegs to getting into a car with a guy who he thinks is a date who definitely is not a date 😀

Reed Sunday is very competent in his job with the Division.  His last job didn’t go great though, so he really wants this one to go well.  He needs to protect Chris because his Uncle Danny is not fishing in Alaska – but is in protective custody.  Chris thinks that Reed has the wrong Krys when he takes off with him to parts unknown.  There are two Chris’s working at the pub and his Uncle is a good guy.  This can’t be right.

Meanwhile Reed cannot believe the naive act he’s getting from Chris.  He knows his guns and charcuterie?  Turns out he worked in the family cheese shop (and there are plenty of cheese puns).  After Chris’s attempted escape and a bar brawl started by a very drunk Chris, Reed reaches out to a friend to find a safe place to hide with his protectee until the heat is off and Uncle Danny has testified.  But Reed’s buddy Oak finds them a campground to stay and do some maintenance work in return.

When Reed and Chris arrive in Copper County, Watt, the neighbor of the campground who has been helping out until his orchard demands all his attention congratulates the guys on their wedding and wishes them a happy honeymoon.  Say what?  So Chris and Reed have to pretend that they are married.  Meanwhile they are staying in a one bedroom cabin and of course Chris gets the bed.  But someone Reed ends up in the bed every night.  He’s really taking this protection thing all the way 😉

Reed can’t help but take care of Chris who really does seem to find himself in a pickle over and over.  Chris loves the lovely little very queer-friendly town of O’Leary.  In fact he seems to have made friends with every queer guy in town – much to Reed’s chagrin.  For his part, Reed fights both his feelings and the allure of the surrounding towns and people for a while.  But they are too much for him and ultimately he relents.  Between his adorable virgin protectee who is more than he seems and Reed’s desire to finally put down roots, well they’ve landed in the right place 🙂

I cannot even express how much I loved this story.  When I first read The Gift, the first book in the Love in O’Leary series, I knew this author was definitely for me.  Then came Sunday Brothers series 🙂  And now we have a series that contains crossovers of both of those plus a new twist!  I was totally there for it.  First of all Chris is the sweetest, most naive, adorable, sometimes clueless and sheltered character.  The first quarter of the story is a bunch of hilarious misunderstandings and crossed wires of Chris and his protector/kidnapper Reed.  There are so many laugh out loud moments.  but through it all, Reed can’t help but be charmed by and feel protective of Chris who clearly needs a keeper 😉  When his buddy sets him up with a “safe house” but neglects to share that he’s told everyone that Chris and Reed are newlyweds on their honeymoon, well of course Chris hams it up and Reed becomes pretty possessive, especially around all the hunky men of O’Leary.  LOL!  Highly recommended.  Fans of May Archer’s stories will love this.

RATING: 

BUY LINK:

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