Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: The Great Maple Mistake
SERIES: Love in Maplewood
AUTHOR: Beck Grey
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 271 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 13, 2025
BLURB:
A small-town photographer who’s given up on love meets a smoking hot firefighter with a smile to melt hearts. Try as they might, some flames are impossible to resist.
Alex:
Maplewood is as wonderful and cliché as you’d imagine. Sure, the town gossips share everyone’s business, but neighbors look out for each other. Nowhere else would be as accepting of me as this queer-friendly small town I grew up in. The only problem? A lack of eligible bachelors. So, when a gorgeous new guy moves to town, the Maplewood grapevine is in full swing, and this time I’m paying attention. Though maybe not close enough, because Cody and I literally run into each other. I hit him with my body, he hits me with his boy-next-door smile, and poof, my heart’s gone. Too bad sexy, sweet guys like him aren’t really interested in guys like me. Once he gets to know me, he’ll change his mind.
Cody:
You’d think that moving to a small town named Maplewood means I’m prepared for maple-flavored everything. You’d be wrong. And the stuff is everywhere, so how do I tell my new neighbors that the taste makes me gag? That problem is solved when a misunderstanding has them believing I’m allergic. Sure it saves me from eating any more maple. It also feels like I’m lying. I try to explain, but there’s no stopping the Maplewood gossip mill. Especially when the adorable photographer I almost trample fans that flame. But I can’t even be mad about it. Alex has this sweetness to him that pulls me in like gravity. And little by little he’s letting me get close. Eventually I’ll convince him to trust me, to give us a real chance. When he does, will that mean I’ll owe ‘us’ to that annoying maple mistake?
The Great Maple Mistake is a low-angst, small-town contemporary LGBTQ romance about a local cutie looking for love, a sexy firefighter with a maple aversion, baking show obsessions, fluffy kittens, rumor mills, and a connection that’s more than skin deep.
With the highest percentage of LGBTQIA+ residents in Vermont, Maplewood is a town where everyone belongs. And with festivals year round, there’s always something fun happening! This multi-author, low-angst queer series features ten standalone romances—each set against the backdrop of a different festival. Come for the celebrations, stay for the happily-ever-afters!
REVIEW:
Alex has lived in Maplewood all his life. He loves his home town. He can’t imagine living anywhere else. Yes, everyone is in everyone else’s business, but that means they also have your back – no matter what. He can’t imagine anywhere else being the safe haven that Maplewood is for him. It does mean the dating pool is a bit limited though 🙁
Cody moves to Maplewood to be a firefighter. He’s moved in with his Aunt Viv who is getting older and since his parents are gone, he wants to make sure she is looked after whenever she needs something. He’s happy to be there and he thinks he’s gonna love this new town. Nobody cares who anybody else loves – except to support them. As a pan guy, he really appreciates this outlook! The only fly in the ointment is that Cody really hates the taste of Maple (in a town where Maple has risen to an art form!) and it has been misconstrued as an allergy. How is Cody going to correct this assumption – because every time he tries, he gets cut off again!
When Alex and Cody run into each other, well there is definitely a spark. But they don’t see each other for a bit and then Alex sees him at the Firehouse when he goes there for a meeting with the fire chief about a fund raiser. The next time the see each other, they LITERALLY run into each other 😉 with Cody chivalrously taking the fall for Alex – and the spark is only getting hotter 😀
Alex and Cody continue to spend time together and as they are deciding the next steps, Alex realizes he will need to share things about himself that may or may not go well. He’s had experiences where it did not in the past. But with Cody, he needn’t have worried. Would a guy who fights fires and saves helpless kittens feeding them 2 to 3 times a day be a man that Alex can trust with his truth? He can! And things only get better from there.
OMG! This story is sooooo sweet – but not in the itchy teeth kind of way. I just loved Alex – his relationship with his family, his love for his hometown, his cautious but hopeful heart and his trust in and ultimately love for Cody. I adored Cody because man, he really is the whole package. And he loved Alex for who he is – the whole person 🙂 He’s a total sweetheart of a human – I mean rescuing kittens and fighting fires??? What’s not to love? Supporting Alex not only personally but professionally as well? He’s just a good egg! I loved the families of both of these guys. Aunt Viv and Alex’s parents, stepdad and brother? They are all relationship goals. I loved that things weren’t dramatic or traumatic. Alex had kissed a couple of frogs before he found his prince, but boy did he get a good one! If you’re looking for a story where everyone is accepted for who they are and loved without prejudice, then this is the story for you. Alex and Cody will definitely leave you with a smile on your face and a warm fuzzy feeling in your heart – for Alex, Cody and Tux 😉 Recommended.
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