Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Thawed Out
SERIES: Merry Everything #4
AUTHOR: Jodi Payne & BA Tortuga
PUBLISHER: Tygerseye Publishing, LLC
LENGTH: 178 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 26, 2024
BLURB:
Thawed Out is an opposites attract, second chance romance featuring an established couple on the edge of divorce, a ferocious snow storm, precocious children and a healthy dose of holiday magic.
Kiren knows there is a storm coming when he goes to the cabin to deliver divorce papers to his husband Flynn, but he doesn’t plan to stay long. He hates that it’s come to this, but they just can’t seem to do anything without arguing anymore. When he finds Flynn looking so skinny and unhappy, he ends up staying to talk.
And maybe to try harder not to break up their family.
Flynn knows Kiren is just as tired as he is. They both work hard. They both take care of their two kids. He doesn’t want to give up, but between his long hours and going to school, he always seems to be in trouble when gets home.
Before they know it, they’re snowed in with nothing but time on their hands. The two of them decide that they don’t want to be frozen in the worst time of their married life. But can they work together to find the balance they need to start again?
REVIEW:
I somehow missed this one before but it was worth the wait!
Kiren needs those divorce papers signed. It isn’t that he doesn’t still love Flynn but life just got in the way. The arguing was out of hand and Flynn’s yelling was just too much. Flynn knew was trying. He gave up his medic position with the Rodeo circuit to be around his husband Kiren and their kids, Jasper and Cassidy, more. And going for his master’s as a Physician’s Assistant was finally going to give them the life they needed. Regular hours, more pay and time to be a family. But money got too tight and picking up shifts, sometimes doubles or triples, was taking a toll. So divorce was where they were headed. But Kiren getting stuck in the snow storm at the rustic inherited cabin in the mountains Flynn had run off to hadn’t been in the plans. But being forced to spend time together was eye-opening. Because somethings were obvious. Flynn was pushing himself too hard and his body showed it. And they both still loved each other deeply.
This started out hard for me. Divorce is a tricky subject. And it was obvious that these two were suppose to be together. But life was getting in the way majorly. Money problems always make for stressful situations in marriage. Add in parenting young children, going back to school, different schedules that never allowed for personal time or communication and it’s a recipe for disaster. Feeling get hurt. Thankfully that snow storm forced them to be together and see that what they had was still real. That they needed to make their relationship, their family and their own personal health a priority. And they needed to talk, not hold things in or hid them. But good intentions can still get overwhelming when things like major appliances suddenly quit. Thankfully they both had strong supportive sets of parents that wanted their sons and grandchildren healthy, happy and finally back together as a family. And one long semester of school might not be an eternity but, when funds are low and food becomes scarcer, something has to give. And parents can be allowed to help.
One of the key moments for me was when Flynn called his dad after that long shift where he was so exhausted. Something had to give. He had already scared Kiren by falling asleep in the parking lot after his fellow staff saw how exhausted he was. But this was beyond dangerous and could have been life threatening for both him and others on the road. And he recognized that. Thankfully his Dad did too.
This is a thought filled novel about how resilient life is but sometimes you need a little help to get over a life hurdle so you can just get to the end of the tunnel.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
