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dreamerfreak's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Alcohol, Death, Murder, Car accident, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Cursing, and Gun violence
suze_1624's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed this one!
Back in Skagit with reluctant men, Weir and Sterling.
Both have difficult back stories, with families that are mucked up.
Weir is staying in Skagit to clear up the slave ring but gets involved in the the death of a Fish and Wildlife officer.
This was quite in the background but does get resolved.
It is mainly the two men sorting themselves out.
Back in Skagit with reluctant men, Weir and Sterling.
Both have difficult back stories, with families that are mucked up.
Weir is staying in Skagit to clear up the slave ring but gets involved in the the death of a Fish and Wildlife officer.
This was quite in the background but does get resolved.
It is mainly the two men sorting themselves out.
the_novel_approach's review against another edition
5.0
Carroll Weir, federal agent, is packed and ready to leave the boring life of Skagit for sand, sun and surf. Well, almost… His boss, Mohammad Azaya, calls and tells Carroll to go undercover for the Department of Fish and Wildlife after Peter Krystad, a detective, was murdered. Carroll is teamed up with Krystad’s partner, Thomas Poole, who was working on a case of geoduck smuggling. There’s lots of investigating and late hours in the patrol boat with Poole, as Weir gets wrapped up in his cases—this one isn’t any different—and he forgets to take care of himself.
Wanting time to himself, but not having many places in Skagit where a gay man can go to hook up, Weir finds himself heading to The Loft. The one doubt Weir has about going there, though, is Sterling Bailey. He and Sterling have seen each other around, and talked briefly but never seemed to hit it off.
It’s The Loft’s tenth anniversary, plus Valentine’s Day; Sterling is slammed, and people just keep pouring in. Sterling waits on Weir, and after a while notices that Weir is having a problem. The crowd and noise level has sent Weir into a panic attack, so with the help of his bouncer, Sterling gets Weir to his office where they have a brief encounter. It’s nothing major to either man, but now Sterling has broken one of his rules—no hookups with customers. Days later, returning to The Loft, Weir is not looking all that great to Sterling. He gets Weir fed and Weir shares some personal information about his life.
When Weir is almost killed, it starts a crazy chain of events. Weir thinks Sterling found him at the scene, but Sterling hides a secret. Before Weir is taken to the hospital, he tells Sterling to call Adam Klay. Adam is not a happy camper, being called back to Skagit. He’s still trying to get some time alone with Micah. Thanks to Joey, Sterling has all of a sudden become Weir’s boyfriend, in order to see him. Weir’s going to need someone to take care of him when he gets out of the hospital, and Adam and Micah come up with the perfect solution for them, but not necessarily for Weir and Sterling.
As Weir is recovering, Sterling has to do some serious juggling, and deal with some major family issues. Putting Weir and Sterling together has both men sharing what their lives were like when they were young, and it’s a roller coaster ride of emotions. As the danger escalates for both Sterling and Weir, their perception of the events are looked at differently. When the time comes, both men have to decide if being alone is what they really want.
Spring Break is a very emotional story of two men—one who carries the burden of fault for losing family, and the other who feels he can survive without companionship. Carroll Weir has been a favorite character since the beginning of the Accidental Roots series, and this story really brings out his entire personality. Sterling was a surprise; he’s really nurturing and knows how to take care of Weir.
Elle Keaton brings the characters of Skagit to life, and shows the support, love and humor that this small town shares. The plot itself has danger, action, mystery, money laundering, kidnapping and makes for a page-turner. With each installment, this series has gotten better and better. There are some new investigators who have come on the scene, and a few interesting surprises in the Epilogue-ish final bit of the book. The author has left me curious, as well—I don’t have any idea who will be featured in the next installment.
If you want get to know all the citizens of Skagit start with Storm Season and then No Pressure. And, I absolutely like the cover on this one!
Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach
Wanting time to himself, but not having many places in Skagit where a gay man can go to hook up, Weir finds himself heading to The Loft. The one doubt Weir has about going there, though, is Sterling Bailey. He and Sterling have seen each other around, and talked briefly but never seemed to hit it off.
It’s The Loft’s tenth anniversary, plus Valentine’s Day; Sterling is slammed, and people just keep pouring in. Sterling waits on Weir, and after a while notices that Weir is having a problem. The crowd and noise level has sent Weir into a panic attack, so with the help of his bouncer, Sterling gets Weir to his office where they have a brief encounter. It’s nothing major to either man, but now Sterling has broken one of his rules—no hookups with customers. Days later, returning to The Loft, Weir is not looking all that great to Sterling. He gets Weir fed and Weir shares some personal information about his life.
When Weir is almost killed, it starts a crazy chain of events. Weir thinks Sterling found him at the scene, but Sterling hides a secret. Before Weir is taken to the hospital, he tells Sterling to call Adam Klay. Adam is not a happy camper, being called back to Skagit. He’s still trying to get some time alone with Micah. Thanks to Joey, Sterling has all of a sudden become Weir’s boyfriend, in order to see him. Weir’s going to need someone to take care of him when he gets out of the hospital, and Adam and Micah come up with the perfect solution for them, but not necessarily for Weir and Sterling.
As Weir is recovering, Sterling has to do some serious juggling, and deal with some major family issues. Putting Weir and Sterling together has both men sharing what their lives were like when they were young, and it’s a roller coaster ride of emotions. As the danger escalates for both Sterling and Weir, their perception of the events are looked at differently. When the time comes, both men have to decide if being alone is what they really want.
Spring Break is a very emotional story of two men—one who carries the burden of fault for losing family, and the other who feels he can survive without companionship. Carroll Weir has been a favorite character since the beginning of the Accidental Roots series, and this story really brings out his entire personality. Sterling was a surprise; he’s really nurturing and knows how to take care of Weir.
Elle Keaton brings the characters of Skagit to life, and shows the support, love and humor that this small town shares. The plot itself has danger, action, mystery, money laundering, kidnapping and makes for a page-turner. With each installment, this series has gotten better and better. There are some new investigators who have come on the scene, and a few interesting surprises in the Epilogue-ish final bit of the book. The author has left me curious, as well—I don’t have any idea who will be featured in the next installment.
If you want get to know all the citizens of Skagit start with Storm Season and then No Pressure. And, I absolutely like the cover on this one!
Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach
relly's review
3.5
Reread 2023
Again the original review still stands. I still don’t feel like I know either of the guys, even on the second read through.
3.5 stars
I liked it. I liked both of the guys but if I’m honest I don’t feel like I know either of them that well. The storyline kept me entertained so that I dint really realise that I didn’t know then until near the end of the book.
I felt for Sterling, and I think that it is the age old saying of “you never know what someone else is going through”. Joey had issues with a Sterling and a deep dislike that originated in high school, but we found out that Sterling had his own issues at home he was dealing with. I actually really liked that he owned his past, made no excuses for it. When Weir needed help he went no questions asked.
Weir was a little bit harder to like, he had a weird sense of humour and really kept to himself. I was glad to see he did something for himself at the end. I enjoyed seeing him make friends and his prickly relationship with Adam was fun.
The storyline was good and a little different as we took a step away from the human trafficking storyline of the previous books.
Again the original review still stands. I still don’t feel like I know either of the guys, even on the second read through.
3.5 stars
I liked it. I liked both of the guys but if I’m honest I don’t feel like I know either of them that well. The storyline kept me entertained so that I dint really realise that I didn’t know then until near the end of the book.
I felt for Sterling, and I think that it is the age old saying of “you never know what someone else is going through”. Joey had issues with a Sterling and a deep dislike that originated in high school, but we found out that Sterling had his own issues at home he was dealing with. I actually really liked that he owned his past, made no excuses for it. When Weir needed help he went no questions asked.
Weir was a little bit harder to like, he had a weird sense of humour and really kept to himself. I was glad to see he did something for himself at the end. I enjoyed seeing him make friends and his prickly relationship with Adam was fun.
The storyline was good and a little different as we took a step away from the human trafficking storyline of the previous books.
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