Scan barcode
shandra's review
5.0
Smudge and Raleigh are Heartbreakers!
The Village Love series by Lillian Francis has captivated me from the first short where we meet the local handyman/gardener during a chance encounter with the man of his dreams while being checked out at a local hospital. I love everyone in this little town of Slopy Bottom! I even love reading about the vicar Colin and his wife who apparently makes the best cakes ever. Raleigh has fascinated me for a while since Mal thought he recognized him and he's known to be the "Only Gay Man In Town" which is to say he's the only man who is out-and-proud in town.
Smudge is a contradiction in characteristics. He's got the tough guy look with the sweet guy persona. He loves romance books, wants to find love, and he's an artist. There are so many wonderful qualities to love in him it was no surprise to me he was an absolutely sweetheart to Raleigh while Raleigh worked out how he wanted to tell him his story. If I could believe any man would accept the past Raleigh presented alongside the potential future problems he offered up for a relationship with him? I'd say Smudge was that man. He's a kind man with an honest heart who happens to be quite visually colorful.
Raleigh has a story which is designed to break hearts. I was no exception in spite of already having a vague idea what he intended to confess as his past history. I'll admit the sexual implications were surprising considering how much sex was in previous books in the series, but the lack of explicit sex was no detriment at all to my enjoyment of the romance. I found I loved Raleigh and Smudge all the more for the sweetness of their relationship. They're men who know what sex can give them while realizing the best things they can find in the company of another aren't the things found while bumping uglies in the dark.
Renaissance is the sweetest read I've read in a long time. I'm thoroughly delighted I chose to invest in it as soon as I saw it was available; I look forward to revisiting Slopy Bottom again in the future!
The Village Love series by Lillian Francis has captivated me from the first short where we meet the local handyman/gardener during a chance encounter with the man of his dreams while being checked out at a local hospital. I love everyone in this little town of Slopy Bottom! I even love reading about the vicar Colin and his wife who apparently makes the best cakes ever. Raleigh has fascinated me for a while since Mal thought he recognized him and he's known to be the "Only Gay Man In Town" which is to say he's the only man who is out-and-proud in town.
Smudge is a contradiction in characteristics. He's got the tough guy look with the sweet guy persona. He loves romance books, wants to find love, and he's an artist. There are so many wonderful qualities to love in him it was no surprise to me he was an absolutely sweetheart to Raleigh while Raleigh worked out how he wanted to tell him his story. If I could believe any man would accept the past Raleigh presented alongside the potential future problems he offered up for a relationship with him? I'd say Smudge was that man. He's a kind man with an honest heart who happens to be quite visually colorful.
Raleigh has a story which is designed to break hearts. I was no exception in spite of already having a vague idea what he intended to confess as his past history. I'll admit the sexual implications were surprising considering how much sex was in previous books in the series, but the lack of explicit sex was no detriment at all to my enjoyment of the romance. I found I loved Raleigh and Smudge all the more for the sweetness of their relationship. They're men who know what sex can give them while realizing the best things they can find in the company of another aren't the things found while bumping uglies in the dark.
Renaissance is the sweetest read I've read in a long time. I'm thoroughly delighted I chose to invest in it as soon as I saw it was available; I look forward to revisiting Slopy Bottom again in the future!
ctsquirrel's review
4.5
Tag explanations (May contain spoilers):
Abuse - Raleigh is a former teenage runaway and prostitute, his last trick ended very badly leaving him scarred inside and out.
Artist - Smudge is a former graffiti artist and current print shop owner and "bodice ripper" cover artist.
Asexual - Raleigh has no want of sexual contact and feels little to no sexual desire, only somewhat related to his previous sexual abuse.
Musicians - Raleigh plays the organ in church (a continuous source of innuendo in the book)
I nearly tagged this no-sex, but Smudge's unwanted kinky Grindr messages were pretty explicit.
It feels like we were set up for Adam's and Trevor's stories (together or not idk) and I definitely want to hear theirs.
Artist - Smudge is a former graffiti artist and current print shop owner and "bodice ripper" cover artist.
Asexual - Raleigh has no want of sexual contact and feels little to no sexual desire, only somewhat related to his previous sexual abuse.
Musicians - Raleigh plays the organ in church (a continuous source of innuendo in the book)
I nearly tagged this no-sex, but Smudge's unwanted kinky Grindr messages were pretty explicit.
It feels like we were set up for Adam's and Trevor's stories (together or not idk) and I definitely want to hear theirs.
lillian_francis's review
Smudge's story is finally here.
https://www.amazon.com/Renaissance-Village-Love-Book-2-ebook/dp/B06XZX5MMJ/
For all those that were waiting for Smudge's story, it's nearly here.
ETA (28 March):
One more week to go.
https://www.amazon.com/Renaissance-Village-Love-Book-2-ebook/dp/B06XZX5MMJ/
For all those that were waiting for Smudge's story, it's nearly here.
ETA (28 March):
One more week to go.
More...