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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
Unfortunately, I did not like this one. A few reasons why, some of which are personal preference, but others are crafting issues.
It ultimately boils down to the relationship and characters were not compelling. Part of that makes sense - Tobias is recovering from months (if not years) of abuse where his personality and sense of self was literally beaten away. It takes time to recover from that which can and should be reflected in the writing. However, I will say that there was so little expansion beyond his victimization in terms of character work was a major flaw. Gunnar had absolutely no excuse to be as blah a character as he was. There were some glimmers of characterization with both of them - Tobias and his brief exploration into his biracial identity and how he felt disconnected from that, Gunnar and his brief exploration into his anger and past trauma. But none of that was expanded upon and even focused on for more than a few pages near the end of the book.
I was also uninvested in their overall romance. A lot of the foundation of their burgeoning romance takes place off page before the story begins. The majority of their interactions on page were focused on abuse recovery and Gunnar desperately trying not to be creepy. Honestly, from the beginning it felt forced bc it didn't quite make sense (other than for plot reasons) to have Tobias run to Gunnar in the first when he was injured.
There wasn't even any reprieve with the side characters. The dynamics between both Gunnar and Tobias and all the side characters (excepting perhaps prior character we know such as Tristan) were... mid at best. I just wasn't feeling it.
In terms of story, I've found that I am personally tired of storylines where victims of abuse are passive and take no active role in their overall arcs. And again it wasn't just Tobias, it was Gunnar too. Both of them spent the entire book reacting and never taking any active role in their own stories. They felt like side characters in their own book. They had literally NOTHING to do with what should have been the emotional and story climax of the whole thing.
Overall this one was....... a miss. Still riding off that high of book 1 tho 😩😩😩.
It ultimately boils down to the relationship and characters were not compelling. Part of that makes sense - Tobias is recovering from months (if not years) of abuse where his personality and sense of self was literally beaten away. It takes time to recover from that which can and should be reflected in the writing. However, I will say that there was so little expansion beyond his victimization in terms of character work was a major flaw. Gunnar had absolutely no excuse to be as blah a character as he was. There were some glimmers of characterization with both of them - Tobias and his brief exploration into his biracial identity and how he felt disconnected from that, Gunnar and his brief exploration into his anger and past trauma. But none of that was expanded upon and even focused on for more than a few pages near the end of the book.
I was also uninvested in their overall romance. A lot of the foundation of their burgeoning romance takes place off page before the story begins. The majority of their interactions on page were focused on abuse recovery and Gunnar desperately trying not to be creepy. Honestly, from the beginning it felt forced bc it didn't quite make sense (other than for plot reasons) to have Tobias run to Gunnar in the first when he was injured.
There wasn't even any reprieve with the side characters. The dynamics between both Gunnar and Tobias and all the side characters (excepting perhaps prior character we know such as Tristan) were... mid at best. I just wasn't feeling it.
In terms of story, I've found that I am personally tired of storylines where victims of abuse are passive and take no active role in their overall arcs. And again it wasn't just Tobias, it was Gunnar too. Both of them spent the entire book reacting and never taking any active role in their own stories. They felt like side characters in their own book. They had literally NOTHING to do with what should have been the emotional and story climax of the whole thing.
Overall this one was....... a miss. Still riding off that high of book 1 tho 😩😩😩.
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think I liked this one more than book 2... but it skirted way too close to daddy kink for my tastes. I couldn't get past it, so just a me thing.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
gunnar + tobias
standalone | 3rd book in Possum Hollow series (4 books) | MM | small town | Missouri | bar owner x gang member (Irish mafia) | age gap (36x22) | strangers to lovers | size difference | forced proximity | one bed | opposites attract | gunnar dresses "old" | tobias cares for ailing grandmother | interracial couple | mental health rep | HEA
Good Christ, I got sucked into this one. From the moment I met Tobias in 68 Whiskey I just needed to know his story. And what a story it was. Tobias moves to live with his ailing grandmother and in order to afford her medication and care he takes on questionable jobs with the local Irish mafia. This is where he meets Eamon, who immediately takes Tobias in as pet to use. The trauma Tobias experiences at the hand of Eamon...I have no words. Check your triggers. But Tobias finds an angel in Gunnar, the bar owner who he runs to when he needs help. The way Gunnar flips his world upside down to support and care for Tobias had me sobbing. The man is a simp for Tobias and at times I wanted to shake Tobias to let Gunnar in, but in the end, Erin wrote it just how it should have been because it all comes out in the end. Out of all the characters in the series, Gunnar is top tier and I will forever root for him and his love!
standalone | 3rd book in Possum Hollow series (4 books) | MM | small town | Missouri | bar owner x gang member (Irish mafia) | age gap (36x22) | strangers to lovers | size difference | forced proximity | one bed | opposites attract | gunnar dresses "old" | tobias cares for ailing grandmother | interracial couple | mental health rep | HEA
Good Christ, I got sucked into this one. From the moment I met Tobias in 68 Whiskey I just needed to know his story. And what a story it was. Tobias moves to live with his ailing grandmother and in order to afford her medication and care he takes on questionable jobs with the local Irish mafia. This is where he meets Eamon, who immediately takes Tobias in as pet to use. The trauma Tobias experiences at the hand of Eamon...I have no words. Check your triggers. But Tobias finds an angel in Gunnar, the bar owner who he runs to when he needs help. The way Gunnar flips his world upside down to support and care for Tobias had me sobbing. The man is a simp for Tobias and at times I wanted to shake Tobias to let Gunnar in, but in the end, Erin wrote it just how it should have been because it all comes out in the end. Out of all the characters in the series, Gunnar is top tier and I will forever root for him and his love!
I DNF’d this one at 17%. I read 68 Whiskey months ago but I still remember I didn’t like Tobias and I can’t get over it. Also, I couldn’t visually picture them. Finally, sorry to be gross but he has just been violently anally raped by someone to the point where he might have internal injuries— no spicy scene will be fun to read after that.
I LOVED this. Easily my favourite of the whole series!
This one is probably the darkest of the entire series, so please check the trigger warnings before going in. But, like always, these topics were handled so incredibly well.
Sexual assault is the major topic in this one. I've read a lot of books that address this topic, but none that do it so realistically and well as this one. I could truly feel Tobias's pain through the pages. He didn't immediately "get over" things as soon as he met Gunnar- his healing journey is long and slow.
Gunnar was an incredible MMC. He loves to help people and Tobias was no different. He was patient, and caring, but still make mistakes and messed up which I actually loved. Even after his feelings began to grow, he still done everything possible to make Tobias comfortable.
The conflict in this one had me literally on the edge of my seat. I was so nervous for these characters and even when things wrapped up those feelings still lingered. Erin Russell is so incredibly good at writing feelings, and that's the main reason I love her books so much. I really felt for Tobias and Gunnar, felt connected to them, and that's what allowed me to enjoy this so much.
This one is probably the darkest of the entire series, so please check the trigger warnings before going in. But, like always, these topics were handled so incredibly well.
Sexual assault is the major topic in this one. I've read a lot of books that address this topic, but none that do it so realistically and well as this one. I could truly feel Tobias's pain through the pages. He didn't immediately "get over" things as soon as he met Gunnar- his healing journey is long and slow.
Gunnar was an incredible MMC. He loves to help people and Tobias was no different. He was patient, and caring, but still make mistakes and messed up which I actually loved. Even after his feelings began to grow, he still done everything possible to make Tobias comfortable.
The conflict in this one had me literally on the edge of my seat. I was so nervous for these characters and even when things wrapped up those feelings still lingered. Erin Russell is so incredibly good at writing feelings, and that's the main reason I love her books so much. I really felt for Tobias and Gunnar, felt connected to them, and that's what allowed me to enjoy this so much.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes