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marmarta's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.5
This is the fluffiest, loveliest, sweetest romance I've read in a while (and not just because I was on an angsty danmei kick). Everybody is so damn nice, but the conflict and the plot are believable and reasonable. It's a fluffly blanket of a book that will make you want to take a holiday in the most dilapidated tropical resort there is.
kp_hobbitreads's review
4.0
#1 Off Plan: ★★★★☆ | 4 stars
Nobody does quirky small towns quite like May Archer. And, I've got to admit, I'm a sucker for them.
Mason Bloom is looking for a change. After being dumped by his fiancé who ran off with their photographer, Mason realizes the life he's living is one he didn't pick for himself. But when he takes a "too good to be true" job offer to be a doctor at a five star resort in the Florida Keys, he finds himself in a position he never expected. The fancy resort he was promised is actually falling apart. And, instead of playing doctor for a bunch of rich tourists, he's dealing with all kinds of meddling small town neighbors. But, the thing he really wasn't expecting? Finn Reardon. Finn is a grumpy gus, and possibly a serial killer (at least according to Mason). But, as the two learn about each other Mason realizes that maybe he isn't as straight as the thought, and the life he think he's supposed to want may not actually be the life he needs.
I love these two idiots. Mason was completely different than I was expecting (his brother Micah got his HEA in the O'Leary series), but he was completely compelling. I can totally understand waking up one day and realizing that your life is nothing like what you wanted for yourself, and that he mistook stability for happiness. Finn provided the perfect counterbalance to Mason. He's sarcastic and bit pessimistic. Life has taught Finn that nothing good comes from trying to be happy so he's content to just settle and take each day as it comes without expecting good things to happen to him. But, then Mason shows up and has him questioning everything.
Three Thoughts:
1. Never thought a nickname like Loafers would make me smile, but it totally does.
2. Beale is a complete cinnamon roll, and I cannot wait for his book.
3. I'm a sucker for a character that doesn't realize how much the people around them care about them, and Finn finally realizing that Whispering Key wasn't just a place he ended up, the rather the place he belongs was really lovely.
This was a delightful first book in a series, and I adored these characters. If you are looking for a funny, charming, small town romance you can't go wrong with this.
content warnings: loss of a loved one (in the past), parental abandonment, infidelity (previous relationship), mentions of homophobia and homophobic violence (in the past, off page), sex (on page), talk of weight loss, car accident
Nobody does quirky small towns quite like May Archer. And, I've got to admit, I'm a sucker for them.
Mason Bloom is looking for a change. After being dumped by his fiancé who ran off with their photographer, Mason realizes the life he's living is one he didn't pick for himself. But when he takes a "too good to be true" job offer to be a doctor at a five star resort in the Florida Keys, he finds himself in a position he never expected. The fancy resort he was promised is actually falling apart. And, instead of playing doctor for a bunch of rich tourists, he's dealing with all kinds of meddling small town neighbors. But, the thing he really wasn't expecting? Finn Reardon. Finn is a grumpy gus, and possibly a serial killer (at least according to Mason). But, as the two learn about each other Mason realizes that maybe he isn't as straight as the thought, and the life he think he's supposed to want may not actually be the life he needs.
I love these two idiots. Mason was completely different than I was expecting (his brother Micah got his HEA in the O'Leary series), but he was completely compelling. I can totally understand waking up one day and realizing that your life is nothing like what you wanted for yourself, and that he mistook stability for happiness. Finn provided the perfect counterbalance to Mason. He's sarcastic and bit pessimistic. Life has taught Finn that nothing good comes from trying to be happy so he's content to just settle and take each day as it comes without expecting good things to happen to him. But, then Mason shows up and has him questioning everything.
Three Thoughts:
1. Never thought a nickname like Loafers would make me smile, but it totally does.
2. Beale is a complete cinnamon roll, and I cannot wait for his book.
3. I'm a sucker for a character that doesn't realize how much the people around them care about them, and Finn finally realizing that Whispering Key wasn't just a place he ended up, the rather the place he belongs was really lovely.
This was a delightful first book in a series, and I adored these characters. If you are looking for a funny, charming, small town romance you can't go wrong with this.
content warnings: loss of a loved one (in the past), parental abandonment, infidelity (previous relationship), mentions of homophobia and homophobic violence (in the past, off page), sex (on page), talk of weight loss, car accident
stevia333k's review
4.0
Cute, good, i started to dislike some of the stuff towards the end, but it was still a very enjoyable book. I learned the idiom "es pan comido".
inkiereads's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was such a fun read! I loved Mason and Fenn, and their journey together. It was such a quick book, with a great balance of romance and adventure and chaos.
Steam: open door
Steam: open door
sarareadstoomuch's review
5.0
4.5 stars
I am oh so quickly becoming a May Archer fan!! This book was such a great start to this series!
Mason is taking charge of his life for once, and when his fiancée leaves him for their photographer, Mason decides to do something on his own, without overthinking it and just going for it. He doesn't know that he's going to be the new doctor for Whispering Key, a town that he thought was bustling with tourism, but is actually nothing of the sort. And let's not even get started about the grumpy mechanic that is Fenn who just annoys him and makes him feel all sorts of things at the same time!
This book was beyond cute and I really enjoyed Mason and Fenn's story! It's made me more excited for the rest of this series and I can't wait to see what's in store for the next MCs.
I'm kind of reading May Archer's books out of order, so I know exactly who Tate is in this book!
Onto book two!
I am oh so quickly becoming a May Archer fan!! This book was such a great start to this series!
Mason is taking charge of his life for once, and when his fiancée leaves him for their photographer, Mason decides to do something on his own, without overthinking it and just going for it. He doesn't know that he's going to be the new doctor for Whispering Key, a town that he thought was bustling with tourism, but is actually nothing of the sort. And let's not even get started about the grumpy mechanic that is Fenn who just annoys him and makes him feel all sorts of things at the same time!
This book was beyond cute and I really enjoyed Mason and Fenn's story! It's made me more excited for the rest of this series and I can't wait to see what's in store for the next MCs.
I'm kind of reading May Archer's books out of order, so I know exactly who Tate is in this book!
Onto book two!
morgan96's review
4.0
It was a pleasant surprise. I kept putting off to read this book because I was more interested in the other books in the series. I also wasn't sure if I needed to read the O'leary series first (you don't) but in the end I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would.
shazov's review
4.0
I'll admit I struggled to connect with any of the characters in the beginning of this book. Mind you I think it really was a case of "it's me, not the book" though. However, as I kept reading they started to grow on me, and by the end I was completely invested!
Maybe some of the scenarios and the extraneous characters of the town are a bit over the top, but once you get to know them, they too seem to grow on you, lol. Overall it was a enjoyable read and I'm hoping that the next one of the series gets published soon as I'd love to read more about this quirky island.
It's probably not a true 4 star, more a 3.5 but I tend to round up rather than down, lol.
Maybe some of the scenarios and the extraneous characters of the town are a bit over the top, but once you get to know them, they too seem to grow on you, lol. Overall it was a enjoyable read and I'm hoping that the next one of the series gets published soon as I'd love to read more about this quirky island.
It's probably not a true 4 star, more a 3.5 but I tend to round up rather than down, lol.
mariahreadit's review against another edition
4.0
For the love of MM god when does the next one come out????
leslie_kent's review against another edition
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 Stars. Rounding up.
What a fun start to a new series! This is a spin-off of the, “Love in O’Leary,” books but I think you could totally read it by itself.
A quirky but not too quirky town. Think Archer’s O’Leary folk but laid back and toned down. For me this was a good thing. As much as I liked most of the O’Leary books and even loved a few, the town could be too much. I feel like this town could have headed in that direction but didn’t. At least not yet.
There’s a lot to like about this book. It made me smile and even laugh in places. It was light and breezy but wasn’t lacking in feels.
It’s hard to write long reviews on my phone. So I’m going to come back to this over the weekend and finish it. Sorry for the incomplete review.
What a fun start to a new series! This is a spin-off of the, “Love in O’Leary,” books but I think you could totally read it by itself.
A quirky but not too quirky town. Think Archer’s O’Leary folk but laid back and toned down. For me this was a good thing. As much as I liked most of the O’Leary books and even loved a few, the town could be too much. I feel like this town could have headed in that direction but didn’t. At least not yet.
There’s a lot to like about this book. It made me smile and even laugh in places. It was light and breezy but wasn’t lacking in feels.
It’s hard to write long reviews on my phone. So I’m going to come back to this over the weekend and finish it. Sorry for the incomplete review.
_rae's review
3.0
A good read, a wordy read. I'm not sure if so much of it needed to be said. Plot A the romance was delightful, Plot B seemed too wedged in there. Hoping that book 2 will be more romance!