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A review by haletostilinski1
The Alcove by Rosalind Abel
4.0
I enjoyed this seventh installment in this series. It was different than the other novels have been - still keeping the charm and almost storybook feel of Lavender Shores in it, but also a lot darker compared to the other books in this series.
With Jasper's ex getting out of jail and starting to stalk Jasper, Harrison insists on hiring a bodyguard for Jasper - especially while he and Adrian are away for their one year anniversary in San Fran - and Jasper agrees.
Of course his bodyguard is Russell Wallace, who Jasper had sex with in a bathhouse seven years prior to present day in this book in Nashville before Jasper moved out to Lavender Shores.
Russell has a lot of things to start to unlearn in this, as he got used to Lavender Shores. Even though he was out for seven years in Nashville, he was probably still surrounded by a lot of homophobes and such, so Lavender Shores, being such a safe haven, is a whole new experience for him.
He frustrated me at the same time I completely understood him. Like, with what he grew up with, the rampant homophobia in his long line of men in his family who were cops (including himself), what he had to hear all the damn time for 4o years straight...it made sense. Doesn't take away the cringe factor of Russel still wondering if "gay relationships" were somehow different than straight couples, or calling Robert straight just because he's married to a woman and being flabbergasted that he would be with a woman because of how he presents himself. Things like that.
By this book it's 2023 in this universe, and while I doubt homophobes are going anywhere (especially in the south) five years from now, it's still crazy to me that there will be people like that who still marvel at this stuff, even if they're LGBT+ themselves, because of what they've been made to believe their whole life. I mean there were times where Russel still wondered if gay people could have relationships - he says at some point that he didn't or doesn't - can't remember - believe in gay relationships. Not that that doesn't change, but still.
Even with that though, Russel was still an interesting character. And he and Jasper worked well together and had great chemistry. Although less than other couples for me in previous books in this series. Took a bit for me to connect with these two, but it eventually happened.
The ending was interesting - it deviated from the norms of these books, for one. I mean most of this book deviated from the norm with the very real danger of Jasper's ex and what goes down with that and how the epilogue goes. They're still happy as can be, but it doesn't go like months and months in the future. I did appreciate this book more this change of pace, this difference than the other books.
I've found these books to be cozy and warm and fun - while still keeping a good amount of realism at the same time too - and I've loved it, but some harsh realities of the world coming into Lavender Shores is a nice change of pace. (Not that it's fun for there to be a crazy asshole trying to hurt Jasper or anything, just that it made for an interesting story.)
So, not my favorite of this series, but still really enjoyable. On to the next! (and finally catching up with this series, woohoo!)
With Jasper's ex getting out of jail and starting to stalk Jasper, Harrison insists on hiring a bodyguard for Jasper - especially while he and Adrian are away for their one year anniversary in San Fran - and Jasper agrees.
Of course his bodyguard is Russell Wallace, who Jasper had sex with in a bathhouse seven years prior to present day in this book in Nashville before Jasper moved out to Lavender Shores.
Russell has a lot of things to start to unlearn in this, as he got used to Lavender Shores. Even though he was out for seven years in Nashville, he was probably still surrounded by a lot of homophobes and such, so Lavender Shores, being such a safe haven, is a whole new experience for him.
He frustrated me at the same time I completely understood him. Like, with what he grew up with, the rampant homophobia in his long line of men in his family who were cops (including himself), what he had to hear all the damn time for 4o years straight...it made sense. Doesn't take away the cringe factor of Russel still wondering if "gay relationships" were somehow different than straight couples, or calling Robert straight just because he's married to a woman and being flabbergasted that he would be with a woman because of how he presents himself. Things like that.
By this book it's 2023 in this universe, and while I doubt homophobes are going anywhere (especially in the south) five years from now, it's still crazy to me that there will be people like that who still marvel at this stuff, even if they're LGBT+ themselves, because of what they've been made to believe their whole life. I mean there were times where Russel still wondered if gay people could have relationships - he says at some point that he didn't or doesn't - can't remember - believe in gay relationships. Not that that doesn't change, but still.
Even with that though, Russel was still an interesting character. And he and Jasper worked well together and had great chemistry. Although less than other couples for me in previous books in this series. Took a bit for me to connect with these two, but it eventually happened.
The ending was interesting - it deviated from the norms of these books, for one. I mean most of this book deviated from the norm with the very real danger of Jasper's ex and what goes down with that and how the epilogue goes. They're still happy as can be, but it doesn't go like months and months in the future. I did appreciate this book more this change of pace, this difference than the other books.
I've found these books to be cozy and warm and fun - while still keeping a good amount of realism at the same time too - and I've loved it, but some harsh realities of the world coming into Lavender Shores is a nice change of pace. (Not that it's fun for there to be a crazy asshole trying to hurt Jasper or anything, just that it made for an interesting story.)
So, not my favorite of this series, but still really enjoyable. On to the next! (and finally catching up with this series, woohoo!)