Title: Never a Hero
Series: Tucker Springs, Book 5
Author: Marie Sexton
Genre: Contemporary Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy from publisher via NetGalley
Published: May 13, 2013 by Riptide Publishing
Owen Meade is desperately in need of a hero. Raised by a mother who made him ashamed of his stutter, his sexual orientation, and his congenitally amputated arm, Owen lives like a hermit in his Tucker Springs apartment. But then hunky veterinarian Nick Reynolds moves in downstairs.
Nick is sexy and confident, and makes Owen comfortable with himself in a way nobody ever has. He also introduces Owen to his firecracker of a little sister, who was born with a similar congenital amputation but never let it stand in her way. When she signs the two of them up for piano lessons—and insists that they play together in a recital—Owen can’t find a way to say no. Especially since it gives him a good excuse to spend more time with Nick.
Owen knows he’s falling hard for his neighbor, but every time he gets close, Nick inexplicably pulls away. Battling his mother’s scorn and Nick’s secrets, Owen soon realizes that instead of waiting for a hero, it’s time to be one—for himself and for Nick.
Reviewed By: J9
In a Nutshell: Decent MM romance in a solid series. I like that the leads aren’t picture perfect but the ending was a tad abrupt for my taste.
The Set Up: Owen lives like a recluse because his mother made him ashamed of his congenitally amputated arm, his stutter, and his sexual orientation. When his new neighbor Nick moves in, Owen is finally comfortable around someone. Nick’s sister was born with a similar congenital amputation and insists Owen and she learn piano together. As Owen spends time with Nick and his sister, he slowly falls in love with Nick but each time Owen draws close to Nick, Nick pulls away.
Why I Read this Book: I’ve enjoyed a few books in this series so want to continue it.
What I Liked: I like the characters of Nick and Owen. Neither is picture perfect and they have cause to be the people they are. Nick’s secret is believable and compelling and Owen’s past abuse by his mother is heart wrenching. I like the realistic exploration of how two damaged people open up enough to have a relationship. This is a character based romance that some readers may think a bit slow but it was a fairly short novel (167 pages) so it didn’t drag out too much for me.
What I Also Liked: The strength of this series is the community of gay men in the town of Tucker Springs, where all the books are set. The leads from previous books make nice cameos here and I enjoy that. I also like that Nick’s sister plays a huge role in the story and she was a whirlwind I adored. I know this is an MM series but I can’t help but hope she gets her own story, even if just a secondary romance in another couple’s book.
I also liked the resolution between Owen and his family. I didn’t expect it and was pleasantly surprised how well that storyline concluded.
What I Didn’t Like: I thought the emotional denouement was a bit abrupt and lacked true resolution. I think an epilogue would have gone a long way toward making me feel relationship closure but where the book ended didn’t quite get it right for me.
Finally, perhaps I’m in comparison mode since I read book three in this series directly before this one, but this one lacked the intense eroticism of that book. I don’t think that’s necessarily bad, especially considering the characters in this novel. What I do caution readers about is the inconsistent eroticism in this series. This is about as PG13 as an MM romance gets with two sexual interludes where the previous book is about 200 pages of BDSM with sex toys and Dom/sub play. Given that the books aren’t written by one author I get that the publisher likely gives them leeway in regard to heat level so readers be advised it’s all over the sex spectrum.
IMO: This is a good addition to the series but didn’t wow me.
J9’s Rating: 
I really liked this one. I think that the inconsistency is a danger when you have more than one author writing a series. I still think that the actual writing is a lot more consistent from story to story than a lot of other series that I've read by different authors though. In a way, it kind of helps give each set of characters their own voice.
ReplyDeleteIn a nutshell, I love this series. This community of men and the people who support them are great. I loved Nick's sister too, BTW. And I LOVED the way things got 'settled' with Owen's family. There was a lot I didn't understand until those final moments.
I just finished Where Nerves End... kind of backwards I know, but I started with Second Hand and just had to go back to see where things started. I really hope there's more to come because I've really enjoyed my time in Tucker Springs. ;)
You offer a good point that the different authors give each couple a voice of their own.
ReplyDeleteI also agree the community of Tucker Springs is a stellar setting for these MM romances and hope they continue.