Worth the Wait (Kingston Ale House #3) by A.J. Pine

* * * 3/4

I like to think of myself as a man of pleasure…

I enjoy a good pint of ale, being in the arms of a beautiful woman, and living by my own rules. The only thing I try to avoid? Commitment. And I’ve got a three-year success rate to prove it.

I wasn’t planning on Grace—the beautiful, funny, totally off-limits massage therapist who keeps popping up in my life. She’s on a six-month mission to rid her life of toxins. No alcohol. No red meat. And, yeah, no men. I’m talking full-on man cleanse.

I know I should walk away, but I can’t…and the only way to keep her in my life is to live by her rules. I’ll need to prove to a woman who’s lost all trust in men that I’m worthy of her love. And do it all without so much as a single kiss.

The only problem? If I win, I’ll lose the one thing I swore I’d never give up. My heart.


Source: e-galley provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review


What happens when two people who were burned by their exes find themselves falling in love again? Do they jump in eyes closed? Or do they come up with some bizarre way of doing things to get around it? 

Both Jeremy and Grace have been busy nursing broken hearts. Their temporary solution is to give up on relationships. These days, Jeremy likes being unattached as he happily goes through a series of women. Grace has sworn off guys, at least for six months as part of a man-cleanse, an idea she got from a self-help book. Things become tricky after she and Jeremy meet in a rather intimate way (he's her massage client) and an undeniable attraction follows. It's so tempting to do something but unfortunately, it's a case of right place, wrong time. Jeremy surprises himself by wanting to be with Grace, telling her that he'll wait for her until she's done with her cleanse and done putting herself back together. Sounds like a plan they can agree on: friends first, then whatever next. But wait. More complications arise when Grace winds up as star of her own reality show based on her current six-month hiatus from dating. It's a too-good opportunity that she can't afford to miss out on for a number of reasons. So for now it becomes a much harder wait for them. Meddlesome exes aren't helpful either.

This was such a cute story to dive into about two young people wrestling with their feelings and gradually blurring the line between friends and lovers. These are characters becoming more self-aware and truthful about what they want. It's about taking another leap of faith despite the fact that things went badly before. And even though they're trying hard to behave themselves, they do manage to find loopholes, and those are always so fun! It was nice to see the rest of the Kingston Ale House gang again especially since there's guaranteed fun when they're around. One can almost envy this close-knit circle of friends who go way back. As for me, I get to live vicariously through these young friends living it up in Chicago. 

Here's the best reason to read A.J. Pine: for the happy vibes that will inevitably wash over you. Who doesn't love a story about falling in love again after what seems like devastating heartbreak? A happily-ever-after is a nice place to go after it's all said and done. So do yourself a favour and check out the Kingston Ale House series and read WORTH THE WAIT!

~ Bel



Hey Readers, A.J. Pine was sweet enough to do an interview with us about the Kingston Ale House series. Check it out!

A.J. Pine (photo: Goodreads profile)

Congratulations on how well the Kingston Ale House series has done! The series is set

around a micro-brewery – it was the central focus of book 1 (THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY). What inspired this setting?

Is I like beer a good enough answer? Ha. Just kidding. I mean, I do like beer. But there’s more to it than that.

I have this theory that most things in my life are six degrees of separation from the show, Friends. And The Kingston Ale House series is perfect proof. I have great friends from high school and college, but I always wished I had a core group like Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey, and Phoebe—friends who started and ended their days together, hanging at Central Perk, who were basically each other’s second family. That’s where the Kingston crew came from. Jamie, Brynn, Holly, Annie, and Jeremy are the core group. All have known each other since high school, and all ended up back in the city after college. Wes (THREE SIMPLE WORDS) was part of that group but left for a number of years before coming back. Will (our sexy British single dad from SIX MONTH RULE) and Grace (our quirky massage therapist on a sex cleanse in WORTH THE WAIT) are the only two outsiders but were both lovingly welcomed into the fold. In a sense, Kingston Ale House is Central Perk, just with beer!

As you sat down to write, did you have any idea about how the subsequent books would evolve?

I had to give my editor a short description of all four books so she knew I had planned stories for each. And books one, two, and three all went according to plan. But Jeremy was a HUGE surprise. He was not the planned hero for book four. At this point I don’t even remember what book four was supposed to be. All I know is that as soon as Jeremy returned in book two and I got to know him better, I couldn’t get him out of my head.  I quickly thought of the best conflict for my commitment-shy player—a woman who had sworn off sex. I emailed my editor while writing book two and said, “Jeremy has to be the hero for book four. Here’s his story. What do you think?” I think it’s safe to say that she agreed with me. ☺

How much fun was it for you to base the series in Chicago?

It was so fun but also made me nostalgic for my twenties when I was spending my weekends in Lincoln Park! I love getting to give shouts to my favorite Chicago staples like Lou Malnati’s Pizza (the best deep dish pizza…no contest), the Chicago White Sox (my dad is a die-hard Sox fan), and also the Cubs.

I know they’re all your babies and it’s hard to choose but is there a character that is your favourite or that you feel an affinity with?

Oooh, this is hard (twss?). Annie (THREE SIMPLE WORDS) is probably the heroine who is most like me because she is a bookshop owner and romance blogger. We’re a bit of a bookish pair. She’s all about the happily ever after, and I loved that she never lost hope that hers was out there.

The heroes were all super fun to write. Like I said, Jeremy was a force of nature, demanding his own book, and I loved that about him. But I think my favorite hero to write was Will from book two because he was British. And a single dad. And the combination of his accent and his love for his little girl was just enough to bump him to the top of my list. But I really do love all my babies.

Finally we're going to ask about things related to our motto: books, boys pie. Is there a book from high school that you didn’t like that you’d consider reading again?

Honestly, I can’t remember the ones I didn’t like, but I can remember the one I did. The Great Gatsby. It’s the only book I’ve reread since high school simply because I wanted to. I was a high school English teacher for 13 years and definitely have a new appreciation for canon literature, but Gatsby is one that stuck with me.

What’s your favourite dessert? We’re thinking bribery material here ;)

I will never say no to crème brulee.

And which male celebrities do you picture as your characters from KAH: Jamie, Will, Wes and Jeremy?

I’m not saying I’ve thought about this in great detail or that I fan cast my heroes while I’m writing, but I’m not saying I don’t either. I might even have links for each one of the pic that looks how I picture them. LOL.

Jamie Kingston: Chace Crawford…with a baseball hat.

Will Evans: A cross between Henry Cavill and Theo James…because how can I be expected to choose?

Wes Hartley: Wait…I never cast him! Um…how about Jared Padalecki? Post GG. Definitely Supernatural Jared.

Jeremy Denning: Even though I say in the book he looks like a younger Michael Fassbender, there is this model, Ken Bek, who I just learned about from the RED HOT 2017 calendar (of which I’m giving away a copy on my author page along with other fun prizes). He could SO be Jeremy.

Many thanks again to A.J. for spending time with us! Get your copy of WORTH THE WAIT out now!

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Books

Kingston Ale House Series     I     If Only Series     I     Only You Series

Tru Smoke by Edie Danford

*** 1/2

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire… Whenever Jones touches him, flames flicker in Truitt Larkin's smoky-gray eyes. 

Growing up in Ember Peak, Colorado, Jones Hudson nurtured dreams as big as the Rockies. Why else would a flat-broke college student believe he has a shot with Truitt Larkin, the billionaire CEO of Larkin Corp? And, sure, Tru might own the fab, five-thousand-acre Ember Peak Ranch, where Jones is just the son of a ranch employee, but that doesn’t mean a future with Tru is doomed, does it? When he finally, finally convinces Tru to break his chiseled-in-rock no-sex-ever policy, Jones is sure smoke will never shroud Tru’s silver-flame eyes again.

But fire burns and dreams crash. And Jones leaves Ember Peak—and a big chunk of his heart—behind.

Tru knows he’s responsible for fracturing his valued friendship with Jones. Indulging his attraction to the younger man was selfish and destructive—something he’ll always regret. When Jones returns to Ember Peak for a family wedding, Tru wants a chance to heal their friendship and give back to Jones the comfort of coming home. But sparks fly the moment they reunite, and they scramble to douse the passion that’s burned them both before. Yet a flicker of hope glows brightly, and soon they need all their courage to see their way to a future together.

Review:

A few things drew me to this story.  First, I’ve been wanting to read a story by Edie Danford ever since reading How We Began, which she edited.  Second, there is a certain allure of the second-chance and friends-to-lovers combo that I couldn’t ignore.  Lastly, I’ve been searching for m/m cowboy/western romance and was crossing my fingers that this would finally be the one that I love.

In a many ways I found a gem in Tru North.  The writing was unbelievably rich.  So much detail on every page.  Any reader that loves to immerse themselves in a setting will love the descriptions of Ember Peak Ranch and the characters.  Anyone looking for a lot of time with their heroes will be happy with the length of this story.  Both heroes were extremely lovable.  Jones’ growth from their first try at a relationship to the next time they see each other is significant.  His certainty in what he wants out of life is extremely attractive.  As his deep affection for his friends and family.  Truitt was a little more difficult to understand.  He’s a closed book to himself and those around him.  But the more Truitt reveals to himself and the reader the deeper his attachment to Jones grows.   

My biggest struggle with this story was how their relationship began (meeting when Jones was 5 and Truitt 19 years old) and where it ended it up.  It left me feeling slightly uncomfortable.  What I like to call “Thorn Birds” uncomfortable.  Significant age differences rarely bother me.  But just like I could never quite reconcile Father Ralph and Maggie’s priest/child parishioner relationship with their romantic adult relationship, I had a very hard time accepting Truitt and Jones’ older/younger brother relationship with THEIR adult romantic relationship.   Obviously, that’s my own issue and not a big enough one to make me stop reading (I finished The Thorn Birds too).   

That struggle aside, I really enjoyed this story.  It was something different that helped me move out of a long term book funk.  If you are looking to immerse yourself in a romance that truly has everything Tru Smoke might be the book for you.  Heads up, Tru and Jones story has a Happy For Now conclusion.  Fortunately, we get to find out what happens next in Tru Burn which releases in December.

Nat 

The One That Got Away by A.J. Pine

* * *

How far will one man go for the woman he's loved since high school?

Jamie Kingston has been Brynn Chandler's best friend since middle school. Only once was their friendship tested—when Brynn gave Jamie a single kiss. Since then, they've had an unspoken agreement never to cross that line again, and she’s ready to let go of the past and move on.

But Jamie has loved Brynn for as long as he can remember, and now that he's ready to tell her, she has her sights set on someone else. Knowing this is his last chance, he asks Brynn to go on a two-week road trip. But their time alone brings old hurts to the surface, and Brynn has to decide if the one that got away lies at the end of the journey or if he's been by her side all along.

The One That Got Away – there’s something about that phrase that always hooks me. It screams of a missed opportunity and the potential that there may be another chance. And that’s what we have here.

Jamie and Brynn have been hung up on each other since high school. Their friendship goes farther back but it was in high school that Jamie developed feelings for Brynn. On a night when she was looking forward to being kissed by her crush, she ends up kissing Jamie instead. The circumstances leading up to this are interesting. Anyway, it all kind of dissolves shortly after with Brynn never truly knowing exactly what it happened.

Ten years later, they’re still best friends and getting ready for the big high school reunion. This time nothing is going to stop Brynn from sharing a kiss with her high school crush. Jamie stands by helplessly because far be it from him to actually speak up and declare his true feelings to her. When things go terribly awry at the reunion, he make it up to Brynn by suggesting that embark on a road trip together to LA where she can meet up with her crush and he can take care of his business venture. It doesn’t go every smoothly with plenty of hiccups along the way. But for Brynn, each of these inconveniences turn out to be an opportunity to see Jamie in a completely different light.

The narrative, told from both viewpoints, is repetitive but that’s because both of them are so caught up in reliving where things went south in their friendship. They’re simply stuck and as the reader you’re stuck with them as their thoughts and memories play on an endless loop. They keep quiet under the pretense of keeping the status quo. At some point during the roadtrip there’s a shift and I was so happy because seriously, about time you two!

A few things stood out for me. One, is the playful chemistry they have. It’s sickeningly obvious how much they adore each other and the fact that there’s always some sort of mishap when these two are together is very funny. It’s their thing and it’s cute. Two, is that Jamie and Brynn feel tangible. They’re both described as attractive with none of the over-the-top romancey stuff. That just made them relatable to me, like these two goofballs could very well be my friends hanging about in Chicago, bringing me to my third point: I did love the Chicago references. 

TOTGA is cute and almost like a slapstick comedy at times when you look at how clumsy they are around each other. If you’re someone who believes in second chances and adores the friends-to-lovers trope, this will certainly please you. TOTGA is a fun roadtrip or vacation companion to take with you!

~ Bel

Last Year's Mistake by Gina Ciocca

*** ½

Before:
Kelsey and David became best friends the summer before freshman year and were inseparable ever after. Until the night a misunderstanding turned Kelsey into the school joke, and everything around her crumbled—including her friendship with David. So when Kelsey's parents decided to move away, she couldn't wait to start over and leave the past behind. Except, David wasn't ready to let her go...

After:
Now it's senior year and Kelsey has a new group of friends, genuine popularity, and a hot boyfriend. Her life is perfect. That is, until David's family moves to town and he shakes up everything. Soon old feelings bubble to the surface and threaten to destroy Kelsey's second chance at happiness. The more time she spends with David, the more she realizes she never truly let him go. And maybe she never wants to.

Told in alternating sections, LAST YEAR'S MISTAKE is a charming and romantic debut about loving, leaving, and letting go.

Review:

When Kelsey and David meet the summer before freshman year they make an instant connection.  Sadly, David was feeling that connection a little more differently than Kelsey.  Kelsey is still in that
“love and romance is gross” stage.  Ah…young unrequited love.  As the next couple school years progress we, the readers, watch the train wreck that is their relationship.  Ok, maybe train wreck is unfair.  But it was frustrating to see Kelsey close herself off from all other possible friendships.  David, being a much more sociable creature, maintains his relationship with Kelsey (always hoping she’ll fall for him too) while forming friendships with other people at school. Even the people that Kelsey absolutely hates. And, of course, Kelsey realizes her feelings when it’s too late.  Or at least she thinks it’s too late.

Kelsey and her family move away the summer before her junior year.  Along with starting a new school, Kelsey decides to start a whole new life.  A life that includes leaving David behind.  In every possible way.  She ignores his texts and messages and cuts off contact completely.  Fast forward the beginning of her senior year and Kelsey has a great best friend, a popular boyfriend and hangs out with the “cool” crowd.  But her world is tilted when David walks into her new school and her new life the first day of their senior year. 

What follows is an uncomfortable school year as both Kelsey and David figure out what they can salvage of their former relationship.  They each make so many mistakes.  I mean, I know Kelsey is judgmental and not always likable, but the kids that she avoided in high school were total jerks.  And they were fairly obvious about it too.  I didn’t like how purposefully blind David was to that.   And then later, how it’s obvious to everyone but Kelsey that her boyfriend is an ass, is beyond me.  But all that being said, I WAS rooting for Kelsey and David.  They had a connection that is made even stronger by their friendship.  But that same connection and friendship makes the hurt they cause each other pretty devastating.  

I definitely enjoyed Last Year’s Mistake.  It hit a couple of my most favorite romance buttons.  Angst, check. Friends to lovers, check.  It even had me teary eyed a few times.  If you are fan of teen contemporary romance, this a great one to add to your collection.

Nat

Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

* * * *

For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can’t be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan’s friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they’re best friends — which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t keep getting in each other’s way. Guys won’t ask Macallan out because they think she’s with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can’t help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

From romantic comedy superstar Elizabeth Eulberg comes a fresh, fun examination of a question for the ages: Can guys and girls ever really be just friends? Or are they always one fight away from not speaking again — and one kiss away from true love?

Review:

It’s the first day of 7^th grade and Macallan can’t wait to throw herself into endless hours of school work.  Anything to keep her mind of feeling lonely and missing her mom.  But before she can even start her first class she is called into the principal’s office.   She’s quickly relieved to find out she isn’t going to be forced into another round of visits with the school counselor.  She’s not so relieved when she learns she is expected to show the new kid around.  That’s when Macallan meets Levi.  And she couldn’t be more put out.  She shows him where his classes are, drops him off at his first period and quickly dismisses him when he hopefully says “see ya around?”  But her dismissal doesn’t last for long because as serious as she might be, Macallan is a nice girl.  When she sees Levi struggling to find somewhere to sit at lunch she invites him to sit with her and her friends. That’s when Macallan notices the Buggy and Floyd button on Levi’s backpack.  She’s a huge fan of the British show as is Levi.  And on that shared love of a television show an epic friendship is born.

From there on out, Levi and Macallan are almost inseparable.  Like Best Friends tend to be.  The problem is that everyone assumes they are more than just friends which makes dating difficult.  And in some instances, horribly awkward.  One of the most awkwardly hilarious scenes in this book is when Macallan and Levi go on a double date together.  I think I audibly groaned while reading it.  It was so uncomfortable.  Amusing but uncomfortable.  Eventually, Levi starts to question his feelings for Macallan.  But is Macallan on the same page?  And if not, what’s more important?   Risking their friendship for love or ignoring their growing attraction so as not to upset one of the most wonderful friendships either of them has ever had. 

I’m a self-proclaimed romance whore.  I can’t get enough of it.  I’m rather greedy that way.  There are a lot of different romances I enjoy but one of my favorite types of stories is what I like to call “The Best Friend Romance,” or “Friends-to-Lovers.”   Whether they are cute and funny or full of angst, it’s guaranteed that a Best Friend Romance is going to put a smile on my face.  After reading Better Off Friends, I was trying to determine when my love affair with this type of story began.  And as if someone was whispering in her ear, Julia Quinn posted the following graphic on her Facebook page:

That’s it!  Emma!  I have three favorite Jane Austen’s  (Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion and Emma) but Emma and Mr. Knightley’s story was the one that put butterflies in my stomach.  And it was because, just like Macallan and Levi, Emma and her Mr. Knightley were friends.   And just like Emma and Mr. Knightley, Levi and Macallan value each other’s friendship above all else.  That’s what makes their love extra special.  They KNOW each other already.  And there is something miraculously romantic about that. 

If you are a hopeless romantic like me and love to read about friendships becoming something more then you must read Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg. 

~Nat