About the Book

Jon’s future in New York seems bright. He’s on the corporate fast track as an executive problem solver, but somehow he can’t help feeling hollow. Yearning for a life spent outdoors makes no sense if he wants to flourish in this city, nor does losing his cool with clients when they make bad decisions. Only leaving the East Coast behind for three months can save his business reputation.

His exile in Seattle has unexpected upsides. Jon’s rented home has a garden where his true passions blossom. It’s overgrown yet idyllic—perfect if he didn’t have to share it with another tenant. Tyler might be as cute as hell, and their landlady adores him, but Jon can’t let himself fall for someone who seems lazy.

Three months could be enough time to see Tyler clearly, but choosing which to nurture long-term—love or a business career—might take Jon longer than one summer.

The Finer Details

Published:
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Cover Artist:
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October 21, 2016
Figment Ink
Natasha Snow
Stand-Alone
Contemporary
M/M
Gay
320 e-book pages
3rd person

See the book on Goodreads

Rating

4.5 Stars

Rating Info

Ratings stick closely to the GoodReads standards. Occasionally I’ll make note of half-star ratings and will typically round up on GoodReads reviews and other sites where I may cross-post.

Stars	Goodreads	What this means to me
5	AMAZING	This totally knocked my socks off, and I might end up a crazed fan (from a respectable distance).
4	Really Liked	This was truly enjoyable, and I’d recommend it.
3	Liked	It was good, and I’m glad I read it, but I may have had some issues.
2	It was okay	There were likable parts but I definitely had issues.
1	Didn't like	I read the whole thing but....
1 DNF	Didn't like	I read past 50% (at least) before giving up.
0 DNF	No Rating	I couldn't even make it to 50%, but I still feel the need to share my thoughts.

Review:

I’m a girl who’s a mite bit picky about her veggies. Broccoli? Only raw. Brussels sprouts? Only when they’re roasted to crispy perfection verging on ash. Peas? Only if they have black eyes. See? P.I.C.K.Y.

But, spinach? GIMME! Seriously, I’ll take that Popeye-approved leafy green goodness any way it’s served it up: raw, boiled, sautéed in butter & garlic, even fried. And, personally, I don’t think you’ve lived until you’ve had fresh spinach fried in peanut oil and lightly salted.

The title alone ensured this book was right up my alley. Also, of course, because it’s Con Riley — an author who has fast become an auto-buy for me.

Jon, Mr. MBA smarty-pants, seems to have gotten a little too big for his britches. It seems he’s on the brink of being fired for mishandling a client — he’s sure of it. Instead, he’s given another chance that entails moving all they way across the country, from New York to Seattle, to work with a new client. The only way he’s going to succeed is if he follows the rules.

Happenstance and an intriguing For Rent ad lead him to lease a run-down apartment from a quirky old woman whose also boarding Tyler, a shiftless layabout.

Yet, behind the overgrown gardens, under those decrepit stairs and that patchwork roof, things are not exactly as they seem.

Jon, looking at life through a new lens in a slower paced environment as opposed to the concrete jungle of the big city, starts to get an idea of what’s important. Cultivating friendships, getting his hands dirty while weeding a garden, the satisfaction of growing a tomato. He also learns that people can be full of surprises, that first impressions aren’t always an exact snapshot of reality.

I LOVED THIS — everything about it. It was a slow build-up with some gorgeous writing and full, colorful characters who wheedled (or weeded, as it were) their way right into my heart.

The pacing ebbed and flowed nicely without any sensationalized tricks that felt entirely organic in the blossoming of love everlasting. Con’s style, as always, is careful and complete in the exploration of characters and setting in a way that invites her readers into the story to kick back and be a part of its unfolding.

And, it’s not just the two main characters who learn, grow, and become better men on their way to love. Every single character who gets shaken out of Con’s seed packet, from their doddering sidekick to apathetic co-workers, get just enough sun and water to, in the end, leave us with a bountiful garden of happily ever after.

This is a slow-burn romance. I wouldn’t call it enemies to lovers….maybe a disdainemies to lovers between opposite sorts that includes some sweet quirkiness of an elderly woman who’s got her finger firmly on the pulse of how things ought to be. It’s a romance of true love and friendships cultivated over time. And it’s finding beauty in unexpected places.

Totally, and completely recommended (whether you like spinach or not).

Purchase Links:

Amazon US | Amazon UK

About the Author:

Con Riley lives on the wild and rugged Devonshire coast, with her head in the clouds, and her feet in the Atlantic Ocean.

Injury curtailed her enjoyment of outdoor pursuits, so writing fiction now fills her free time. Love, loss, and redemption shape her romance stories, and her characters are flawed in ways that makes them live and breathe.

When not people watching, or wrangling her own boy band of teen sons, she spends time staring at the sea from her kitchen window. If you see her, don’t disturb herósheís probably thinking up new plots.

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