TEST
Lucky Break is a perfectly nice, fluffy holiday story about two men suffering streaks of bad luck who finally find happiness by being around one another.
Shawn Matthews has just finished his first season as sous chef for the Tango Saloon, situated in Bentley Ghost Town. The town is about to shut down for the holiday season to give everyone a break to be with their families, and Shawn – who’s been dealing with homelessness for the better part of two years and is currently living out of his car – has nowhere to go. His family – especially his beloved grandparents, to whom he sends the majority of his salary in gratitude for their having raised him – is too far away to see. When his co-workers offer him companionship, he fears they’re asking out of pity, and declines to spend time with them outside of work.
When his car’s transmission chokes, he walks to the cabin of his co-worker, Mack. Mack has always looked out for Shawn and had already invited him to stay at his house over the holiday, so he’s happy to put him up until his car’s back on the road.
Photographer, ex-rodeo star and ranch worker Robin Butler is Mack’s neighbor, and he loves the outdoors and outdoor living on the Clean Slate Ranch. Estranged from his own family, he considers himself responsible for the ranch’s elderly den mother, Patrice, who’s been having spills and falls lately, the latest of which lays her up, meaning she won’t be able to cook for the ranch’s upcoming holiday season.
Patrice’s injury also means that Shawn’s talents as a chef are required on the ranch. Soon he and Robin are flirting up a storm, seeing one another all the time, which causes both men to develop hearty crushes. Shawn is embraced eagerly by the men of the Clean Slate and he in turn embraces ranch living. By the time Christmas rolls around, Shawn finds himself fitting in – and crushing on Robin.
But for Robin, looking at Shawn is like staring straight into the past – literally. Shawn looks exactly like Xander, Robin’s late husband, who died three years earlier when he was thrown from his horse. Even without the complication of Shawn resembling Xander, Robin has been deeply scarred by losing him. How can he trust himself to keep another man safe? And how will Robin react when he finds out about the depth of Shawn’s poverty?
Lucky Break is a big old fairytale of a romance where sweet things happen to deserving people after long periods of suffering. Lots of good food is eaten, bulls are ridden, souls are bared, and happy endings are guaranteed. It’s a nice mental vacation.
Robin and Shawn are interesting contrasts. Shawn is more of a good boy, and Robin has been around some, a romantic, still stuck in the past and on his husband. Both have been through a lot, and both manage to do the work necessary to grow past their scars.
Some readers may not be able to get past the fact that Shawn resembles Xander – a plot point that’s very awkward, although if you can climb past it, you should be able to enjoy the book.
The book feels a hair overlong, and many of the supporting characters fail to pop out and stand up on their own. A late-book jealousy subplot might have best been cut.
But Lucky Break is a very nice romance with a very nice couple that feels very Christmassy. You could do worse than enjoy an afternoon with it.
Note: The book contains elements of homophobic violence and sexual assault.
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Grade: B
Book Type: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 21/10/19
Publication Date: 10/2019
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
Lisa Fernandes is a writer, reviewer and recapper who lives somewhere on the East Coast. Formerly employed by Firefox.org and Next Projection, she also currently contributes to Women Write About Comics. Read her blog at http://thatbouviergirl.blogspot.com/, follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/thatbouviergirl or contribute to her Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/MissyvsEvilDead or her Ko-Fi at ko-fi.com/missmelbouvier
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I enjoyed this author’s Cost of Repairs and The Restoration series in the past. Thanks for the heads up about a new title and that you liked it. It does sound like a nice holiday story.
Uh . . . missed the first time through that this is #4 in the series. So clearly can be read out of order. Has anyone else read the rest of the series? Also, I noticed that this series is published by Carina Press . . . they’ve been mentioned in recent threads as a publisher that is more apt to let storytellers tell the stories they choose (vs. shoehorning into formulas). FYI.
I haven’t read this series, but if anyone is interested, here is the author interview for the book: https://www.carinapress.com/shop/books/9781335459473_lucky-break.html.
Yes, Carina Press does seem to let authors do more original storytelling than other publishers I’ve looked at. (I have definitely mentioned this on previous posts.)
Thank you for this!
You are welcome! I follow the Carina Press blog for the interviews and First Page critiques.
Hope you like it, and yes, it’s the last in a series but I didn’t feel it was too confusing to keep up with the series!