Author: D.W. Marchwell
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages/Word Count: 214 Pages
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Blurb: Benjamin “Big Ben” Forrester came from a wealthy family, went to the right schools, and had handsome men falling at his feet. But all Ben has ever wanted is a man to love him unconditionally. Being a firefighter won’t bring Ben fame or riches, so where will he find true love and acceptance?
Alistair McInnis lives with his older sister, Abigail, and her deaf son, Jared. Alistair left his job as an editor to take care of his nephew when Abigail divorced and enrolled in law school to provide a better future for Jared. But Abigail is falling in love with the policeman next door, and Jared won’t need Alistair forever.
While working with the station house to oversee the rebuilding of a play castle burned down by vandals, Ben meets and falls for Alistair. Can Ben learn what it means to be accepted for who he is? Can Alistair accept that life comes with no guarantees? They soon find happiness is a fine mingling of hanging on and letting go.
Review: I was excited to see this book on the Coming Soon list, and I snatched it up as soon as I could. I absolutely love D.W. Marchwell’s books, and I feel like it’s been forever since there was a new book to read. Unfortunately, I was pretty much let down once I read the book.
Alistair McInnis moved into his sister’s basement to help her out when her douchey ex-husband left her to raise their son, Jared, alone. Abigail is going to law school, so Alistair is Jared’s primary caregiver most of the time.
After an act of vandalism ruined a playground their father had built when they were kids, the community decides to rebuild it. This is where Ben Forrester enters the story. He volunteers to work at the build site, and he meets Alistair at the planning meeting.
Alistair is pretty jaded due to past relationships, Ben is as well, so they decide to take their relationship slow. At the same time, Abigail starts dating the police officer next door. There was very little drama or conflict in this story. It was, for the most part, just a sweet romance.
It seemed the author was trying to develop some plot points, but they just kind of faded away with no resolution. Abigail may or may not be leaving town for a job—it was never clarified. There may or may not be a surgery for Jared—it was never clarified. Ben asked Alistair an important question I still don’t know the answer to—it was never clarified. The writing was done well, the characters were fun, but the story just left me wanting more. I don’t know if the author intends a sequel to answer all of our burning questions or not, but I just feel as if the story was incomplete.
Again, I adore all of D.W. Marchwell’s other books, and I would highly recommend them. This one just didn’t quite do it for me.
You can buy A Fine Mingling here:
I’ve done two of her books on audio and enjoyed them. Will probably wait until this comes out audio and give it a try.