Author: Bru Baker
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages/Word Count: 64 Pages
At a Glance: This story was a late bloomer for me
Blurb: If not for his family and his Christmas tree farm, David Rochester would be a recluse. And Erik Shriver wouldn’t know a quiet moment if it smacked him in the face. But now David’s farm has brought them together. When Erik’s flurry of bad jokes and frenetic energy sets David off kilter, his family notices and begins conspiring. They push David and a very willing Erik together again and again until David stops denying his attraction. But an almost-hermit and a soon-to-be-former club boy each bring baggage into a relationship. They’ll have to take things slowly to find the middle ground between David’s taciturn silence and Eric’s boundless chatter.
Review:
“So you guys have a Santa out here? Is it one of you? Tell me it’s you. Make my day, David, and tell me that you dress up in a big stuffed belly and a white beard and coo over babies.” – Bru Baker
Erik Shriver left Rives Junction for college many years ago, but has since moved back to care for his mother. He teaches biology at the high school, and does part-time seasonal work at Rochester Farms, a local, family-owned nursery. Erik is adorable. Sweet, smart, handsome, tenacious, and for some reason he has his sights set on David Rochester.
David wants nothing to do with Erik’s advances. He is a curmudgeon, and is perfectly happy with it, thank you very much. He was burned by his last relationship and has no intention of going through that again, so he has built up a pretty substantial wall. It also doesn’t help that he remembers Erik as a player, and has therefore decided that Erik isn’t good for him. The reality, of course, is that Erik wants nothing more than to build a long-lasting relationship with David. He wants a steady partnership, and all of the comfort that comes with it. The problem is getting that through David’s thick skull.
Forgive the pun, but this story was a late bloomer for me. It wasn’t until the second half that it got up to full steam, and really took off. Once that happened, it was great. Once David decided to let go of the past, and let Erik in, he became much more likable, and the story did as well. In the third chapter we get some solid backstory, which was great, and, there was a picnic-date scene in the final chapter that I absolutely loved. The guys had wonderful chemistry; it was a really fun, sweet scene. In fact, the whole last chapter is completely charming.
Late Bloomer was a cute Christmas novella. It may not have been my favorite, but the strength of the second half of the story definitely made it an enjoyable read!
You can buy Late Bloomer here:
