Review: Quiet Nights by Mary Calmes

Title: Quiet Nights: Mangrove Stories

Author: Mary Calmes

Pages/Word Count: 80 Pages

At a Glance: I loved Quiet Nights; it was an adventure and I enjoyed the way the plot unfolded.

Reviewed By: Janet

Blurb: It’s a lovely little life Kelly Seaton leads. He’s got his own landscaping business, a nice little house, and his best friend, Cosimo Renaldi, and Coz’s goofball family who have adopted Kelly as their own. Sure, it’s a little lonely at night, but it’s a sweet deal, and Kelly can’t chance ruining it by letting on that he wants more—has always wanted more—with Coz.

Then Kelly’s past comes to town, bringing bad memories and hurt feelings that start to break Kelly down, and Coz just doesn’t understand why Kelly won’t let him be the support and strength that Kelly’s always been for him. They’ve already been through war, Coz’s devastating injury, and starting new careers in Mangrove, Florida. Why shouldn’t they face their chaotic pasts and build their future of quiet nights… together?

Review: This is the second offering from Mary Calmes in the Mangrove series, and all I can say is keep them coming.

I expect brilliance from Calmes and yet I am awed by her ability to create the deep connections I feel towards her characters in so few pages. Usually in a novella we can see and relate to the MCs, but somehow Mary Calmes creates living, breathing secondary characters throughout this book who are equally as vivid as the MCs. The scene in Annalise’s kitchen is absolutely hilarious, but it is also a carefully crafted scene that allows the family dynamics and the core values of the characters to be revealed. This kind of depth added to the characters, with humour and clever conversations, is an example of the talent and skill that is a trademark of Mary Calmes. Her characters do not exist in a vacuum, but are surrounded by family and friends who are as real to us as the MCs are, and with this ability she has given the reader a story that can be enjoyed over and over again.

The plot is simple, the pace is quick, and the story was typically humorous. What elevates this book to awesome entertainment is the quality of world building that occurs, and the character development that rolls off the pages so smoothly and fills our minds with glorious colors, sounds and even textures. We are a part of the story and are fully invested in reaching the HEA with the guys. There is absolutely nothing better than reading a book that carries you away into its world and fills you with so very many emotions as well.

Even though this is a novella in a series, and we get to see a glimpse of the characters from Blue Days, this is still a standalone story. I loved Quiet Nights; it was an adventure and I enjoyed the way the plot unfolded. I also think it cemented the series as being full of possibilities, with a sneaky little plot monkey in the background. I really can’t wait for the next installment in the Mangrove series; I can only hope there are lots more stories to be told. If you haven’t read Blue Days, grab it along with Quiet Nights. You will not be disappointed.