Review: Granby Knitting Stories by Amy Lane

Title: Granby Knitting Stories

Author: Amy Lane

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Length: 524 Pages

Category: Contemporary

At a Glance: A well rounded series with fun knitting patterns included!

Reviewed By: Angel

Blurb: Alpaca rancher and fiber mill owner Rance Crawford is instantly smitten with his brand-new neighbor Ben McCutcheon, in The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters; he just has to find a good way to show his interest. Jeremy, an ex-con hanging on to his last bit of hope, thinks life might be looking up when Rance Crawford offers him a job, in How to Raise an Honest Rabbit, but when Jeremy meets Aiden and his past comes knocking, will Jeremy have the courage to stay and fight? Stanley is stuck in a rut, in Knitter in His Natural Habitat, unsure if he’s happy with his personal life or his professional life as a floor designer for craft stores; then Johnny into his life, trailing a dark past, and Stanley has to decide what he’s willing to give up to keep Johnny. In Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny’s Lair, Jeremy barely survives a horrific beating, and he’s left with the scars to prove it; between the Jeremy’s long road to recovery and a friend’s baby who needs special care, Aiden and Jeremy might find the common ground necessary to firm up their shaky relationship.

Review: Amy Lane is a new-to-me author, and I enjoyed my introduction to her. I had been a bit leery about reading her, as I had heard that she was considered an Angst Queen and I let that deter me for quite some time. I am glad I didn’t let the name completely put me off her, but she definitely earned it through this series.

I laughed, cried, cheered and had several instances of scorn during my read of this bundle. I thoroughly enjoyed Rance and Ben in Winter Courtship. In fact, this book was my favorite out of the entire series. I adored Rance and his cantankerous ways, and the fall he took to get Ben. Ben was such a joy, and fun. I loved that he was the polar opposite of Craw, and they just worked for me on so many levels. I wanted more of this couple, so much more than I got with the series.

Aiden. Ah, Aiden. I so love Aiden, too. He was smart and determined and just a force of nature, but I wasn’t so fond of Jeremy. There was just something about him that I couldn’t quite make myself like about the character, but I stuck with him as he fell for Aiden. I still think Aiden deserved better, but I liked their story well enough. This couple is when I began to learn Amy Lane lived up to the name, and I was glad to see their entire story in Honest Rabbit and Blackbird. Both of these books were lovely, but I still yearned for Craw and Ben.

Finally, as much as I hate to say it, Stanley and Johnny were my least favorite of the group. I liked the characters individually but not as a couple. I have friends like Stanley, and they can be quite bitter at times, so the insta-love, I think, is what put me off the couple. Johnny was the classic mobster with a heart of gold, but they just didn’t work well for me as a couple.

All the characters make an appearance in each of these lovely stories, and I devoured each instant with Ben and Craw the most. It was fun to read them all together, back to back, and I’ll definitely check out more of Amy Lane’s work.

You can buy Granby Knitting Stories here:
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