Publisher: Perky Rooster Books
Pages: 170
Characters: Elias/Gibson
POV: 1st
Genre: Contemporary
Blurb:
Sometimes life leads you back to where it all began because home is where the heart can truly mend.
Elias Lake is facing a personal and professional crisis. The world-famous star of countless action movies has been outed on social media. By an ex-lover with a poisonous ax to grind. His life and reputation as “The World’s Only Remaining Manly Man”—the studio’s PR words, not his—is hiding in his mansion in the L.A. hills, trying to sort out where to go now. The media is camped outside his gates, the studio heads are up in arms, and his legion of fans are ready to fire up the torches and grab their pitchforks.
With his world burning down around him, he tucks his tail and heads home to a small island that hugs the rocky coast of Maine. There Elias Lake can return to being plain old Elias Kesside, the son of an innkeeper, who spent his youth pretending to be a famed local pirate or swimming in the choppy waters of Kesside Bay. Hiding isn’t as easy as the beleaguered movie star had hoped, though, and when the press finds him, he ducks into a small pottery shop near the inn to shake off the paparazzi. There he meets Gibson Vale, the upbeat and attractive older ceramist who owns the shop. What starts out as a duck-and-cover moment turns into a friendship that quickly grows into something strong, vibrant, and healing for both men.
Where the Pines Kiss the Sky is a slow burn, age gap, small town M/M romance starring two men who are looking for new beginnings, a tiny coastal town filled with well-meaning but incredibly nosy natives, rough seas, rocky coasts, sailboats under summery sunsets, and a happy-ever-after.
Review
I loved Elias and Gibson’s story, which left me with a lovely warm fuzzy feeling. I also loved the other residents of Kesside Island, and hope the author will set more stories there.
Elias’s journey to re-find himself and to be true to himself was wonderful. It’s not only Gibson who helps with that but returning home to Kesside Bay. I loved his and Gibson’s relationship. Their conversations are one of the highlights of this story. I liked that Gibson had no clue who Elias Lake is, so their friendship and more is based on the real Elias. Gibson is great with the kids, and I liked the gentle way he has about him.
I liked Elias’s relationship with his dad, and how accepting and supportive he is. The residents of Kesside are wonderfully quirky, and this story has everything I love about small town settings. I particularly liked Billy, Jane, and Kimmy, and the harbour master who can’t be hurried. The bridge moves up and down when he’s ready and not before. Elle and Katy rock. I guessed their twist in the story way before Elias finds out. Oregano and Basil also deserve a mention, especially regarding a certain photographer.
I love how Elias gives back to the town, and how he moves forward with his future. His and Gibson’s HEA is the perfect ending to a wonderful feel-good read.
5 out of 5 stars.
Drops of Ink 