Malachi Booth is a supermodel. He’s used to moving about the world, sleeping with whoever takes his fancy and watching the money roll in. The last place he expects to find himself is on a run-down farm in Cornwall, but a bad bout of bronchitis means that he’s stuck there. The only compensation for this dismal state of affairs is that the farmer is very good looking, even if he’s the grumpiest … person that Malachi has ever met.
Cadan Landry’s farm has been in his family for hundreds of years but that doesn’t make it any easier to make ends meet. As a consequence, Cadan could be called grumpy. Most men would consider a supermodel collapsing at their feet while dressed in the skimpiest pair of briefs ever made to be a sign of good fortune. Cadan just resents the fact that the young man is taking up space in his cow field.
These two men are from different worlds, but can they ever meet in the middle?
From bestselling author Lily Morton comes a novella about snarky models, misconceptions, and finding a home in the most unlikely of places.
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Loved it
Love, love, love this book! It’s sweet, snarky, heart wrenching and ultimately uplifting. In other words, vintage Lily Morton.
Malachi, a model who we met briefly in Jude and Asa’s book, is on a photo shoot at a farm in Cornwall when he passes out cold at the feet of Caden, the farmer who owns the farm. Malachi stays on the farm as Caden nurses him back to health and they each discover the person hiding under snarky or grumpy exteriors.
I just absolutely loved these characters. They have the traits we’ve come to expect from Morton’s characters. They are complex, smart, Sharp tongued, clever, sassy and harboring some level of emotional damage from their past. The well paced story arc does a great job of developing the characters as the story progresses. The readers come to know the characters as the characters come to know themselves. As required in all good romances there comes a crisis moment and this one brought tears to my eyes. And in another Morton signature move (one I always look forward to) a snarky secondary character plays a pivotal role in making the MCs see the light.
My only complaint about this book is that it is so short we don’t get enough of Caden, Malachi, Constance and Maisy. I hope they are going to turn up somewhere in Morton’s universe again!
I don’t know why I waited so long to read this one. Funny and sweet as well as steamy and cute. If you’ve read some of Lily’s other books, this one connects to a few without it being required reading.
A really enjoyable read that has a thread of emotional poignancy with it – just adorable.
I love Lily Morton’s writing! Malachi and Caden are each unique, unforgettable, complex characters. I found myself smiling and laughing aloud as their relationship and story slowly and steadily unfolded. In addition to her outstanding characters and their stories, this author also delivers bright wit and snarky humor, clever dialog, intense attraction and angst, and steamy heat in a relationship that slowly evolves and steadily brings the characters (and readers) toward their HEA. Lily Morton’s work once again rises above a lot of other books in the M/M Romance genre. Secondary characters and the settings are memorable and drive this funny and beautiful love story forward. Highly recommend this smart, sexy and heart warming book.
This was a super sweet romance. Which isn’t a bad thing at all if you’re in the mood for sugar.
There are many who rave about Morton’s books. As far as I know, this is my first Lily Morton, so I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but my expectations were high.
However, I wasn’t particularly awed by Spring Strings. But I’ll need to read more of Morton’s work before I can form a proper opinion of her writing because this was a super short read. And short books are probably the hardest to write. There’s not enough length to be thorough, but the readers still expect a full story since it’s not a novella.
So yes. This book felt pretty rushed.
The first part, the build-up to Mal’s and Caden’s romance, was told through shorter segments separated by time jumps and with lots of quick recaps to try to establish a sense of naturally, growing affection. It didn’t quite succeed. I thought that first third of the book felt very disjointed.
The story didn’t really hit its stride until the lovestory began for real, i.e., when Mal and Caden gave in to their attraction. Once they did, it was a really great story.
If you like super sweet romance that is.
Because there was only minimal drama and sweet, sweet love. Those last two thirds of the book were also very well-written. Mal and Caden were super cute together and I definitely got the HEA I require from all my reads. Extra credit for the epilogue too. It was set three whole years later enabling Morton go all out describing everything they’d accomplished. And I’m a huge fan of those full-bodied epilogues.
I thought the original plot was spectacular. What with a passed out supermodel and a surly farmer. But I felt that Morton could have done so much more with that plot-line than she did. There was so much potential there that just went to waste. So I can’t help to think that this could have been a truly awesome book if she’d written a longer story, and that’s just sad.
So, to summarize, this is a super short and super sweet romance. If you’re in the mood for a quickie and aren’t diabetic, this is absolutely a good choice. The chopped up storytelling and the missed potential lowers the overall experience though, and I’d rate it at 3.5 stars.
https://reflectionsofaswedishgirl.blog.se/spring-strings-by-lily-morton/
4.5 stars-
I was craving a mix of sweet, sass, and heat. After a few reads that were good but not exactly what I was searching for, I pulled this novella off my to-be-read list. Suffice to say, Spring Strings hit the spot. This story was utterly charming with a super model falling for a Cornish farmer.
I so enjoyed both Cadan and Malachi and absolutely loved their banter. Though the book is relatively short the romance didn’t feel rushed. Instead, I got just enough glimpses of this couple’s sweet love, unwavering support for each other, and future together (plus a good bit of their sexy moments) to leave me satisfied. I’d definitely recommend Spring Strings if you’re looking for a quick read that hits all the good notes.
Excellent read. I love this author.
Lily Morton’s men are captivating, will make you smile, and believe in the power of love and romance.
If you are reader who happens to love romance novels, do yourself a favor and read this one. It is filled with snarky banter and two sweet vulnerable men who hide under grumpy sarcastic shells. It takes a bout of bronchitis for them to let their walls (and hair) down and to let the other see the true person underneath.
Mal and Oz would be dynamite together. That would be a friendship to really bring Cornwall to life. If you haven’t read Oz and Silas’ story, then you need to make that your next Lily Morton read.