Rory Hoyle is visiting his hometown of Hollyridge, always a stressful experience. Rory’s parents don’t understand him and, frankly, he doesn’t understand them. One final ‘what are you doing with your life’, pushes him to the breaking point and Rory storms out of their house into the cold winter evening with no idea where he’s heading.After the death of his partner, Brett Tanner never thought he’d … thought he’d love again, it was too much to ask, or want. That is until Rory stumbles into his bookstore one evening awakening his heart. But, is it too much? Is he betraying his first love by finding himself attracted to the sexy, but socially awkward, younger man?
Will bookish magic, an adorable dog and a little assistance from their friends help Brett and Rory realize the world is what you make of it? That a chance at happiness is something to be seized, not tossed aside?
2-hour LGBT Short read
17,500 words. Originally published in the anthology, Between the Covers.
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Rory and Brett were great characters, both of them so sweet and engaging, theirs was a cute low angst story.
I wanted to connect with this story but couldn’t. It’s short sweet but the romance never seemed to develop. Even by insta-love standards, it didn’t have enough oomph to be a fast romance.
Rory is a struggling artist who can’t seem to connect with his parents. After a visit that leaves him feeling down, he goes for a walk and passes a book store where he meets Brett and so begins the love story. It’s your standard fare for a short story but instead of being jammed with the most pertinent of information since it’s not a long read, it still reads like a normal length novel. Like there’s going to be more time for the story to develop but there isn’t.
The book started to lose me when Rory ran away because Brett mentioned something about not being ready to jump back into the dating pool since his partner died two years ago. This is the first time they met. You’ve been introduced to his friends. Are we really insinuating that a first meet, not even a date, can only lead to a relationship and since that’s maybe, not actually, but maybe not on the table even a budding friendship is now off the books? Sit there, stay, and enjoy the wine. Who cares if you never even meet again, enjoy yourself. I dunno but I felt triggered by the assumption a first meet had to lead to a relationship before even considering organising a first real date. Rory is almost thirty surely he could be a bit more of a rational adult about it. Especially when there is free wine. Who leaves behind free wine?
Then there was the bit where Rory was like I should say no but my answer is yes. Then at the end of the conversation, he says I’ll need some time to think about it. Sigh. You just said yes. Commit to the yes.
Another reason I failed to connect with the characters is that they didn’t interact with any of the side characters. Didn’t talk to them at all beyond passing time so the two main characters could talk. So I don’t know much about either of their personalities beyond how they feel for each other. Skylar was pretty vibrant and fun but I have no clue how their friendship with Rory stands because, beyond the coffee bar, they didn’t have much page time. They could’ve had loads of conversations at the coffee bar over the weeks Brett spent looking for him, and the same with Brett and his friends at the winery. A chapter or two was needed to dig into them to make the payoff of the relationship bigger and give the readers more insight as to who they are outside of the romance. Even with that added it still would’ve been a short read.
The same with Jeff. I’m 73 percent into a short story and this character who I know Rory avoids like the plague, is somehow really important, but only for a few paragraphs. I read the blurb for book two and he features in book two so this, albeit late in the book, was the chance to let him shine and really interact with Rory. However, it was mostly glossed over to skip to the mushy ‘but you have me’ stuff. It felt like a missed opportunity to set up book two and to join the two characters. Mostly because that was it. He doesn’t feature in the end of this book either so why bother with this undeveloped slice that just slows down an already short book. This was also something that could’ve been dealt with while Brett was trying to find him. The housemate and the Skylar friendship could’ve been developed under the guise of developing Rory’s character but also simultaneously setting up that they are important to the overall series. Just not yet.
There’s more but ultimately there wasn’t enough development for me to dig into this story. And it’s on the longer end of the spectrum for short stories so it definitely had the page time to do it. It felt slow and I’m not used to shorter stories feeling slow.
If you’re looking for a light, slightly fluffy, sweet romance then this book will fill that need. With a perfect HEA to seal the deal. But if you really want to connect with the characters this book might not work for you.
I love small town romances, and the atmosphere in this story hit all the right spots. The descriptions are fabulous, and I especially loved the bookshop and the wine tasting bar. Lazy Dog Books is a perfect name for a bookshop as it invokes everything a friendly small town bookshop should be. I also loved Lucille, the dog that inspired the name.
The characters drew me into the story immediately, and I was invested in Brett and Rory both as a couple who are interested in each other at first sight, and as individuals. I really liked the family vibe of this story, and how although it’s Brett and Rory’s story, it’s very much about them reconnecting with their families too. The epilogue made me happy, especially the scene that gives the story its title.
The supporting cast come across as very real, and have quirky personalities of their own. I especially liked Jaime and Dag, and Skylar is wonderfully colourful. Audrey grew on me as the story progressed, as did Jeff, who I hope gets his own HEA.
I loved this cute feel good story about love, bookshops, and a dog who is a character in her own right.
I really enjoyed this insta-love quick read novella. Two wounded souls find each other and help each other realize they are worthy of love. It’s sweet and we meet some other wounded souls who will likely feature in future books in the series.
Just right when you are looking for something to make you feel good and don’t want anything heavy, high angst or drama laden.
The first book in the Home in Hollyridge series, Love – Limited Edition is a sweet, short story about two men who meet by chance and fall in love. Rory is a man who’s stuck in a rut and needs a little help to get out of it. Meeting Brett is exactly the push he needs to move forward with his life and find love. I thought this book was cute and loved the little dose of happiness it gave me.
This was a sweet story about returning home from the big city to find that your hometown has made some appealing upgrades.
This is charming story with decent narration to wind down a stressful day with.
I enjoyed this sweet, quick read about Rory and Brett. Rory lives in Seattle, but is home visiting his parents. He feels they don’t understand his goals in life (art) and he is angry and disappointed. He stalks out and while wandering the town, steps into The Lazy Dog Bookstore. There he meets the older Brett, who has lost a partner and is not sure he is ready to love again. There is an instant attraction between them, but due to their issues, love does not come swiftly or easily. I loved these two sweet characters and how they came together with the help of friends…and a lazy labrador. I also appreciated that Rory and his parents healed their relationship, too.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
Sometimes, you have to step out of your comfort zone to restart your life! Rory, was an only child. His parents, were concerned he had no higher ambition to pursue a moneyed career. He felt, he was living below his personal expectations. But, he didn’t know how to change it. He worked in a coffee shop and worked on his art, when he could. The coffee shop was his job and his art, was his passion. Rory, felt his parents didn’t understand him. Brett, owned the Lazy Dog Books, bookstore. Lucille, was Brett’s dog whom he called the closest related to a slug. Brett was still grieving a little over the loss of his partner. He was slowly awakening to feelings. He was instantly attracted to Rory and it was reciprocated. They each had heavy luggage they were dragging through life. Is Brett ready to think of another man? Can Rory pause and get out of his own head? Will Rory give his parents a chance? Will Rory pursue his art? This was a slow sweet story that gave the reader time to get to know these two men. Nice story, well done. I received an ARC from Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I liked Love Limited Edition by Elle Keaton. I actually read and reviewed the other two short stories in this series before reading this one, and I loved the other two books more than this one. I liked this insta-love short story, but I wanted it to be longer. I couldn’t connect with the characters as much as I wanted to. Brett and Rory were great together, and Lucille, Brett’s black lab, was also a sweety pie. However, the book desperately needs to be edited. There were way too many missed commas that made the sentences hard to understand and other grammar mistakes like run-on sentences.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a short story but sooo good! Rory meets Brett while on a walk. They have an instant connection, insta-love. Perfect short story to curl up with on a cold day! I’m voluntarily reviewing from an advanced copy that I received.
I found this M/M read to be rather sweet and endearing. I enjoyed this work and found myself unable to put it down. The characters were sweet with their own struggles from the past that they needed to overcome so they could be happy together. The growth over the course of the story was great and I just enjoyed the story overall. I look forward to reading more by this author.
I give this a four out of five stars. Great plot and characters. I enjoy reading more by this author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Finally got to read the first book in the series. Hollyridge got its own magic and it was a delight to meet some of the characters from the other stories. Rory a bright but troubled young man struggling to find his purpose is home visiting. He finds himself wondering upon a bookstore and meets the owner Brett and his sweet lazy dog Lucille. There is an instant connection. To be a novella, this is sort of a slow burn but is really a sweet romance. Rory and Brett are decent and lovely men you can fall in love with. They both have emotional baggage they need to overcome and since they really connected both are willing to make their newfound relationship work. I absolutely loved the ending. 5 STARS!!!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
An enjoyable book about finding love when you least expect it
This story is told from two point of views. Rory returns to his hometown and meets Brett by accident. Brett is a widower. The two spend some time that day, walking Brett’s dog and going for dinner. Brett then brings up how he doesn’t think he is ready to date in order to push Rory away. Rory returns to Seattle. Brett eventually goes to Seattle to win Rory back. The two start a relationship and Rory returns to his hometown. I enjoyed the pace of the story and did not find it dull at all. This is a short story, thus, I was able to read it quickly. Towards the end, Rory insinuates to what’s going on between two other characters. So…. will we see another story soon?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a really sweet, no angst, feel good story with two wonderful main characters and the perfect puppy!
Wyatt was 18 when he first saw Bennett, the quiet vineyard manager, and he fell in insta-attraction with him. It took him three years, a puppy abandoned on the side of the road and a meddling matchmaker friend for Bennett to finally take notice of Wyatt as more than a person working in the vineyard.
Bennett has some family issues to overcome but the romance is never threatened and they do get the sweetest HEA.
Old friends from previous books in the series are involved in this story but it can be read as a standalone.
This is another Hollyridge tale that left me smiling and was a great way to while away a few hours.
This book was a treat! An easy to read love story with a lot of heartwarming moments between wonderful characters. I loved how Rory and Brett got together, finding in each other exactly what they needed at the exact time they needed it. The sweetest love story ever, just so perfect to retreat on it in these difficult times. So nice!
Audiobook Review:
Overall – 5
Performance – 4
Story – 5
Short, sweet and cute!
I’m a big fan of Elle Keaton’s writing but I never made time to read this story when it first came out. I’m so glad that I got to listen to it as an audiobook. I’ve not listened to anything performed ty Kerr Lordygan before but I thought he did a pretty good job with this short story.
While there wasn’t a lot of time for character development, and this was sort of an insta-love situation, I thought the resulting story felt like it was much longer (in a good way) than it was. The two MCs were very sweet and I enjoyed how Rory was able to build a better relationship with his older parents thanks to Brett.
A complimentary copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author and/or narrator.
Short, sweet, low-angst read with a lovable couple in Brett and Rory and quirky, fun secondary characters. I love the way Elle Keaton writes the towns where her stories happen, and Hollyridge is the perfect setting for Brett and Rory’s story.
What a lovely sweet story from Elle Keaton. Set in the PNW, Love Limited Edition introduces us to young and chronically disappointed Rory who comes home for yet another uncomfortable visit with his parents. Stumbling into a book store, Rory meets Brett and sparks fly. A quick and light easy read, it’s like a little shot of literary happiness.
I really enjoy reading this book from Elle Keaton. And would recommend it as a pre-valentine read.
There is a part about MM Romances and the misunderstanding of what that means, that is hilarious.
Though I consider it a short read, it’s is steamy and sweet with a great supporting cast that might show up in later books.
Full disclosure, I received a copy for review and my opinions are my own.
This was a sweet but short love story that I really enjoyed. I mean how can you resist cute as a button but confused and frustrated Rory meets a sweet and sexy bookstore owner, Brett, that has an adorable dog. Well, I could have told Rory how this would end after meeting Lulu (Lucille, the large sweet black lazy dog). I’m not a big fan of small towns but this one sounds adorable with it’s wine tasting rooms. I was a goner after what sounds like a heavenly little bookstore, with a homey feel and the sweet dog. The sexy bookstore owner was the icing on the cake. Add in some well intended meddling friends and voila, a wonderful happy ever after. I gave this 4 stars.