Somewhere to Belong by Caitlin Ricci

Needy. Obsessive. Clingy. Twenty-five-year-old Eli Walker has heard it all. That’s why he doesn’t bother calling back the guys he’s been with anymore. Sex should be about fun, not a relationship, and no one has complained about him getting overly attached in years. If only he actually felt wanted for once instead of empty and used when guys are done with him.

Grayson Pendleton is a wealthy business consultant with clients all over the world. His life is often glamorous, but it leaves him no time for a relationship, and at forty-eight, he’s starting to notice the lack of romance in his life. His only romantic connection is Eli, but they’re just two guys who have sex occasionally. It took him months to get Eli’s first name, and even now they only communicate through a hookup app.

When Grayson inherits a house in Thornwood, Colorado, it’s one more thing he doesn’t need in his life, and he knows he won’t be there enough to enjoy it. Still, the old house has the potential to be a home, and more importantly, it gives Grayson a chance to save Eli when he needs it most.

Book 3
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆☆
This book was enjoyable. There were times where I wanted to reach through my Kindle and slap Eli and ask him WTH was wrong with him, but I liked the book. Eli and Grayson met on a hook-up app, and from there it took months to learn each other’s names but then after that it seemed to move pretty fast. I liked how Eli finally got his backbone and told Grayson off when his friend was being a jerk. I think he needed that backbone when dealing with the guy wanting to trade sex for rent. It was a good book with a lot of heart and some horses thrown in. I didn't read any of the books that this was a spin-off from, but I don't feel like I was missing out on anything.


Sarah – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars

Horse trainer Eli and wealthy businessman Grayson meet using an app for casual hook-ups. Slowly, Grayson earns Eli’s trust and the two men move from hook-ups into a relationship.

Eli is passionate about his work at a horse rescue centre but his life beyond the horses is pretty messy. As a character, he didn’t always make sense to me. He has huge confidence with the horses and staff at the rescue but also gets himself into a grim domestic abuse situation. I wanted to like him but it was difficult when he wouldn’t stand up for himself.

Grayson is a little too much of a daddy figure for my liking. He regularly uses the hook-up app for no-strings sex with much younger men and I didn’t quite understand why he grew so attached to Eli. Some readers will find his protective caregiver thing with Eli quite sweet, but for me it felt overbearing and more than a little bit intrusive.

The romance between Eli and Grayson is about as insta-love as romance writing gets. Their journey from Grindr hook-ups to roommates to life partners feels instantaneous, especially for two men from very different backgrounds with a huge age gap between them.

There are a couple of storylines that didn’t quite work for me in this book. Eli’s relationship with his abusive landlord is a huge focus at the start of the book – and then it just disappears without any real resolution. I’m also not sure that the subplot about Grayson’s friend, Nigel, really added anything to the story.

Caitlin began writing when she was in middle school but it wasn't until 2012 that she first got up the guts to submit something to a publisher. That first short story was accepted and later that same year she quit her job and became a full time author. She is forever grateful to her readers for giving her first short story a chance and for their continued support as well.

Caitlin was fortunate growing up to be surrounded by family and teachers that encouraged her love of reading. She has always been a voracious reader and that love of the written word easily morphed into a passion for writing. If she isn't writing, she can usually be found studying as she works toward her counseling degree. She comes from a military family and the men and women of the armed forces are close to her heart. She also enjoys gardening and horseback riding in the Colorado Rockies where she calls home with her wonderful fiancé and their two dogs. Her belief that there is no one true path to happily ever after runs deeply through all of her stories.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Somewhere to Belong (Thornwood #3) by Caitlin Ricci to read and review.