Best Laid Plans by Roan Parrish

A man who’s been moving his whole life finally finds a reason to stay put.

Charlie Matheson has spent his life taking care of things. When his parents died two days before his eighteenth birthday, he took care of his younger brother, even though that meant putting his own dreams on hold. He took care of his father’s hardware store, building it into something known several towns over. He took care of the cat he found in the woods… so now he has a cat.

When a stranger with epic tattoos and a glare to match starts coming into Matheson’s Hardware, buying things seemingly at random and lugging them off in a car so beat-up Charlie feels bad for it, his instinct is to help. When the man comes in for the fifth time in a week, Charlie can’t resist intervening.

Rye Janssen has spent his life breaking things. Promises. His parents’ hearts. Leases. He isn’t used to people wanting to put things back together—not the crumbling house he just inherited, not his future and certainly not him. But the longer he stays in Garnet Run, the more he can see himself belonging there. And the more time he spends with Charlie, the more he can see himself falling asleep in Charlie’s arms… and waking up in them.

Is this what it feels like to have a home—and someone to share it with?

Carina Adores is home to highly romantic contemporary love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Garnet Run series!
For book one, Better Than People, click HERE.

 

 

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Audiobook (US)  ~  Paperback (US)
Carina Press (Harlequin)

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
This is the slow, sweet story of a young man who finally finds a place to belong. Rye has spent years moving between temporary homes, so he has nothing to lose when his grandfather leaves him a house in a small town. Charlie is Rye’s opposite. He has always had a home, but he’s given up hoping for someone to share his life with.

Fans of the author will remember Charlie as Jack’s brother in Better Than People. This book has much of the same feel to it as the first book. This is gentle realism. Charlie’s life is slow. He runs his family business in an isolated community. He feels much older than his years. Caring for his brother after their parents’ deaths has left him with an overwhelming sense of responsibility. Rye is a breath of Seattle hipster in Charlie’s life. The culture clash is instant, but so is the spark between them. Rye is desperate for a sense of belonging and Charlie needs someone to love.

The pet obsession continues in this book. Charlie and Rye don’t quite have Simon and Jack’s menagerie, but they are both devoted to their cats. Charlie and Rye are more sociable than Jack and Simon, but both are quiet men. This is a gentle romance that focuses on personal growth as Charlie and Rye restore Rye’s grandfather’s house together.

Roan Parrish always writes beautiful characters and relationships. This book is missing some of the exquisite prose I loved in the author’s first books, but it is still a compelling, satisfying read.


Angie – ☆☆☆
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, you can read this as a standalone though. Charlie and Rye are so sweet, there is a lot of miscommunication though. I kept waiting for this book to pick up the pace, but it was just slow and a tad bit boring. When the cats are the best part of the book for me, that's a little crazy. But Marmont was awesome – made me want a cat!

 

 

ROAN PARRISH lives in Philadelphia, where she is gradually attempting to write love stories in every genre. When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown it out the window in a fit of pique.

Connect with Roan

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Parrish or Perish (Roan Parrish Romance)

 

 

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Best Laid Plans (Garnet Run #2) by Roan Parrish to read and review.