Counting on You by Kelly Jensen

Henry and Marc can’t seem to catch a break. They’ve had two disastrous dates—the first trapped in a car during a blizzard and the second locked in a basement—followed by nearly two months apart. Even though they work for the same firm, their relationship is held together by flying visits, phone calls, and text messages. A joint assignment in Washington DC might be more togetherness than they can handle, however.

Henry is still battling insecurity, and this assignment is too important to his career to mess up. Marc is committed. He’s falling for Henry and looks forward to having him permanently on his team and at his side. But the real test isn’t the assignment. When Marc finally lays his heart on the line, can he count on Henry to be there for him, in every way that matters? And can he do the same for Henry when Henry needs it the most?

Book 3
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Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆
Counting on You is the third book in the Counting series, and hopefully not the last. Why? Because I adore Marc and Henry and I was so happy to see how far their relationship had progressed since their last disastrous date. These two guys have not had an easy time of it, at all, and this installment is no different. As this is a continuation of their journey, Counting on You should NOT be read as a standalone because while you won’t be terribly lost, you also won’t understand the significance of some of the events that take place or the references to past events.

This time around, Marc and Henry get the chance to work together again. While this sounds perfect for two guys who’ve been unable to spend more than a few days together in the past two months, it also raises some interesting issues they haven’t had the chance to address. The out-of-town project is high priority and expected to take only a few days, and their first day goes swimmingly until Marc “runs into” his father at the business they’re working from. Henry finds the extremely formal interaction between Marc and his father to be disconcerting, but even that doesn’t prepare him for their lunch with Marc’s parents the following day. And HOLY COW! That was a meltdown and emotional lashing out of epic proportions on Marc’s part. My feelings were bouncing all over the place as my heart broke for Marc, while at the same time I was mortified and angry for Henry at the position Marc put him in. Like both men, I wondered if their fledgling relationship could survive that scene – it was that harsh. Fortunately, Jensen doesn’t let the guys (or the readers) down as she guides them to where they need to be so that a future together is still a possibility. Chapter 13 is the perfect epilogue to their story. In fact, when I got to the end of chapter 12, I actually expected that to be the end of the book. So I was delighted when I swiped the page and discovered there was more to their story, and it made for the perfect ending to Counting on You. And don’t worry, Jensen still manages to include the requisite disaster that has become Marc and Henry’s trademark.

On a side note, I finally figured out why I have a hard time keeping Marc and Henry separated in my head when I begin reading each installment, and it was because we finally met Marc’s parents that made me identify the issue I was having and why. Henry is out – at work, at home, with his friends, family, and colleagues – everyone of significance in his life knows he’s gay. Marc, on the other hand, had never been attracted to a man before Henry (although a memory in Counting on You suggests that it’s likely that he never acknowledged it before). With only a four-year age difference, I keep expecting Henry to be the more confident of the two in regard to his sexuality. However, Marc presents as someone much older than his 28 years and I am repeatedly surprised that he’s so comfortable with his budding relationship with Henry. However, upon meeting Marc’s parents and seeing just how cold, indifferent, and judgmental they were, I understood why Marc seemed so much older than Henry – because Marc has been an “adult” far longer than Henry (and more than the four years that separate them) due to the expectations placed on him at an early age, thus being forced to grow up faster. Or at least that’s how it seemed to me after the awful interactions with Marc’s parents. I’m just glad to finally understand why I’ve had to work so hard at not getting Marc and Henry confused while I read, and it was all on me and my expectations of the characters. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed Counting on You and hope that Jensen is inspired to bring us more stories of Marc and Henry.

Also Available in the Counting Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Dreamspinner Press

For reviews & more info, check out our Counting Fence Posts post.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Dreamspinner Press

For reviews & more info, check out our Counting Down post.

KELLY JENSEN was born in Australia and raised everywhere else. Currently, she lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, daughter, and herd of four cats. After disproving the theory that water only spins counterclockwise around drains north of the equator, she turned her attention to more productive pursuits such as reading, writing, writing about reading, and writing stories of her own. She also enjoys volunteering at her local library, playing video games, and holds a brown belt in Kiryoku, a martial art combining Shotokan, Aikido, and Tang Soo Do. Her family is not intimidated by her.

Connect with Kelly

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads
Google+  ~  Instagram

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Counting on You (Counting #3) Posts by Kelly Jensen to read and review.

Counting Down by Kelly Jensen

It’s been a week since a Christmas Eve blizzard changed the course of Marcus Winnamore’s life. Plan A is now Plan B, and the first item on his new agenda is taking Henry Auttenberg on a date. They’ve been invited to a New Year’s Eve party, and Marc is counting down the hours until midnight… until he can kiss Henry in front of his colleagues and friends.

Things don’t quite work out to plan. Finding the elevator out of service, Marc and Henry check the stairs, only to choose the wrong door and become locked in the basement. Close quarters once again make for close conversation, and as they explore every avenue of escape, they also explore the deepening attraction between them. For Marc, this isn’t an experiment. Will he still feel that way when he has to admit to someone other than Henry that he’s gay?

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆
Counting Down was an enjoyable follow-up to Counting Fence Posts. Picking up a week after the events in book one, we join Marc and Henry as they’re on their way to a company New Year’s Eve party. Marc is still coming to terms with the fact that he’s gay and that the object of his newly discovered affection, Henry, is actually interested in him. Marc envisions The Kiss at midnight to be the best way to announce to his colleagues that he’s gay and to prove to Henry that he’s all in. However, disaster seems to be a close companion for this new couple as Marc and Henry find themselves locked in the building’s basement instead of upstairs for the party.

I thought Jensen did a fantastic job of capturing Marc’s character and the change in personal attitudes he’s dealing with. Marc is trying to find a balance between his heterosexual upbringing and thought patterns and how he thinks he now needs to approach dating men, specifically Henry. He doesn’t want to offend Henry by treating him as he would a female partner, but Marc also doesn’t want to not give Henry the attention and concern he should simply because “guys don’t talk about their feelings.” Because the story is told from Marc’s point of view, we don’t get a lot of insight into what Henry is thinking. However, Henry is a good communicator – when he can get Marc to shut up – and it’s easy to see that while Henry wants things to work out between him and Marc, he’s willing to do what he can to make this transition for Marc easier. Obviously, the date did not go quite as planned, but Jensen does manage to include a steamy and well-timed scene in which the guys get all hot and bothered, ringing in the New Year in their own way. If you’ve read Counting Fence Posts – and I strongly suggest you do that first so you have the background on how these two came to be – don’t pick this up expecting to find the happy ending of Marc and Henry’s story. Counting Down is more of the next chapter in their blossoming relationship and it left me hoping that Jensen will be inspired to continue to move their story forward as this is a couple I would definitely like to read more about.

Also Available in the Counting Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Dreamspinner Press

For reviews & more info, check out our Counting Fence Posts post.

KELLY JENSEN was born in Australia and raised everywhere else. Currently, she lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, daughter, and herd of four cats. After disproving the theory that water only spins counterclockwise around drains north of the equator, she turned her attention to more productive pursuits such as reading, writing, writing about reading, and writing stories of her own. She also enjoys volunteering at her local library, playing video games, and holds a brown belt in Kiryoku, a martial art combining Shotokan, Aikido, and Tang Soo Do. Her family is not intimidated by her.

Connect with Kelly

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Counting Down (Counting #2) Posts by Kelly Jensen to read and review.

Counting Fence Posts by Kelly Jensen

There are over two hundred thousand fence posts between Syracuse and Boston. Henry Auttenberg likes numbers—it’s his job—but he isn’t going to count them all, even if the view outside the rental car is less confounding than the driver, his attractive but oh so obnoxious colleague, Marcus Winnamore. It’s Christmas Eve, and Henry would much rather be home with his family. When the blizzard that grounded their flight forces them off the road, however, he’s stuck with Marc until the storm passes—or a plow digs them out.

As the temperature outside plummets, the atmosphere inside the car slowly heats up. Henry learns the true reason for Marc’s chilly distance—he’s not exactly straight… maybe… and he’s been fantasizing about Henry’s mouth, among other things. Confession laid out, Marc is all for sharing body heat… and more. Henry isn’t interested in being an experiment, but as the night and cold deepen, he could be convinced to balance certain risk against uncertain reward.

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆
Counting Fence Posts is part road trip and part holiday story, with a nice dose of sexual discovery. After their flight is diverted and grounded due to weather, Henry finds himself stuck in the car with his senior colleague and the object of his fantasies, Marc, as they try to make their way from Syracuse to Boston on Christmas Eve. When an accident diverts them from the main highway to side roads, Henry tries to distract himself from Marc’s presence by counting fence posts. Despite Marc’s awkward attempts at conversation, Henry attempts to keep his eyes on his side of the car – no lusting after the straight guy. However, Mother Nature has bigger plans for the men and as the blizzard changes direction, Marc is forced to stop on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. A failed, pig-headed attempt to “do something” leads to the men being forced to get closer than Henry ever dreamed they would and his holiday wish might just come true.

I really enjoyed Counting Fence Posts for a number of reasons. Not only are the characters entertaining in their bluntness and their vulnerability, but they felt like real people. In fact, the realism is one of the things that I enjoyed most about the story, specifically when it comes to the realities of intimacy in the middle of a snowstorm. I give the author credit for making Henry such a realist that he actually thinks that it’s too cold for anything to happen. Far too often, romances get caught up in the fantasy and characters are having sex, buck naked in weather conditions that cause frostbite. Not this time, the guys not only bundle up in layers to beat back the cold, but when they do finally engage in some skin-on-skin action, very little skin is exposed and they’re very cognizant of minimizing fluid on their clothing – don’t want to freeze to death in sticky shorts. Despite its short length, Jensen does a nice job of fleshing out the characters through their conversations, infusing the story with humor, understanding, and a touch of holiday cheer, all while laying the foundation for a potential relationship. I would love to read more about these characters, so my Christmas in July wish would be for a sequel.

KELLY JENSEN was born in Australia and raised everywhere else. Currently, she lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, daughter, and herd of four cats. After disproving the theory that water only spins counterclockwise around drains north of the equator, she turned her attention to more productive pursuits such as reading, writing, writing about reading, and writing stories of her own. She also enjoys volunteering at her local library, playing video games, and holds a brown belt in Kiryoku, a martial art combining Shotokan, Aikido, and Tang Soo Do. Her family is not intimidated by her.

Connect with Kelly

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Counting Fence Posts by Kelly Jensen to read and review.