Counting
Fence Posts (Counting #1)
Pages:
61
Publisher:
Dreamspinner Press
Blurb
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.
Review
Counting
Fence Posts is such a wonderful feel-good story. I
basically read it with a smile on my face from start to finish.
The
story is told from Henry’s point of view and boy does he go through a range of
emotions, not to mention a shock or two. Henry has admired Marc ever since he
started working for the company where Marc has a two year head start on him. He
is in awe of Marc’s professionalism and the path his career so far has
followed. But, more than that, he’s been attracted to Marc for almost as long.
But with Marc being straight, Henry has made a point of keeping his attraction
secret…or so he thinks.
Driving
back together after a business meeting is a fraught affair long before the find
themselves caught up in a blizzard and stranded at the side of a secondary
road. Initially their conversation is a combination of stilted and almost
adversarial. It’s only once they realise that they’re stranded and may be for
some time that the atmosphere between them warms as the world both outside and
inside the car gets ever colder.
When
it turns out Marc might not be as straight as Henry (and even Marc) assumed,
things heat up, be it initially against Henry’s better judgment. What follows
are scenes which veer from sweet to hot and intense and back to adorable again.
Kelly Jensen writes kissing scenes like few other authors I know. Phew, those
men may have been cold, I was certainly heating up.
This
is not a long story and takes place over two days, so don’t expect a happy ever
after by the end of this novella. But, don’t despair, there’s more to come and
I have utter faith that these two men will find their way to happiness. They’re
too good together not to.
Counting Stars (Counting 1.5)
6k words
Blurb
At the end of my
holiday novella, Counting Fence Posts, Henry invites Marc
back to his parents’ place for Christmas. Actually, it’s less invitation, more
assumption, but Marc doesn’t object. After two days of haunting the lobby
of a crowded hotel outside Albany, they’re finally on their way back to Boston.
Review
When this story starts, Marc has a hard time
explaining to himself why he agreed to spend Christmas with Henry and his
family. Second thoughts and uncertainty are creeping in, except that he knows
very well and his reason can be described in one word, or rather one name:
Henry.
Henry
has equal difficulty believing that he’s invited Marc to his parent’s house and
that the man is actually there. Henry is a champion second guesser
We
learn more about Marc in this story, not so much from what he says or does but
rather from his reactions to seeing Henry’s family, celebrating Christmas with
them. Self sufficient, ambitious and powerful Marcus, as Henry realises when
they part at the end of the evening, is not so very different from him after
all. He yearns for security, family, and somebody by his side, just as Henry
does.
I swear, these two men are the best kissers ever. I could
read about their mouths pressed together forever and not get bored. In fact, I
could happily read more about Henry and Marc; they are a delight to read about.
I love how we get to know them better little by little, just as they are
discovering more about each other — slowly. And I thoroughly enjoy Kelly
Jensen’s storytelling voice. This story and Counting Fence Posts are
both flawlessly written and smoothly told. The balance between introspection,
dialogue, funny and more serious was just about perfect.
I’m thoroughly enjoying these stories and I’m so very happy
there’s more to come. Trust me, if you’re looking for stories that are going to
leave you happy and with a smile on your face, reach for the Counting
stories.
Counting Down (Counting #2) by Kelly Jensen
Pages 63
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Blurb
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?
Review
Oh
my, these two men make me smile. They sure have a special talent for ending up
in impossible situations. In Counting Fence Post they managed to
get stuck in a car during a blizzard and in this book they find themselves
locked into a basement while they should be at a party, several floors higher,
awaiting the New Year.
Of
course they’re predicament leads to quite a few laugh-out-loud moments, but
these stories are a lot more than a comedy of errors. In between funny escape
attempts and mostly friendly banter these moments of ‘captivity’ also provide
Marc and Henry with the opportunity to get to know each other better and
discover what each of them wants. Because, while the circumstances of their
times together it may make it feel as if they have been together for quite some
time, only about a week has passed since the blizzard episode. Marc is still
trying to figure out what it means to be gay and how to deal with that fact in
the world at large, while Henry can’t quite shake the feeling that he may be
‘just’ an experiment for Marc. Both of them need reassuring and supporting and
the wonderful thing about these stories is that both Marc and Henry are able
and eager to provide that for the other, no matter how deep their own concerns.
I
love how the author managed to tackle these issues without ever giving the
stories a heavy or angsty feel. Of course, the kissing and sexy times (not to
mention getting caught in an act) do a lot to ensure that the story doesn’t get
lost in too much soul searching.
Reading
these three stories has been an absolute delight and I’m so very happy I won’t
have to wait much longer before I get to spend time with Marc and Henry again. I
have it on good authority that there’s another short story as well as another
novella to come in the not too distant future and I can’t wait to get my hands
on those. Marc and Henry have captured my imagination and to say I’m now well
and truly invested in their journey and relationship would be a gross
understatement.
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