In the Distance by Eileen Griffin & Nikka Michaels

IN THE DISTANCE by Eileen Griffin & Nikka Michaels

 

Pages:          257

Date:           April 27, 2015

Details:        No 3. In the Kitchen

ARC / Kindle

The blurb:

“Tyler Mitchell has worked hard to rebuild his life after his family kicked him out. A culinary student and sous chef who spends his spare time volunteering with kids, he’s happy enough even though he has no time to consider a relationship.

Trevor Pratt is finally getting over losing his best friend and the one person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but it’s taken screwing every cute guy in Manhattan to get there. He’s vowed to repair the friendship he endangered, but that’s hard to do when his friend’s new employee catches his eye. Despite being warned to stay away from Tyler, Trevor knows the sous chef is more than just a hookup.

Romance is a terrible idea. Trevor is ten years older and a relentless playboy. Tyler is still unsure of his place in the world. Neither of them is ready for life-changing love, but as things heat up, their chemistry in the bedroom might just take that decision out of their hands.”

My thoughts:

Let me start by saying this book is probably my favourite of the three In the Kitchen novels. Don’t get me wrong, I loved both In the Raw and In the Fire (click on the titles for my thoughts on those books) but Tyler and Trevor’s story touched me on a deeper level than Jamie and Ethan’s did, even if I couldn’t begin to explain why that might be. And just for the record; while I would strongly advise anyone to read the two earlier titles before reading In the Distance – if only because they’re great books – it isn’t necessary. This book stands on its own as well as it does as part of a trilogy.

From the moment I was introduced to Tyler he captured a spot in my heart. He’s such a loving, kind and generous soul despite being rejected by his family and having survived on the streets before Ethan found him. He has every reason to be angry with the world and act out, but does the exact opposite. In the hands of lesser authors Tyler might have ended up as a boring, saintly, caricature; in In the Distance, he is fully rounded, totally recognisable and an utter sweetheart all at the same time.

Trevor, at first glance at least, is much harder to like. And, if you’ve read the previous two books, you know there are good reasons why Ethan doesn’t trust Trevor and warns him away from Tyler. But it didn’t take Trevor long to change my views about him. It was impossible to stay upset with him when he’s all too aware of his shortcomings and the first to beat himself up over them. And the care he took with Tyler took my breath away. Trevor had me convinced he wasn’t all bad long before he was willing to believe that of himself. And, honestly, few things are as mesmerizing to read about as a formerly flawed character redeeming himself. And Trevor redeems himself in the best possible way in this book.

I love how these two authors always manage to pull me into their stories. They introduce me to their characters and a few pages later those characters have risen from the page and become real personalities I enjoy having in my life. The conversation between the characters in their books sparkles and sounds real and convincing. What’s more, the story flows with an ease and hooks the reader from the very first moment. With a just about perfect balance between angst and smiles and a total absence of boring moments, In The Distance, will keep you reading until you reach the happy ending.

Buy links:

Amazon     Amazon UK    All Romance

EILEEN GRIFFIN BIO:

Eileen Griffin lives in the southwest, but loves to travel and has spent many summers crossing Europe with nothing but a backpack on her back. She enjoys TexMex, lives for good wine, and has a certain penchant for purple unicorns. She loves reading all genres of books, but her current obsession is writing M/M romance. Her past published works include: Chasing Matt, a M/M novella co-authored with Nikka Michaels, Dinner For Two, a M/F romance novella, “Claiming Ayden”, a M/M shifter romance that is part of Evenight’s Alpha’s Claim Anthology: M/M Edition, and “Lost and Found”, a short story written for the M/M Romance Group’s Don’t Read in the Closet: Love’s Landscapes Event. Eileen is currently working on book three of the In the Kitchen series from Carina Press with Nikka Michaels, as well as several other projects both individual and co-authored.

NIKKA MICHAELS BIO:

Nikka Michaels lives in the Pacific Northwest where she spends her time cooking up romantic tales to satisfy her craving for HEAs with heat. A voracious reader, novice knitter and music lover she’s been known to multitask without breaking a sweat. She loves to read and write M/M romance but believes everyone deserves a love story.

EILEEN GRIFFIN SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Website and Blog   Twitter   Facebook Profile   Facebook Author Page   Goodreads   Amazon US   All Romance eBooks

NIKKA MICHAELS SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Website   Blog   Twitter   Facebook Profile   Facebook Author Page   Goodreads 
Amazon US   All Romance eBooks: 

IN THE FIRE

IN THE FIRE by Eileen Griffin & Nikka Michaels

Seize: 93K words / 433KB

Date: 23/10/2014

Grade: 4.5

Details: no. 2 In the Kitchen

            Received from Carina Press

            Through NetGalley

Kindle

The blurb:

Because the way to a man's heart…

Eight years ago, the world was their oyster. Until, that is, competing chefs Ethan Martin and James Lassiter's hot and heavy relationship fizzled after Jamie left for an internship in Paris. Even though Jamie's career has taken off since his return to the States, with his own television show and a lot of fame, his feelings for Ethan have never quite gone away.

Ethan's culinary career has developed more slowly, but he's almost saved enough to buy the restaurant where he works and re-open it as his dream spot, Bistro 30. If only he could get the sexy chef who loved him and left him out of his mind.

But when someone starts sabotaging the restaurant and a fire threatens to take away everything Ethan holds dear, his only option is to rely on Jamie for help. Back in close quarters, the two men will have to find a way to work through their past if they hope to save the restaurant and their future.

My thoughts:

What a difference eight years make. When ‘In the Raw’ the first book in the ‘In the Kitchen’ trilogy ended we left our two boys deeply in love. Sure, Jamie was on his way to Paris to further his cooking career, but they would only be separated for six months. Surely the deep connection and love between them would survive the relatively short separation?

Apparently not. When ‘In the Fire’ starts Ethan and Jamie have been living separate lives for eight years. Over the course of Jamie’s six months in Paris they drifted apart for reasons neither is completely sure about. When Jamie returned to America he moved to New York rather than back to Seattle and the rest, as they say is history. Jamie has become a famous television chef over the years while Ethan is tantalizingly close to buying the restaurant he’s been dreaming about for so long. When circumstances force Ethan and Jamie to meet again it soon becomes clear that eight years were not enough to kill the feelings they have for each other. They may not trust each other completely and may be filled with doubts about the wisdom of their actions, the heat and love burning between them won’t be denied.

Still, it takes the thread of Ethan almost losing his dream for the two of them to turn back into the solid and immovable unit they once were.

I have fallen more than a little bit in love with Ethan and Jamie over the course of ‘In the Raw’ and ‘In the Fire’. They both have their own distinct voice in these books and are fully fleshed out characters, easy to recognise and even easier to fall for. When I first saw there was an eight year gap in the story-line between books one and two I had my doubts about how well that might work. I should have known better. I think giving Ethan and Jamie those years to grow from boys into grown men was nothing less than a stroke of genius. ‘In the Fire’ tells us enough about what happened during those eight years to make the reader understand how they turned into the men they are now, without us having to be present for every single minute. When we reconnect with our two heroes one of them is on the brink of realizing his dream while the other has discovered that what appeared to be a dream has turned into a chore; a wonderful time for both of them to re-evaluate their lives.

Griffin and Michaels have a wonderful writing style. They create characters with real personalities and make them shine. Their descriptions are vivid (don’t read these books while hungry) and their dialogue sparkle and occasionally leads to laugh out loud moments. The easy flow of the narrative combined with two characters who are extremely hot together, ensures a wonderful and captivating reading experience.

If I have an issue with this book it is that it took almost 70% of the story before Jamie and Ethan spend some real time together. What I love most about these books is the interaction between them and with them being apart I did miss those sparks. But, I understand why the separation was necessary in the story and I’m convinced my impatience with prolonged angst had a lot to do with my reaction. Since I’m well aware my issues with angst are a-typical for readers of this genre, I’m convinced others may love those parts I wished had been a bit shorter.

Where ‘In the Raw’ ended a bit ambiguously, ‘In the Fire’ has no such issues. In fact the ending in this book is such that I have absolutely no idea where Eileen Griffin and Nikka Michaels might be taking us with book three. If I didn’t know for a fact they were already writing it I might doubt it was to come at all. To say I’m curious and looking forward to that third book would be a serious understatement. These two authors have once again confirmed their status among my must read writers.

Buy link Amazon US: http://smile.amazon.com/Fire-Kitchen-Nikka-Michaels-ebook/dp/B00M6G8MVK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414064790&sr=8-1&keywords=IN+THE+FIRE

IN THE RAW

IN THE RAW by Eileen Griffin & Nikka Michaels

 

Pages: 209

Date: 05/10/2014

Grade: 4.5

Details: No. 1 In the Kitchen

            Received from the publisher

            Through NetGalley/Love Romances and 

            More

Kindle

The blurb:

“James Lassiter has had a crush on fellow culinary student Ethan Martin for three years, but has never had the guts to make a move. Putting himself out there is hard, especially when under the thumb–and wallet–of his overbearing parents. Now that bad boy chef Ethan–who is always vying with Jamie for best in class–is struggling with the pastry course, Jamie suddenly has a reason to reach out.

Ethan doesn't mean to be an ass–okay, so mostly he does–but even though he's secretly hot for Jamie, he sure as hell doesn't want help with pastry. Ever since his dad walked out, Ethan has been the one to hold things together and he's done fine on his own. Except that he can't get his cake to rise.

Jamie could be the answer to what Ethan's been missing his whole life–someone to depend on. But with the two competing for the same scholarship, things suddenly get too hot to handle. And if Jamie finds the strength to go for what he wants, he isn't about to settle for what he needs.”

My thoughts:

Opposites attract maybe a cliché, it is definitely true in this book. At first glance Jamie Lassiter – Golden Boy – and Ethan Martin couldn’t be more different. The rich pampered Jamie appears to get everything thrown in his lap for nothing more than luck of birth while Ethan has had to battle life for years just to make sure he and his sister Claire kept a roof over their heads and food in their mouths.

As soon as you get to know the two young men a little bit better, it becomes clear things aren’t quite as clear cut. Jamie’s wealth comes with a price in the form of parents who won’t accept him for who he is, try to run his life for him and have his future planned out. Ethan’s tough and stand-offish attitude on the other hand, is his way of shielding himself from all the hurt he knows is waiting for him in the world. When the two come together they need each other to bring their hidden character traits to the forefront. And that is one of the things I really appreciated in this book; the characters are anything but one-sided. Jamie may appear shy and retreating, he is quite capable of standing up to the bullshit Ethan throws his way and knows how to take the initiative. Ethan’s softer and unselfish sides becomes clear in his relationship with his sister, Claire, and the things he is willing to do for Jamie.

Talking about Claire, she was a ray of sunshine in this book. She knows how to put Ethan in his place and keep him grounded with just a few well chosen words that show her deep love for him as much as her no-shit attitude.

And just in case I make this book sound like an angst-fest without relief, allow me to add there were quite a few laugh-out-loud moments in this book too. I’ll never look at a cake tin in quite the same way again.

If I’m perfectly honest I have to admit the first half of the book dragged a bit for me at times. The boys spent a bit too much time in their heads and not enough time with each other or communicating, for my liking. The second half of the book more than made up for that though. I can’t deny I had a pretty good idea of who exactly Jamie and Ethan were exactly because we’d been given that insight into their thoughts and feelings earlier on.

The relationship between Jamie and Ethan was a rollercoaster of angst, happiness and heartbreak. There wasn’t a boring moment once these two gave into the attraction between them. To say they were hot together would be a huge understatement; they were scorching. And I can’t stress enough how Ethan’s need to make everything perfect – not to say orgasmic – for Jamie gave me all the feels.

Now, I have seen a few people give out about the ending of this book in their reviews and I fully expected to join their chorus; I do not like cliff-hangers. But now that I’ve finished the book I have to say I disagree. While it is clear from the ending that Jamie and Ethan’s story is far from finished, it does end in a logical place and, for me at least, on a good, be it teary, note. The fact that I already have the second book on my Kindle may make it easier for me to say that, but I don’t think I’d have said anything else if I had a longer wait ahead of me.

Eileen Griffin and Nikka Michaels have once again proven their awesomeness as a writing team. Their boys leap off the page and fight their way into your heart. I’m delighted I have two more encounters with Jamie and Ethan to look forward to.