After meeting these three characters in another book, showing them enjoying their happily ever after, I had to know how they reached that point. I was not disappointed by their love story. On the surface, Collin, Spencer, and Max lead very different lives. They run the spectrum from age to education to income, but none of that matters out in the woods. I genuinely felt for all three of them during those first days. Max for his broken heart, Spencer for being out of his element, and Collin for dealing with those two idiots on top of the rest of the stress in his life.
Everything comes to a head when a storm forces all three to seek refuge in Collin’s small home. I’m a sucker for the “only one bed” trope, but it’s not as simple as all three falling into it together. What I most enjoyed about this book is how each pairing keeps coming together individually with as much passion as the single instance when they’re all together. I also appreciate that sex doesn’t magically cure all their ills, and while the connection between them is obvious, it never veers into unbelievable “insta-love.”
Insta-love would not have been a satisfying ending, but what is offered instead works so much better. Relationships take work, especially during everyday life that isn’t fraught with stormy weather (and only one bed). I’m a bit spoiled in that I already knew these three would live happily ever after, but I still enjoyed every moment of their journey getting there.
I’m not sure how these three authors divided writing this book, but I never found any jarring transitions. All three point-of-view voices were distinct and well-developed, but not in such different writing styles that the story did not flow well. As a bonus, don’t miss out on the hilarious chapter titles. I look forward to checking out additional works by the two authors I have not read before.
Rating: 4.5 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.