The Official Description: 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?
Just the facts: M/M romance, opposites, helping people, animals!!!! (glorious cats)
This is a lovely book. It’s about cats rescuing the men who rescued them… it’s about rescuing yourself, and it’s about friendship, chances and love. I’m a fan of Roan Parrish… and the “Garnet Run” series is fantastic.
– Kinzie Things
My thoughts bit: Rye Janssen hasn’t had a “home” in a very long time…. And it’s been a while since he’s even shared one. When he inherits a home from his grandfather it’s all a big surprise and he decides it’s time to pack up his cat, Marmot and move.
What Rye hasn’t counted on is that the house is an absolute mess. He basically has to gut it and start over. The thing is, Rye doesn’t know anything about working on a house. He starts watching YouTube tutorials and visiting the hardware store.
Charlie owns the hardware store in Garnet Run and he notices Rye on his repeat visits. Despite Rye refuses many offers of assistance at the store, Charlie eventually persuades the man to let him drive some lumber out to the house. He’s horrified once he figures out that Rye is staying at the rundown house… and offers to let Rye stay at his house.
Once the two men are living under the same roof if becomes even more obvious how different they are. Charlie has lived a rather simple life. His parents were killed in an accident when he was young, and he spent his youth taking care of his younger brother. He doesn’t regret it, but it meant that he put everything else in his life on the back burner. So much of his life has been on the back burner that he hasn’t even really dated anyone. What he’s done… is build a house that he’s built with a future partner in mind. He’s kept it as plain as possible in case he falls in love with someone and they move in… then they can leave their mark on the place.
Rye is a wonderful character. Despite all the challenges he has faced in life, he’s pretty determined to try and make a life for himself. He wants a home more than anything, somewhere that he and his cat, Marmot can be safe.
Along the way, these two men sure learn a lot about each other. I loved the way that Roan Parrish has written these two characters. They’re opposites in some ways, but there’s a lovely bond between them. Though he has very little, Rye is a very free spirit. On the other hand, Charlie’s life has been characterized by the way he takes care of other people… to the point at which he doesn’t know how to focus on himself.
Charlie was adorable. I particularly loved the way that Roan Parrish worked Charlie’s challenges into the story. I was surprised by what he’d been through and how it had shaped him. It was really enjoyable to be surprised by a character I had been introduced to in the previous story.
This story is the second in the “Garnet Run” series. I feel like it could be read as a stand-alone, but I’m sure you will be curious about the characters that appear from the first book. Charlie’s brother, Jack and his partner Simon appear throughout the novel and they remain the lovely characters I remember from the first book. My recommendation would be two read these books in order. I’m confident you’ll love the characters and that way you’ll get the full story on everyone!
I’m a fan of Roan Parrish’s writing… if you are too, you’ll even notice some little references to characters from other books! It was a nice surprise.
Things You May Want To Know: Please be aware, I’m by no means an expert on what may or may not have the potential to disturb people. I simply list things that I think a reader might want to be aware of. In this book: (SPOILERS) character has homophobic parents, descriptions of people without homes and how they live, mention so fmental illness, character’s parents passed away in the past, minor injuries on the work site, homeless cat (rescued),
Links: Goodreads // The Author // The Publisher
I received an ARC of Best Laid Plans by Roan Parrish from Harlequin Carina Press via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Kinzie Things 