Book Reviews

Book Blurb

What could go right with an inexperienced Daddy and a boy who’s scared to help him learn?

Calvin
Between my tech firm and family’s endowment fund, there’s no shortage of people trying to get close to me. Offering a trespasser a job to run interference makes no sense, but neither does my instant attraction to sweet, submissive Micah. I never expected to fall in love with a man, let alone be the Daddy who takes on all his burdens.

 

Micah
My life has never been easy, and my only option left was to sell myself. The intimidating and wildly sexy Calvin Rutledge offers me a lifeline out of the garden shed and off the streets. In exchange for room, board, and a chance at a better future, I would be his companion. But I never anticipated falling in love with my boss or craving the care that comes with being his boy.

 

This is book two of the Almstead Island: Newcomer's Club series. The series is interconnecting, but each story can be read as a standalone. This novel involves a Daddy/boy dynamic, but no age play. Please know that there are instances of abuse in this story, though not between the main characters. You can find more information in the forward matter. There is a HEA for this couple and no cliffhanger, but some character redemptions will take longer than others.

 

Book Review

‘Calvin’ is a sweet love story with two unlikely main characters who appear to be totally opposite at first glance, but grow to love each other and develop a Daddy/boy relationship. There’s no age play but among the tropes there is instant attraction between a wealthy older man and a young homeless man. There’s also grumpy/sunshine and sexual discovery as the ostensibly straight, older bachelor is immediately attracted to the twenty-three-year-old gay man who is currently living in his shed. Kerry Kilpatrick took on a task to make this hodgepodge of tropes believable and, on the whole, it worked. I did have moments of incredulity, I must admit, but I also found moments of tenderness, kindness, caring, and concern that made the scenes unfold beautifully.

 

Micah was an easy-to-love character. Young, with a streak of independence and a desire to get away from his past. Mostly raised in foster child group homes, he’s at his wits end because he never received his birth certificate and social security card from the children’s service office when he came of age, and he can’t get work without that proof. He was in college and had to drop out and all he has in the world is his backpack with a few precious items and his trusty bike that he rides to the ferry crossing every morning to look for work near the lumberyard. One morning he's caught in the shed, and when Calvin, the homeowner, meets him, Micah’s future is sealed—not by being jailed, but by being invited to live with the older man as his companion. And thus, the story begins.

 

Calvin’s character was difficult to love. He was fairly egotistical, though the author tried to soften his edges. After all, a man who is a head of a tech company and born to wealth, highly educated, and with a stern demeanor isn’t a pleasant persona, and though he had some warm and fuzzy moments with Micah, he was still the “in charge” partner. Hence, after Calvin investigates his need to be in control of Micah’s day and learns a little about the dynamic, they enter a Daddy/boy relationship.

 

What I liked most about the story were the times the couple was at home and relaxed, doing mundane activities or playing cards or reading. I also liked the fact that they didn’t jump right into sex, allowing time for Micah to get to know Calvin and for Calvin to come to terms with his same-sex attraction. I also enjoyed the brief scenes with Will and Beckett from book one, ‘Will’. What I didn’t care for was the trauma-drama between Calvin and his long-lost brother, and Micah’s need to sneak around behind Calvin’s back to resolve issues with the brother. The whole relationship with his brother was horrid from the beginning, but the ending of that relationship was too formulaic. I also would have preferred the story to be shorter. There were plenty of repetitive thoughts and actions and at a few points the story lagged. About one third less in total words/pages would have kept the pace faster and greatly improved my interest. 

 

All in all, the story was an interesting look into a few of the less common tropes with a cast of appealing characters and some nail-biting scenarios. And, although a few characters from book one had a minor role here, this story can easily be read as a standalone.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the author via GRRT for the purpose of a review.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 275 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	28-January-2025
Price	$4.99 ebook, $12.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Calvin-Romance-Almstead-Island-Newcomers-ebook/dp/B0D54QX41N