Monday 24 July 2023

Right Place, Right Time by H. L. Day

Title: ⟫ Right Time, Right Place

Author: ⟫ H.L. Day

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ Sometimes the path to true love twists so much that you end up right back where you started.

Ben Sutcliffe’s teenage crush on his best friend’s dad burned hotter than a forest fire. Jasper Bennet was sexy, kind, and caring—the perfect man. He was also straight and off-limits. The wrong man at the wrong time. So when tragedy sent Ben running for the hills, he never looked back… until now.

The sleepy village of Pilsdale is exactly how Ben remembers it, and so is Jasper. Only this time, there’s a glint in Jasper’s eye that says Ben might not have known everything about him.

The key to overcoming Ben’s past can be found in Jasper’s arms. But he can’t stay. He has a whole life waiting for him outside Pilsdale. But the longer he stays, the more he thinks it’s finally the right time to be with the right man.

Right Place, Right Time is a low angst contemporary, small town, best friend’s dad, age gap, M/M romance. It features a main character who had good taste even as a teenager, a main character who always puts others first to his own detriment, an animal sanctuary, not-so-secret admirers, meddling villagers, a massage or three, and a sprinkling of humor.

Review: ⟫ Right Place, Right Time is exactly as described – it’s a sweet, low-angst romance with an age gap, complete with the best friend’s dad twist just for a little more spice. Ben and Jasper were sweet, kind and both deserving of a HEA but Ben is wary especially as he doesn’t want to read into things too much. There were a few mishaps and misunderstandings, but one of the best things about the story is the fact that both Ben and Jasper made an effort to talk to each other – communication wasn’t just a buzz-word, they did make an effort to let the other person know what they were feeling.

I liked the way that they addressed the age-gap thing face-on – in fact, they went through ALL of the possible reasons why a relationship between the two of them wouldn’t work – it was lovely that the author didn’t hide behind any of that to make an artificial complication. Especially when they had a naturally occurring one!

I felt that the ending was perhaps a little rushed and a couple of the characters felt like a little too much, but that feeling will probably depend on the mood you’re in/life experiences. I didn’t grow up in a place where everyone knew who you were, so the village occupants’ actions felt a little over the top for me, but what do I know?

A nice, generally uncomplicated romance, with a smidgeon of humour and a good set of characters, this was a lovely read. I received an ARC from GRR.

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