But even the conflict of the novel just fizzles and then dies away very quickly. I mean, it was there but only sort of and was really glossed over in the vague references to Rye’s family being homophobic and Charlie’s almost complete lack of experience in the bedroom because he dedicated so much time to making sure Jack was okay and the business and house weren’t taken away. Some of it was the missing emotional wallop her novels usually pack. I can’t quite put my finger on what the one thing was that made me go meh. It wasn’t what I’ve come to expect from Parrish and it’s definitely better than a lot of other romance novels I’ve read. Wow (clearly I need more coffee this morning). I originally thought it was really boring, because the last one had so much feeling, but the title being on graph paper = genius, right like architectural plans. I’m sad I didn’t spend more time looking at the cover, because it makes so much more sense now that I see it on my screen. Taking place not long after BTP, Best Laid Plans features Charlie, the older brother of Jack from the first novel who has spent his life sacrificing for Jack since their parents died, and Rye, a down on his luck loner who has come to Wyoming after inheriting a dilapidated house because he has nowhere else to go. Is this what it feels like to have a home-and someone to share it with?Ĭarina Adores is home to romantic love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.As soon as I found out there was going to be another book in the series that brought me Better Than People, I jumped on board with a request to the publisher.* 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. But the longer he stays in Garnet Run, the more he can see himself belonging there. 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. Rye Janssen has spent his life breaking things. When the man comes in for the fifth time in a week, Charlie can’t resist intervening. 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. He took care of the cat he found in the woods…so now he has a cat. He took care of his father’s hardware store, building it into something known several towns over. 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. “This love story is heartrending, swoon-worthy, and extremely well-told.” - Publishers Weekly, starred reviewĪ man who’s been moving his whole life finally finds a reason to stay put.Ĭharlie Matheson has spent his life taking care of things.

Best Laid Plans by Roan Parrish