Alpaca rancher and fiber
mill owner Rance Crawford is instantly smitten with his brand-new
neighbor Ben McCutcheon, in The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing
Critters; he just has to find a good way to show his interest. Jeremy,
an ex-con hanging on to his last bit of hope, thinks life might be
looking up when Rance Crawford offers him a job, in How to Raise an
Honest Rabbit, but when Jeremy meets Aiden and his past comes knocking,
will Jeremy have the courage to stay and fight? Stanley is stuck in a
rut, in Knitter in His Natural Habitat, unsure if he’s happy with his
personal life or his professional life as a floor designer for craft
stores; then Johnny into his life, trailing a dark past, and Stanley has
to decide what he’s willing to give up to keep Johnny. In Blackbird
Knitting in a Bunny’s Lair, Jeremy barely survives a horrific beating,
and he’s left with the scars to prove it; between the Jeremy’s long road
to recovery and a friend’s baby who needs special care, Aiden and
Jeremy might find the common ground necessary to firm up their shaky
relationship.
The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters
Rance
Crawford is an alpaca rancher, fiber mill owner, and self-proclaimed
grumpy bastard. When sweet, charming tenderfoot Ben McCutcheon moves
onto Crawford’s rural road, Rance is very aware that Ben makes it a
grand total of two gay men in their tiny town, and even though he is
instantly, painfully smitten, any move he makes could be simply chalked
up to being hard up. Using his best weapon and favorite skill, Crawford
launches an awkward, wordless effort to make sure Ben is kept warm
during the cold Colorado winter, every last piece of him—especially his
heart.
How to Raise an Honest Rabbit
Everything
about Jeremy has always been a lie—including his last name. When one
grift too many ends in tragedy, Jeremy goes straight. But life’s hard
for an ex-con, and Jeremy is down to panhandling and hope when Rance
Crawford offers him work at a tiny alpaca farm and fiber mill. Jeremy
takes him up on the job, thinking this could be his last chance to be a
good man, and meets Aiden, who is growing into a better one.
As
Aiden comes of age, Jeremy finds himself desperate to grow up, too,
because Aiden starts looking to him for things Jeremy doesn’t know how
to give. Being honest is terrifying for a man who’s learned to rabbit at
the first sign of conflict—more so when Aiden gives Jeremy a reason to
stay that can’t be packed up and carried in a knapsack. When Jeremy’s
past comes knocking at their door, can Jeremy trust enough in Aiden and
his new home to answer bravely back?
Knitter in His Natural Habitat
Stanley’s
life took a left turn at a knitting shop and hit a dead end. The
closest thing he’s had to a relationship breaks things off to date a
“nice boy,” and none of the pretty young things in Boulder’s limited gay
scene do it for Stanley. He needs to reevaluate whether working as a
floor designer for a series of craft stores is really where he wants to
be.
Then Stanley does a peculiar thing: he starts to live the
life he fell into. Stitch by stitch, he knits his life into something
meaningful. Just when he does, Johnny, the store’s new delivery boy,
walks in.
Johnny is like no one Stanley has ever met: he doesn’t
believe in quickies in the bathroom and has a soft spot for theater and
opera. There has to be a catch. When Johnny’s dark past comes back to
haunt them, Stanley realizes how much he loves his cushy life in the
yarn store—but he’ll give it all up to keep the man who makes his
ordinary life extraordinary.
Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny's Lair
After
three years of waiting for “rabbit” Jeremy to commit to a life in
Granby—and a life together—Aiden Rhodes was appalled when Jeremy
sustained a nearly fatal beating to keep a friend out of harm's way. How
could Aiden’s bunny put himself in danger like that?
Aiden needs
to get over himself, because Jeremy has a long road to recovery, and
he's going to need Aiden's promise of love every step of the way. Jeremy
has new scars on his face and body to deal with, and his heart can’t
afford any more wounds.
When their friend’s baby needs some
special care, the two men find common ground to firm up their shaky
union. With Aiden’s support and his boss’s inspiration, Jeremy comes up
with a plan to make sure Ariadne's little blackbird comes into this
world with everything she needs. While Jeremy grows into his new role as
protector, Aiden needs to ease back on his protectiveness over his
once-timid lover. Aiden may be a wolf in student's clothing and Jeremy
may be a rabbit of a man, but that doesn’t mean they can’t walk the
wilds of Granby together.
Granby Knitting Stories by
Amy Lane
My rating:
4 of 5 stars
The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters
This is a sweet fluffy holiday story, of course. Definitely an insta-love, because, yeah, Ben is cute like that and Crawford is just a grumpy man, and seemed like Ben has no problem with that.
Um, probably because of what Craw gave him, the courtship with his knitting. Sweet.
This one is pretty fast, love, moving in (Ben suggested that).
Well, this is a holiday seasons in the air, we need some sweet candy taste story.
This one need no brainer to enjoy. Enjoyable and fun. Liked it!
How to Raise an Honest Rabbit
I didn't really get into 'the twins' as Craw said about Jeremy and Aiden. It was a good start but then, too many knitting details bored me. I love Amy, love her books and I really enjoyed Crawford and Ben's story.
But I can't really invested my heart for Jeremy and Aiden. Sure Aiden is sweet, and eighteen, and Jeremy, the sweetest ex-con I have ever met, they're good for each other.
It was just that, and the whole making you some knit will make you stay, and the sweetness of them together. As a novella, this one felt too long for me.
I'll still be reading Stanley's story, I want to know what's his thought about Craw.
This one was just not for me.
Knitter in His Natural Habitat
There's something about Stanley that made me sad and bitter. You know, the whole 'I'm not worthy of a relationship' thing.
He offered what he can give, and people just took it, and walked away.
But Johnny/Gianni saw 'something' in him that worth fighting for, and I was glad Johnny found Stanley.
I liked this one better. But the ending...gosh... I felt guilty for not liking Jeremy's story earlier.
I hope for a better ending for Jeremy and Aiden next.
Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny's Lair
I think this one is a much better story than their first book.
Maybe it's Jeremy's healing progress or the family or Aiden's determination to heal him and raised Jeremy's self confidence after that horrible night.
Lots of tears of course, this is an Amy Lane's classic, torturing your heart along with a heartwarming special.
This is Amy Lane's classic, the cover is sweet but don't let Amy fool you, you need tissues for the whole books.
* I received an ARC from Dreamspinner Press for a fair and unbiased review
View all my reviews
Whiskey Business by Avon Gale
