Title: Jesse’s Diner

Series: Hope, #2

Author: Cardeno C.

Genre: Contemporary, May-December

Length: Novella (112 pages)

Publisher: The Romance Authors, LLC (29 Sept 2015)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Blurb: Two men with a shared history and a mutual attraction must be honest with themselves and each other so both their dreams come true.

Quiet, unassuming Tanner Sellers spends his time running a diner in Hope, Arizona. Not particularly social, twenty-two-year-old Tanner keeps to himself and enjoys his simple life, but he longs for someone to call his own. In his most secret fantasy, that someone is sexy Steve Faus. But Steve is his friend’s father and mentor’s widower and therefore off-limits.

Despite some challenges, thirty-nine-year-old Steve Faus has had a good life. He’s extremely successful at work, has a great relationship with his college-age son, and lives in a wonderful town. Eighteen months after losing his partner, the one thing Steve lacks is someone to share his life. If Steve is honest with himself, that someone is the young man he has known and cared about for years. Steve and Tanner want one another. All they need is a little push in the right direction to make both their dreams come true.

ISBN: 9781942184331

Product Link: Cardeno C. | Amazon UK | Amazon US

Reviewer: Prime

Review: Jesse’s Diner is the second book is Cardeno C’s Hope series. I will admit that this is the only book in the series I’ve read so far, so I can definitely say that this can be read as a standalone story.

However, in saying that, after reading this book, I want more of this series. That means for the time being it’s back to book one, McFarland’s Farm.

This is a sweet story about the equally as sweet Tanner. He’s quiet and finds it difficult to be around people and so as a result he is quite lonely, too. However, when he moved to live with his grandmother as a teen, he made friends with local boy Mike. Being friends with Mike meant that in school he had “friends” but once school was over and Mike left, no one kept in touch with him.

But Tanner’s one saving grace is that one of Mike’s dads, Jesse, hired Tanner to work and when Jesse got terminal cancer he left his beloved diner to Tanner. Mike calls Tanner one day, worried about his father and asks Tanner to look in make sure that Steve is eating, looking after himself, etc.

Then there is Mike’s other father, Steve. He arrived in Hope as a young man (around Tanner’s age), pretty lost and probably a tad bit burnt out. He met Jesse, who was approaching 40 and ready to settle down with a partner and adopt a child (i.e. Mike).Now, fast forward around 20 years, Jesse is gone and Steve has thrown himself into work and has become something of a recluse when he did change his work habits.

There is a shared attraction between Steve and Tanner and now Steve is the older man in the relationship.

This is just filled with tender, sweet emotion. This is something of a slow burn, which on reflection, probably makes for a more satisfying story. If you like May-December stories, this is a great one to immerse yourself into, especially if you like the whole “best friend’s dad” type of story.

Title: MacFarland’s Farm

Series: Hope #1

Author: Cardeno C

Genre: Contemporary, May-December

Length: Novella (26K words)

Publisher:  The Romance Authors LLC (10 Sept 2014)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts

Blurb: Wealthy, attractive Lucas Reika treats life like a party, moving from bar to bar and man to man. Thumbing his nose at his restaurateur father’s demand that he earn his keep, Lucas instead seduces a valued employee in the kitchen of their flagship restaurant, earning himself an ultimatum: lose access to his father’s money or stay in the middle of nowhere with a man he has secretly lusted over from afar. 

Quiet, hard-working Jared McFarland loves his farm on the outskirts of Hope, Arizona, but he aches to have someone to come home to at the end of the day. Jared agrees to take in his longtime crush as a favor. But when Lucas invades his heart in addition to his space, Jared has to decide how much of himself he’s willing to risk and figure out if he can offer Lucas enough to keep him after his father’s punishment is over.

ASIN: 978-1-942184-00-3

Product Link: Cardeno C. | Amazon UK | Amazon US

Reviewer: Prime

Review: Cardeno C’s Hope series is for those of us who don’t mind reading a sweet May-December romance. I love a book that doesn’t make a big deal about an age gap, I mean after reading some May-December books it’s laughable when some books make a big deal out of 5 years difference. But that’s another rant for another time.

I’ve read Cardeno C in the past, but is still one of those authors I judge by the books as they come. However, in saying that, I’ve read the second book in the Hope Series, Jesse’s Diner, when it was released a couple years ago and really enjoyed it. Although I have read the series out of order, I recommend reading the series in its proper order to get a full feel on the characters. Between each book we get to meet our upcoming heroes as well as catch up with our old friends.

MacFarland’s Farm is about Jared and Lucas. Jared is a quiet guy who works hard on his land but is in real need of help, not that he is looking for any help. He’s open about his sexuality, but does not advertise and is still close friends with ex-wife and deeply respects his ex-father-in-law.

Then there is Lucas, he has been spoiled his entire life by his father. His father, who was widowed, worked hard to make a lot of money to provide for his kids. The problem is, Lucas is 24, barely finished college over 5 years and thinks that life is party. He also assumes that his father’s money is his. Things come to a head when Lucas is caught in a compromising situation. His father and sister decide that the best way for Lucas to learn responsibility is to go to the town of Hope in Arizona and work for his ex-brother-in-law.

The problem is that 1) Lucas needs a massive attitude adjustment before he can grow up, and, 2) they guys are attracted to each other.

Look, Lucas is unlikable in the beginning but Cardeno C weaves magic and Lucas becomes a relatable character. The guys work well together although I was disappointed that the chemistry wasn’t exploding off the page. This is a sweet romance and part of me just wanted there to be more!