The Carpenter by Serena Yates, 2nd edition

Title: The Carpenter, 2nd edition
Series: Workplace Encounters, #5
Author: Serena Yates
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novella (126 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (June 17th 2015)
Heat Level: Moderate
Blurb: Tom Halderson is a carpenter in desperate need of a big project to save the financially troubled construction company he inherited from his father. Tom is a better carpenter than a businessman, and worse yet, Tom’s estranged brother suddenly demands his share of the inheritance.

When Matt Langford hires Tom to renovate his house, things begin to look up. A safari guide, Matt plans to restore and sell the home his grandfather left him and return to his exciting life in Africa. He is not about to let his sudden—and powerful—attraction to Tom persuade him to settle down—not after infidelity destroyed his own family.

But adventurous Matt is exactly what Tom’s life is lacking, and Tom is determined to show Matt what could be between them.

ISBN: 9781634760911

Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6504

Prime’s Review: ♥♥♥♥ 3.5 Hearts

The Carpenter is the fifth book in Serena Yates’ Workplace Encounters series. However, none of the books are related and are stand alone stories. This is the second edition of The Carpenter, with Dreamspinner Press re-releasing the whole series. I read the first edition and could not tell the difference for the most part (my memory is a tad dodgy, though). I could not find exactly how the word count has changed on this new edition.

Once again, it seems that the clunky wording which I criticised in the first few books is no longer a problem. The blurbs also continue to be good and accurate. On the plus side, no unnecessary mystery/melodrama was put in the blurb or the story either, which made a far more enjoyable story.

However, the themes of the previous books (closeted MC and MC facing losing their job/business) are there are again, but since it is a standalone book, it doesn’t matter so much to me.

This series is good for an enjoyable, light right where you don’t need to apply too much brain power to understand. This has a bit more drama in it than the other books, but nothing wholly unnecessary.

Aerin’s Review: ♥♥ 2 Hearts

After reading the fifth book in this series, I’m starting to think this author’s writing style doesn’t match my preferences. When reading a series, I expect progress when it comes to writing, but most of all, I want the stories/books to be diverse if they’re not related. The books in this series are not related and can be read independently, but they’re neither diverse nor original.

Tom is the owner of a construction company, a carpenter at heart, whose brother is causing irreparable damage to his already financially compromised business. Tom is hard to connect with, because he’s the big guy who blushes at the drop of a hat, who’s very innocent, and whose credulity resembles that of a 10-year-old child.

He’s also a doormat and completely spineless, and while some people love MCs like that, I prefer mine with a bit more personality. The dialog between him and Matt, his new contract, is predictable, awkward and somewhat cheesy. I had a hard time believing in them as a couple and the plot was not good enough or exciting enough to make up for that; I was bored and I had a hard time staying focused while reading this story.

Matt is older than Tom, but that doesn’t explain why he needed to take charge and take care of Tom’s problems for him. It’s not like they knew each other for a long time, their relationship was barely a week old when Tom’s brother put in motion his evil plan to destroy Tom’s business; Matt’s desire to take charge and fix Tom’s problems made Matt seem a bit creepy. That coupled with the cheesy lovey dovey dialog made for some awkward reading.

I’m still hoping for some improvement and some originality, and I might get my wish. The next book in this series is pretty good so far, so I’m holding my fingers crossed.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *