Second Hand by Heidi Cullinan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Okay, I picked up Second Hand simply because I love this series from Tucker Springs. Of course I’d read several of the later books so I know the pairing would work out, but I enjoyed the story nonetheless. It was nice to get the backstory I’d missed since I started off with Dirty Laundry, book 3 in the Tucker Springs world.

I’m a big fan of Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton. I like both of their work singly, and they mesh together quite well. Of course knowing Heidi wrote book 3, which is my favorite, was a draw that led me to want this book in particular. What I enjoyed most was watching both author’s style come together in this story. The characters are real, and the setting and plot believable.

El’s one of those guys, the ones not looking to settle down, that we see in a few books of this series. They’re often taken by surprise by their love interest, but it’s never one of those ‘instant we love you drips from lips every other page’ even if the pairing is pretty obvious. In this case, I felt like Paul was one of the most real characters I’d read lately.

The gay for you trope has been done, quite a bit, but this story doesn’t quite fall into those lines. I do think that Paul struggles quite a bit with his sexuality in this story but there’s nothing false about it. It’s plausible, which is vital in a contemporary story that I enjoy. Watching him make those steps forward, and back when the bitch of a girlfriend shows back up, was quite the trip.

If you’re in the mood for a romance that takes you through a journey of highs and lows, but never outside the realm of what could happen, letting you almost step into the world of Tucker Springs … this book will definitely be for you!

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