Knitter in His Natural Habitat (Granby Knitting #3) [Stanely & Johnny/Gianni] by Amy Lane

This one reminded me a little of the first installment, coming from Stanley's POV it's hard to keep a straight face throughout this book. The way he looks at life, his flashy and unapologetic self is a JOY to read (meaning a LOT of laugh-out-loud moments!) and yet something was missing, I think it was Johnny who was in a way too good to be true. Some would classify this one as "insta-love" but I think it was the two of them longing for more and finding each other at the  perfect time. 

quick note before I continue on to my review - this series must be read in order. Not only because of overlapping time-lines but also because characters we met in the previous installments play important roles in the next, so if you haven't read the first two it's better to start at the beginning and maybe even stopping reading my review so you won't be spoilered ;)


We met Stanley on the first installment, he runs a yarn shop in Boulder and he was also sort of Rance's "ex"' or rather they hooked up regularly. Stanley wasn't really that hurt when Rance broke things up he was just feeling lonely and really he felt too old for the clubbing scene with all those kiddos. His solutions? start knitting. Well, it kinda worked :) it brought him the man he wished for ;) 

Stanley lost touch with his family years ago, after the "came out" it was obvious he is expected to leave never to return again and yet he found his own family with Alice the owner of the store and her daughter Candace whom he sees as his daughter. In this installment he also gets to FINALLY meet Ariadne who works for Rance in Graby. They have been talking on the phone and messaging for YEARS but never actually got to meet each other in person until she was admitted to the hospital in Boulder (due to her pregnancy) and he started visiting her regularly. Naturally it also means he started seeing all the other guys from Graby as well - Rance, Ben, Aiden and Jeremy and became a little closer to them as well. It was heart warming to see how all of them formed a new family, one that accepts each other unconditionally. 

Johnny, the new delivery man, who was shortly introduced in the previous installment, is actually Gianni, the guy who saved Jeremy's life. Gianni stayed with his mob-boss up until he killed his boyfriend which is when he decided to go to the authorities and become a witness. Which is how he become "Johnny the delivery man"..  I gotta say it was pretty strange he was in a witness protection program and yet EVERYONE seemed to know who he really was, his name and former occupation..

Back to the plot.. They meet when Johnny comes into the store Stanley works in and basically they sort of proposition each other :D They were both instantely attracted to one another and since neither of them is shy they both put it in the open. Yet since their casual encounter didn't work it was the right time for Johnny to tell Stanley he actually wants more and so he asks him on a date. Stanley and Johnny were sweet together, maybe too sweet, it was clear they were both craving a meaningful relationship and somehow they clicked from the beginning and simply accepted one another. They worked together, they did, which is why I'm not upset about the relationship developing too quickly. 

Yet right when everything felt perfect between them the store gets broken into so Johnny realizes someone from his past is after him and they start making plans to protect Stanley from the mob-boss's crazy son. The big hero of the show was quite the surprise, I was truly touched by it (not saying more not to spoiler). It was time for both Johnny and Stanley show the commitment they formed for one another - Stanley mainly for believing in Johnny and willing to wait for him and Johnny sorting out his past and returning to the arms of the man he fell for. It was terribly sweet as the both of them were from the beginning. They deserved the HEA. 
 
I loved getting not only Johnny and Stanley but the whole Granby gang, I LOVE those guys (and gal ;)) can't wait for the final installment, another one of Aiden and Jeremy who are my favorite couple as it is :)

Additional Details: Kindle Ebook, 163 pages, 19 March 2016 / On GoodReads

 

 

ABOUT THIS SERIES 

 

"Granby Knitting" is a MM Contemporary Romance series by Amy Lane.
The first three books in the series are quite short novellas. The last one is a re-visit of the couple from the second installment in a full length novel.

Books:
1. The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters [Rance Crawford & Ben McCutcheon] (Published 1 December 2011) ★★★★½
2. How to Raise an Honest Rabbit  [Jeremy Stillson & Aiden Rhodes] (Published 23 October 2012) ★★★★★
3. Knitter in his Natural Habitat [Stanley Shulze & Johnny Russo / Gianni Caprisi] (Published 13 November 2012) ★★★★
4. Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny's Lair [Jeremy Stillson & Aiden Rhodes] (Published 1 May 2014) ★★★½

*** POV is colored in purple