I read this book almost in one gulp. I sat down, intending to read for about an hour and then go for a swim but instead the only thing that made me get up was a phone call. I barely ate dinner! I was so immersed in the story and the characters the pages kept on turning on their own.
This is truly part one of the story, we don't get a HEA, we don't get a HFN, we are in the middle of the story where things are NOT working out on the romance side, but they are looking brighter in other aspects. This book is currently sold with part 1 + part 2 together, I have the older version (it's just been on my list for AGES before I got it finally scheduled..) so I don't know if it ends in a better place on that version. Anyhow the romance of the two MC is building up slowly and so there is something to look forward to. I remember how I loved it in "Cut & Run" by Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban. Yeah, it's more on the suspense side but still very slow building of the relationship between the MC, only getting their true HEA in the very last novel in the series. I bet this one would be the same.
This series is about the romance between Jory Keyes (our sole POV in the book) and detective Sam Kage. Jory is a force to be reckoned! not in the physical aspect, on the contrary, he is small with an athletic built, nothing like his love interest detective Sam Kage who is HUGE. It's just the way he sees everything around him, the things he takes notice of - seems to be everything around him when it's people concerned, or noticing nothing at all (when he is at a risk for his life and doesn't seem to take it seriously AT ALL). He is a people's person, everyone seems to like him and it's obvious from his behavior why that is. Though he is an orphan with no family, he has a very strong connection with his boss - Dane Harcourt, a very successful architect. He's the kind of guy every woman falls for which is part of the reason he and Jory get along so well. Jory understands him, he might find him attractive but he is not attracted to him and so he is able to be honest and a true friend even if he's just his personal assistant. I LOVED LOVED LOVED Dane, I hope we'll get as much of his as possible, also their special connection is a JOY to read.
Hearing Jory's POV is sort of addictive. He is SO damn funny. I found myself Laughing Out Loud half of the book from the way he talks, the way he thinks and the way he reacts to things around him. Even in the first chapter in which he finds himself in a middle of a police bust when he just came to take away the dog (a favor for a friend) he is totally unfazed by the big muscles around him or the fact that now that he is now a witness to a killing and so his life is in jeopardy. Yet every night the 22 years old Jory goes out to a different club even if every night Detective Sam gets in his path and tries to take him home before someone off him in the street.
I gotta say, Jory's way of thinking got in my head so much, I was SURE Sam was totally over-reacting and Jory doesn't have anything to worry about, he's probably just into Sam and so he keeps "looking out" for him, while actually trying to see what he feels about the guy (since he's OBVIOUSLY straight..). Jory finds him totally and absolutely attractive but trying to "convert" straight guy was never his thing.. and so he enjoys Sam's rough handling (that's what he likes in a guy but never actually gets..). So when someone actually DID try to off Jory I couldn't be more surprised!
I'm already blabbering too much here, so I'll get to the important part.. the romance! Jory is openly gay, but at the moment he isn't sure what he is looking for, what he didn't expect is for Sam to be attracted to him, so when they act on their mutual attraction, well, it was kind of curious to see how Sam got into it will no problem at all.. and yet though he seems to be VERY into Jory not only when it comes to sex, he is very caring and protective, it was very disappointing yet not that surprising when he doesn't take them as a couple seriously, or rather as something that could be permanent. I enjoyed seeing the obvious good impact Jory had on Sam, it was heart warming and darn funny but sadly it still isn't enough for Sam to put aside his prior beliefs to what his life should look like..
I'm not going to say more because I feel as though I've already said too much, mostly in the previous paragraph.. I wasn't sure about writing it so specifically, but since it's only part one, I guess it's obvious something is still very primary about the relationship, or rather it's not yet a relationship... they have MUCH more to go (obviously.. there are 8 books in the series..).
One last thing before I finish this very long review for a rather short novel/la - I wasn't sure which category this one will fall into - Romantic Suspense or Contemporary Romance, after reading this one I think it's more on the Contemporary side. There's a bit of action, but it's not the focus of the story AT ALL.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!
Additional Details: Kindle Ebook, 140 pages, 1 May 2016 / On GoodReads
ABOUT THIS SERIES
A Matter of Time is a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Contemporary MM Romance series by Mary Calmes
Telling us the story of Jory (Keyes) Harcourt & Detective Sam Kage romance story. The relationship buildup goes through the books, don't expect the HEA or even the HFN too soon - these guys have a lot to go before they can sit and watch the sunset together, yet throughout the series they do formalize their relationship and later on adopt two kids.
The whole series is told from Jory's POV. Jory is one of my absolutely favorite characters, he is a JOY to read. He is funny, and a bit strange, he is very good with little details when it's about people but real life and everything around him? he can totally miss out on. Though he is basically an orphan he acquired a family through his boss - Dane Harcourt. He was the best personal assistant Dane could ask for, but after years working together they come to the conclusion they are much more than a boss and employee and so they part ways work-wise so they can become each other's family. Dane is also a character I absolutely LOVE.
Detective Sam Kage is a complicated character. His whole life he saw himself as straight but he can't deny the attraction he feels toward Jory. He has a lot of struggles concerning his sexual identity, mostly when it comes to what he expected his life to be and also the fact he is a cop and being one and having a relationship with a man doesn't work that well together. Sam has a very loving and caring family but though they love Jory almost as much as he does, he is more close minded and so it's hard for him to find the path to what he truly wants. But when he finally realizes Jory is "it" for him, he is determined to NEVER let him go and doing all he can to be by his side and protect him (from himself mostly, or rather from his tendency to ALWAYS get into MAJOR trouble).
Sam is truly the "alpha" in this series, it's usually not something I care for, but though he has his temper, Jory is mostly amused when Sam gets all ruffled up. Jory wants to "submit" to him, but their relationship is still very equal. Even when it comes to taking care of life and death situations they find themselves in. Jory is NOT a "damsel in distress", on the contrary.
The 7th installment - "Parting Shot" - is different from the others focusing on another couple - Aaron Sutter and Duncan Stiel. We've met Aaron in the 3rd installment, he and Jory were in a rather serious relationship for a year and a half while Sam was away breaking apart the drug cartel who were responsible for Jory's injury in the 2nd installment. While Aaron and Jory stayed friends it was mostly Aaron staying close enough in case he and Sam broke up.. later on he tried replacing Jory with a sort of "duplicate"/"replica" of Jory until Jory makes a strange decision near the ending of the 6th installment to try and "hook him up" with Duncan Stiel a Detective he and Sam meet on their stay in Phoenix. Really enjoyed this one as well, Aaron and Duncan fit in a way I didn't see coming. It was so very different from Sam and Jory and also I loved seeing Aaron in a different lighting or rather seeing who he REALLY is.
Notes -
Books:
1. A Matter of Time, #1 (published 1 October 2009) ★★★★★
2. A Matter of Time, #2 (published 2 November 2009) ★★★★★
3. A Matter of Time, #3 (published 30 November 2009) ★★★★½
4. A Matter of Time, #4 (published 15 December 2009) ★★★★★
5. Bulletproof (published 1 September 2011) ★★★★½
5.5. Just Jory (published 9 October 2012) ★★★★★
6. But For You (published 12 October 2012) ★★★★
6.5. Ears, Eggs & Bunnies (published 18 April 2014) ★★★★
7. Parting Shot [Duncan Stiel & Aaron Sutter] (published 18 July 2013) ★★★★★
8. Piece of Cake (published 12 August 2015) ★★★★
8.5. Hannah's Big Night (published 27 November 2015) ★★
8.6. Another Day With Jory (published 24 December 2016) ★★★
Telling us the story of Jory (Keyes) Harcourt & Detective Sam Kage romance story. The relationship buildup goes through the books, don't expect the HEA or even the HFN too soon - these guys have a lot to go before they can sit and watch the sunset together, yet throughout the series they do formalize their relationship and later on adopt two kids.
The whole series is told from Jory's POV. Jory is one of my absolutely favorite characters, he is a JOY to read. He is funny, and a bit strange, he is very good with little details when it's about people but real life and everything around him? he can totally miss out on. Though he is basically an orphan he acquired a family through his boss - Dane Harcourt. He was the best personal assistant Dane could ask for, but after years working together they come to the conclusion they are much more than a boss and employee and so they part ways work-wise so they can become each other's family. Dane is also a character I absolutely LOVE.
Detective Sam Kage is a complicated character. His whole life he saw himself as straight but he can't deny the attraction he feels toward Jory. He has a lot of struggles concerning his sexual identity, mostly when it comes to what he expected his life to be and also the fact he is a cop and being one and having a relationship with a man doesn't work that well together. Sam has a very loving and caring family but though they love Jory almost as much as he does, he is more close minded and so it's hard for him to find the path to what he truly wants. But when he finally realizes Jory is "it" for him, he is determined to NEVER let him go and doing all he can to be by his side and protect him (from himself mostly, or rather from his tendency to ALWAYS get into MAJOR trouble).
Sam is truly the "alpha" in this series, it's usually not something I care for, but though he has his temper, Jory is mostly amused when Sam gets all ruffled up. Jory wants to "submit" to him, but their relationship is still very equal. Even when it comes to taking care of life and death situations they find themselves in. Jory is NOT a "damsel in distress", on the contrary.
The 7th installment - "Parting Shot" - is different from the others focusing on another couple - Aaron Sutter and Duncan Stiel. We've met Aaron in the 3rd installment, he and Jory were in a rather serious relationship for a year and a half while Sam was away breaking apart the drug cartel who were responsible for Jory's injury in the 2nd installment. While Aaron and Jory stayed friends it was mostly Aaron staying close enough in case he and Sam broke up.. later on he tried replacing Jory with a sort of "duplicate"/"replica" of Jory until Jory makes a strange decision near the ending of the 6th installment to try and "hook him up" with Duncan Stiel a Detective he and Sam meet on their stay in Phoenix. Really enjoyed this one as well, Aaron and Duncan fit in a way I didn't see coming. It was so very different from Sam and Jory and also I loved seeing Aaron in a different lighting or rather seeing who he REALLY is.
Notes -
- Originally, the first 4 installments were published on their own, which is why I have separate reviews for them. A while back they were discontinued and instead of them two books were published - "A Matter of Time Vol.1" containing the first and second installments and "A Matter of Time Vol. 2" containing the third and forth installments. It's basically the same.
- Jory and Sam's story is basically told in the first 6 installments. The 8th installment is a free closure novella of Sam and Jory getting re-married. The 7th installment as mentioned above is of a different couple (also mentioned in the 8th installment)
- The 4 bonus short novellas - "Just Jory", "Ears, Eggs & Bunnies", "Hannah's Big Night" (told from (10 years old) Hannah's POV) and "Another Day With Jory" are free online reads (click links to read).
- If you've just finished this series and BUMMED that it's the end, it is and it isn't.. you can catch many glimpses of Sam (and a bit of Jory and the kids) in "Marshals", where Sam is the boss of the two MCs.
Books:
1. A Matter of Time, #1 (published 1 October 2009) ★★★★★
2. A Matter of Time, #2 (published 2 November 2009) ★★★★★
3. A Matter of Time, #3 (published 30 November 2009) ★★★★½
4. A Matter of Time, #4 (published 15 December 2009) ★★★★★
5. Bulletproof (published 1 September 2011) ★★★★½
5.5. Just Jory (published 9 October 2012) ★★★★★
6. But For You (published 12 October 2012) ★★★★
6.5. Ears, Eggs & Bunnies (published 18 April 2014) ★★★★
7. Parting Shot [Duncan Stiel & Aaron Sutter] (published 18 July 2013) ★★★★★
8. Piece of Cake (published 12 August 2015) ★★★★
8.5. Hannah's Big Night (published 27 November 2015) ★★
8.6. Another Day With Jory (published 24 December 2016) ★★★
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