Tuesday, May 3, 2016

A Matter of Time (A Matter of Time #2) by Mary Calmes

Another excellent installment! As was with the previous one - had a hard time putting it down - so I read it in one go! I can just listen to Jory endlessly! It's amazing how in every situation people just adore him and it doesn't feel fake to me, I can totally see and get what they find in him. While he and Sam were mostly in a bad place in this installment his relationship with Dane Harcourt (his boss) keeps on evolving. The ending of the previous installment showed that they are already in a different place but in this one EVERYTHING changes.  


At the ending of the previous installment, Sam and Jory are apart, after Sam confessed he wants a wife and kids and can't see himself in a long term relationship with a man, Jory packs his stuff and goes. It was really brave of him, I appreciated that. He kept his distance and yet when Sam tried to tell Jory that he DOES care for him and wants to be with him Jory accepts him, even if for a short while. It's obvious that though Sam loves Jory (even if he is unable to admit that YET) he still has in his mind what the people around him - his family, friends, the people he works with - consider the "right way" and so Jory lets him go himself when he realizes Sam is not "there" yet in accepting what he truly wants, or rather, Jory figures Sam might not love him as he thinks he does.. It takes a while till Sam realizes that NOTHING can be whole in his life without Jory in it. Though he sounds mostly like a jerk, and I personally don't find his pushiness attractive (I'm not into the whole "alpha-male" figure..) I think he is dealing with a rather difficult crisis and so I was never actually mad at him and the (bad!) choices he made. 

The suspense part of the story is mostly left for the very ending (though there is a little bit in the middle which naturally Jory made to be freaking hilarious!). It seems that though Jory testified against Brain there is still someone out there who wants him out of the game. If you follow the story it's pretty obvious who the guy to coordinate everything.. I guess sometimes the best place to hide is under someone's nose.. the story ends very abruptly in quite the cliffhanger, so though the romance part seems at the HFN point, the situation Jory is in - makes everything uncertain. 

I want to say a few more words about Jory and Dane. Because of the way the relationship between them changes Dane decides to make things more easy for them to stay close. For that to work he actually fires him! Yeah, he naturally also gets him another job, one that will interest and challenge him more than what he does for him at the moment. He does a lot of arrangements so his close friendship with Jory would have the best way to evolve. I'm sure letting him go as his assistant killed him but maintaining the boss-employee won't allow a genuine connection. I love everything that has to do with Dane, he cracks me up all the time! Though half the time it's due to how Jory (our sole POV) sees and reacts to him he's still one of a favorite (and not because he is drop dead gorgeous ;)).   

I really enjoyed this book, yeah there was actually very little romance in it, maybe more of Jory growing up and evolving, finding family and friends who love him unconditionally even if with Sam things doesn't seem to truly work. Oh, and Jory's new partner at his new office is HILARIOUS, they are SO perfect together! They are like two kids, or maybe twins who were separated most of their lives. It's funny how they can be in a room full of people and yet it's only the both of them, and there is NOTHING romantic between them. 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (as was the previous one :)



Additional Details: Kindle Ebook, 140 pages, 2 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 -

  • 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 StielAaron 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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