Reviewed by Nikyta
Title: How Sweetly the Whippoorwill Sings
Author: Tray Eillis
Heroes: Jake & Everett
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 42 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: May 28, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: On the day of Molly and Irving’s wedding the usual hiccups and snags happen, but Irving’s best man, chemistry professor Everett Donnelly, is there to smooth them over, keep everyone organized, and make last minute adjustments based on the lists he keeps. If only he weren’t distracted and reeling from his strong attraction to Molly’s brother, police officer Jake Mountbatten, whom Everett first met at the rehearsal dinner.
In between boutonnière crises and wedding photos, the two men have ample opportunities to catch each other’s eye, but the obligations of the wedding interrupt them time and again. Finally, all the speeches and traditional activities are over, and Everett finds Jake to see if they can make a little romance of their own.
Review:
As his best friend’s best man, Everett is determined to make Irving’s wedding go as smoothly as he possibly can. He’s ready for anything but when he meets the brother of the bride, Everett’s determination gets a little distracted. Jake is bad boy sexy and before Everett knows it, he’s acting way more confident than he usually is. But is their fleeting romance just that or could there be something more between them?
This was a cute story. I really liked that Everett was such a nerd and that Jake was his complete opposite. I also loved that it seemed like (from the characters’ comments) a lot of the guests were nerds too. I found that adorable. But I also liked that there obviously was something between Jake and Everett. Although, since neither character has much depth to them so its hard to really connect with the story.
I enjoyed this book and it had a lot of potential but it ultimately fell short of what, I think, the blurb promised. Yes, all those things happened but it was issues with quick and easy fixes. I didn’t feel like it held the ‘urgency’ that being part of a wedding normally has. While there’s some type of connection between Everett and Jake, I didn’t feel like there was enough of it. There’s a few shared moments but I expected a lot more of Jake and Everett time considering how short this story is.
In the end, this is a sweet little story but it didn’t live up to its potential. I wanted to see more of Jake and Everett together, see more of the ‘go, go, go’ that is a wedding with no wedding planner. I wanted to feel as if I was part of all the crises but instead it just fell flat. If the story had been longer with a lot more depth, I think it would have been more enjoyable but as is, it’s a nice little snippet and if you’re looking for something a little sweet with not much meat to it, give this one a go.
Overall Impression: It was good
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*
