Reviewed by Morgan
Title: Second Hand
Authors: Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton
Narrator: Iggy Toma
Series: Tucker Springs #2
Heroes: Paul Hannon/El Rozal
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 5 Hours, 11 Minutes
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: January 22, 2016
Available at: Amazon and Audible
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: Paul Hannon moved to Tucker Springs for his girlfriend, but she’s left him with a house he can’t afford and a pantry full of useless gadgets. All Paul wants is to get back to normal, even if he’s not sure what that is anymore. When he wanders into Tucker Pawn for a gift to win her back, he meets El Rozal, pawn shop owner and all-around cynic.
El Rozal doesn’t do relationships, especially not with clueless straight boys still pining for their ex. El may make his living dealing in castoffs, but that doesn’t apply to men. Still, when Paul starts clearing out his old life, pawning kitchen equipment he never wanted in the first place, El is drawn to Paul in spite of himself.
Paul and El have nothing in common except a past full of disappointments. There’s no reason to believe the two of them could fit, but in El’s line of work, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. When it comes to love, El and Paul may learn that secondhand doesn’t mean second best.
Review – Book: Paul visits El’s pawnshop hoping to find a present to win the heart of his girlfriend, Stacey. The fact that he’s in a pawnshop trying to win his girlfriend should tell you a bit about how confused poor Paul really is.
El is this eccentric, smoking, sensual guy who intrigues Paul right from the start. His life is totally different from Paul’s and he’s far more “worldly”.
The two end up striking up a relationship despite the odds and finding that they have something between them worth exploring.
**
There are some “growth” moments for El and Paul desperately needs the guidance El provides. I liked El a lot, and though Paul was a bit bland, he was a nice foil for El’s eccentricities.
I think the love story between El and Paul was so very sweet and sentimental, and though I wanted to shake Paul on occasion, I applaud the authors for not dragging the Stacey issue out too long, once El and Paul had gotten together.
There is a bit of humor and a gentle love story here that most people who like these authors will enjoy, and the story introduces several of the characters from the other books in the series, so fans of the series will also really enjoy that aspect of this book.
I like this series for its use of non-traditional MCs and the way it demonstrates how different types of relationships work for different couples.
Both Marie Sexton and Heidi Cullinan are amazing writers, and as such, it’d be hard to find something they wrote together anything but wonderful.
Review – Audio: Iggy Toma narrates several of Heidi Cullinan’s books and always does a really nice job. His voice is easy to listen to and he modulates the rhythm of his narration to really add depth to the story. I LOVED his accent for El. He totally made this book!
Overall Impression: I loved it
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*
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