Every now and then you stumble across a new author. That happened last week. I saw a few adverts and promo posts for a book with a cover that caught my eye – because of the bear! A few clicks later and I had connected with the author (who, by the way, is a lovely soul). Slade directed me toward his website, where there was a free short story on offer – The Uncut Wood – so I snapped that up too.
All I can say is this – WOW – blown away.
Title: Grumpy Bear
Series: Bear Camp Series
Author: Slade James
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: January 18, 2021
Heat Level: 4/5 – steamy!
Pairing: M/M
Length: 296 pages
Genre: Romance, Men over 40, Bears, Camp, Clothing Optional Resort
Summary:
Hooking up with an employee is not on my to-do list.
Making sure other men have a good time is my business, even if it means suppressing my own desires. It’s opening weekend at my clothing-optional campground, guests are starting to arrive, and I’ve got a pool party and a few hundred peoples’ vacations to save while battling Mother Nature’s tantrums.
The last thing I need is a temporary employee who can’t even put up a tent.
Luke Cody’s not my type. He’s too young, too pretty, and too much like my late partner. Another flaky musician? No thanks. But when a storm blows down his campsite, I can’t just leave him outside and soaked to the bone. Now he’s staying in my cabin, sleeping in my bed, and worst of all, he’s completely ignoring the proverbial sign over my head that says Grumpy Bear: Do Not Approach.
I’m not quite as immune to his charms as I want him to believe, but he’ll only be here for a few days.
Nothing’s going to happen…
My Review:
I happen to have a thing for bears. Yeah, I know, I self-identify as one too. But I don’t know if that’s how others would see me. I’m on the shorter end of the scale, and thanks to some rather hearty, German peasant stock genes, I’ve got tree trunks for legs. But when a guy walks by, towering over me, who provokes an instant thought of, “Wow, what a bear of a man!” that’s where I just melt. That’s a bear for me. Big, burly, barrel-chested, furry, muscular, bearded bears.
Can I get a “Hallelujah”, “Amen”, and “Praise be” up in here?
I realize bears are not everyone’s cup of tea, but it sure is mine. And since discovering M/M Romance, and reading through dozens of novels, I can attest that there is a definite lack of bear centered material. So imagine my excitement when I saw this book promo’d in my Facebook feeds.
Click. That’s the sound of me instantly buying the book.
Okay, enough about my initial excitement. But let me assure you that elation continued. Slade James is a ‘new to me’ author. So there’s always a small amount of hesitation going into uncharted waters. Within the first few pages, James had me as an instant fan.
The story revolves around Coleman, the owner of Bear Camp, a clothing optional campground nestled in the rural mountains of Georgia. Luke Cody is a down-and-out musician who is overcoming a bumpy past, has nothing but his guitar and cell phone, and finds himself through circumstance to be working a temp job for the opening weekend of Bear Camp’s summer season.
Romance books have a pretty predictable format. Boy meets boy. Boy really likes other boy. Flirtation and sexy-fun-times occur. Boy starts to fall for other boy. Then, trouble in paradise! Some obstacle looms its ugly head which makes you question whether or not the newly formed romance will work out. Inevitably, all is fine in end, and the two end up happily ever after, or at the very least, happily for now. Romance books are meant to take you out of your life, put you into a scenic setting, with gorgeous men, and in the end, allow you to walk out of their world feeling happy. It’s an escape. And hopefully, it left you a little horny too.
James has taken Grumpy Bear into a highest level of Romance books. First, kudos for adding to bear content. Like I’ve already mentioned, it’s rare. Second, James has a way of weaving his words that created a beautiful backdrop for the story. I want to go to Bear Camp so bad! And that’s not me being a horn dog because of the naked bears running around, it’s because James’s description of the campground makes it magical. The landscape is fairy-tail beautiful, and James’s writing is clever and descriptive.
Thirdly, I’m a salty old bitch. Making me laugh means you gotta come up with something smart. James had me laughing out loud several times through this book. The pop culture references had me yearning for my younger days. The fantasy literary mentions reminded me of many of the books I read in my youth. James also includes a number of tried and true country songs throughout the novel, ones I know and love. One line in particular, “In the immortal words of Miss Reba McEntire, why haven’t I heard from you?” <giggle, snort>.
Lastly, the characters are pure gold. Coleman is the Grumpy Bear, one who you want to root for. As stoic as he is, you know he has a massive heart buried beneath those enormous, fur-covered pecs, and Luke’s backstory will make you want to wrap meaty, hairy, bear paws around him and protect him from all the crap that life often throws our way.
In short, Grumpy Bear is a magical, beautifully told, sweet romance story that achieves the goal of allowing you to escape from reality and walk away from the book feeling just a little bit better about the real world. Oh, and it definitely left me horny.
I’m looking forward to the rest of the Bear Camp series, and you can bet that I’ll be buying everything Slade James puts out.
If I’m not mistaken, this is also a debut novel, so on many levels Mr. James, congrats!
My Rating:
Purchase Links:
Meet the Author:
One summer, not so long ago, Slade James started writing gay romance, turned fifty, and met the love his life. (In that order, in a matter of weeks!)
Slade and his partner, Stevie, live in a magical land in the American Southeast where three states converge. They call it “GeorBamaSee.” They can be found playing disc golf in the parks, hiking in the mountains, kayaking in the creeks, and living in their own real life romance.
J.P. Jackson 