Cade Creek is a typical small town in many ways, but some of the people inhabiting it are definitely exceptional. This goes both ways—some of them are very good, but some are so evil, I was ready to strangle them or worse. The main characters are sweet, the supporting characters are interesting and added to the story, and even though the first few pages were hard for me to get through because of all the (fairly graphical) emotional and physical abuse Happy was put through as a child and young man, the story as a whole left me feeling happy. I think this is a very promising first book in a spin-off series from the ‘Blaecleah Brothers’ books. It is linked only through the setting and a few characters reappearing, so there is no need to read the other books first.

Happy is an amazing man. He suffered terribly as a child, abused by bible-thumping grandparents who were beyond cruel, with his equally abused mother as the only person he could trust and love. How Happy survived what he did can only be called a miracle, but even the permanent damage he suffered does not stop him from embracing life once he finally gets away from his a**hole grandfather. Happy’s way of looking at the world is very different, and I loved how simple his thinking is. There is no hiding from the truth or trying to be politically correct, Happy has an innate sense of right and wrong that is enviable and he doesn’t let anyone tell him differently. He may be slower than some people but he does learn, and his inner compass will not steer him wrong. I loved following him through the first stirrings of romantic love, and watching him figure out what was going on, then opening up to Marc, was a real joy.

Marc is also pretty special. He is one of those men who look beyond the obvious, and his sense of who Happy is proves to be very accurate. He is also very sensitive to Happy’s needs, yet doesn’t treat him like a kid or like someone less mentally able. Marc is a good deputy, and once he has fallen for Happy (which is pretty much immediately upon meeting him). Marc is determined to do everything he can to make Happy even happier. He has a huge fight ahead of him, but Marc does not give up easily—or at all. I loved Marc’s ideas and way of showing Happy what he’s been missing, like introducing him to the farmers market or even strawberry milkshakes. Too cute!

If you like your romances on the sweet side and are willing to suffer with the main characters until they get there, if gentle giants and the men who love them are your thing, and if you’re looking for a read that is as sweet and hot as it is emotionally touching, then you will probably like this novel as much as I did.
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