construction worker – Pat Henshaw

A Handful of Joy

When does never turn into happily ever after in the search for love?

Top accountant of Manzanita Imports in Sacramento, Ted Abbott stopped participating in the love game after he turned thirty quite a few years ago. He’s not tempted by the cute young new hires or the product reps his loyal staff suggest he ask out on a date.

Chicago contractor Matt Patterson is on the verge of giving up too. He’s worked his way up from apprentice carpenter to co-owner of a thriving business. At forty-something, he’s considered a lucky catch for anybody looking for a sugar daddy, which he knows only too well.

The chance of them meeting is nil until Matt’s uncle who lived in Sacramento dies and leaves his estate to his nephew.

After they meet in a dilapidated bar called The Roost, could their paths actually merge and become one?

Published: December 1, 2021

Publisher: JMS Books (https://www.jms-books.com/)

Editors:

JM Snyder

Cover Artists:

Written Ink Designs

Genres:

contemporary, holiday, MM, romance

Tags:

accountant, construction worker, contemporary, family, gay romance, LGBTQ+, MM, Northern California, small town romance, uncle's will

Excerpt:

“Where to next?” I asked Matt after shooting off a text to Josie.

“Somewhere I can think.” He turned and looked at me. “Thank you for the assist back there. It takes me a minute when something unexpected happens. A lot of people call me slow and others call me plain old stupid.”

He shook his head.

“A few of my friends at work call me ‘Give-me-a-minute-Matt’. I gotta step back and assess the situation and go over all my options before I come to a decision.” His mouth turned up in a rueful grimace. “Often people get annoyed when I do it.”

Not me. I was impressed. I liked a guy who took his time and didn’t just blunder ahead like his first thought always had to be the best. Careful thought beat impetuous action as far as I was concerned.

“Okay. All right.” I couldn’t leave it at that, though. “You didn’t hesitate the other night. Seemed pretty quick and direct to me. I was surprised.”

It took him a second, but he smiled a dreamy kind of grin.

“Yeah. The dance. The kiss.” He winked at me. “Not typical, so don’t get used to it.”

While we laughed softly together, I realized the easing of tension after our visit to Calvin was just what we needed.

“So, beef, chicken, fish, or other?” I asked.

“I don’t care as long as it’s somewhere quiet and we can talk without getting interrupted.”

His request wasn’t as impossible as it sounded. I took him to my favorite noontime Sudoku and tea spot, a tiny café I’d dubbed The Café That Time Forgot.

When it was built six generations back, Grumpy Gramp’s had been situated on one of the up-and-coming arterials in and out of San Francisco. Then highways had been built, with freeways not long afterward, followed by Interstate 80. The arterial receded into being a rural road, and instead of blossoming into the first of a flourishing chain of roadside cafés, Grumps, as it was affectionately called around here, became an anomaly, a family owned and operated East Bay institution.

Matt glanced at the sign over the brick building and laughed.

“Why’s he grumpy?”

“The café’s claim to fame is locally sourced ingredients for its soups, salads, sandwiches, and pastries. The story goes that back in the early 1900s when Gramps built the café on the edge of the fields, he always helped the workers pick the produce. One day a farmer brought in a box of greens and vegetables he’d picked the night before, so they weren’t in the best shape in the morning. Grampa reamed him out, calling the guy a ‘limp asparagus’. Everyone in the café at the time thought it was hilarious. They said the place’s name should be changed. Gramma wasn’t amused but said from now on her café would be called Grumpy Grampa, not Limp Asparagus. The name stuck.”

Matt was full-out belly laughing.

“Oh, God. The image. Limp asparagus.”

“Yeah, I know. Not a place where any self-respecting man would want to eat. Ever.”

COLLAPSE

Reviews:True on Love Bytes wrote:

5*

Ted lived quite the happy life, working with enough time to regroup, chill over some beers, and charge his battery. Until his job changed and with that his whole life.

Meeting Matt at a bar was something else. Just like himself, Matt wasn’t a youngster. A thousand thoughts are running through Ted’s head, doubts, how to act, oh my, the difficulties of a single gay man’s life.

Matt inherit property from his uncle Tom, who was gay and banned from the family. His uncle’s lawyer gives useless advice from a horrible homophobic pov.

Ted and Matt take stock of all the inheritance. Matt wants to look at all the houses.

What follows is a marvelous journey, with depth, clarification, and beautiful people.

It’s a considerate story, it’s gentle, there are some sad moments, but Matt and Ted gently made things right for people who were wronged.

The way the author created an intimate atmosphere was awesome, looking around everything was perfectly visually portrayed. Matt and Ted just fit, the attraction was instant, they are mature, gentle, emotional, and very lovable.

It was a short read, about 70 pages, I’m in awe, the content felt like a novel.
All beautifully written, developed at the right moments, the story felt so warm and comfortable, it touched my heartstrings.

Susan on ButtonsMom LovestoRead wrote:

5*
A sweet story.

A Handful of Joy is the first book I’ve read by Pat Henshaw and I liked it very much. It’s a fairly short novella and I don’t judge them quite the same way I do a longer book because there just isn’t a lot of time for character development.

This is pretty much an insta-love story but I don’t mind those like some readers do. Both Ted and Matt are lonely and resigned to end up without a life partner as they are both over 30. They meet at a bar that Ted hasn’t been to in ages and Matt asks him to dance. (Later we learn that it’s not a gay bar and Matt was surprised the Ted didn’t deck him.) That dance begins their journey together with Matt telling Ted how he’s come to inherit property in the area and that he needs to settle his uncle’s estate.

I love the way these two interacted with each other. This isn’t a hot and heavy sex filled story. It’s really sweet with enough heat (off page) that you know the sexy time is good for them. I was captured by their story and was anxious to see how things turned out with all of the properties that Matt inherited.

There were just two minor things I would have liked to learn during the story: 1 – I really wanted to know if the uncle’s homophobic, thieving lawyer got what was coming to him and 2 – and what about the house that Matt and Ted never found when they went to look at the inherited properties? Neither of these missing elements were enough for me to drop a star from my rating. Like I said at the beginning, short books like these usually can’t contain all of the elements that a voracious reader like me wants to read. 😊

If you’ve read this far (thank you), I want to end on a totally positive note and express once again how much I enjoyed the first book I’ve read by Pat Henshaw.

A copy of this book was provided to me at my request but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com*** (posting on Dec. 12, 2021)

Red's Book Reviews on MM Romance Reviewed wrote:

5*

Ted is an accountant who after a long day decides to pop into a local bar for a beer and to recapture memories of better days. Instead he meets Matt, a construction worker who has recently inherited a bar. The story follows Matt and Ted over the next couple of months as they help each other and develop their relationship. I liked that this wasn’t a quick one weekend kind of story and that you got a bit more of their lives and a proper HEA at the end. A Handful of Joy is a really good short read.

Heather on MM Romance Reviewed wrote:

5*

A Handful of Joy is short, sweet and to the point, but it doesn't lack for anything because of that... Pat Henshaw is able to pack a complete tale into the seven chapters they provide. It's got a meet-cute, but not an insta-love story which for a short is pretty amazing! I love how the story flows and provides a satisfying HEA in so few words.

Foothills Pride Box Set

Part of the Foothills Pride series:

The tiny Sierra Nevada community of Stone Acres looks benign on the outside, but it’s been a hive of activity since gay men from Silicon Valley began moving in. The Old Town establishment is up in arms as newcomers challenge the conservative community to move into the new millennium. Along the way, gay couples find true love and a new home.

Contains the stories:

What’s in a Name?: When barista Jimmy is dumped and gets drunk on his 30th birthday, a handsome, hunky bartender takes care of him, but is mum about his real name. When Jimmy presses him, the bartender makes the quest a game, giving him seven guesses and promising romance each night. For every wrong guess, Jimmy has to forfeit a hot, sexy kiss. Sounds good, but what’s the catch?

Redesigning Max: Out and proud award-winning designer Fredi Zimmer takes on straight outdoorsman Max Greene’s cabin renovation. When he finds out Max is closeted and wants to come out, Fredi helps Max remodel not only his cabin but his life. Angered that Fredi has turned him, Max’s former friends intervene. Will Fredi and Max win the fight for their happiness?

Behr Facts: After CEO Abe Behr discovers discrepancies in his construction company accounts, he hires CPA Jeff Mason to help him find the embezzler. Searching for the culprit, they become closer, and Abe realizes he’s gay. However, coming out to a hostile family and community may break up the couple before they cement their happiness. With so much strife, will love prevail?

When Adam Fell: Jason’s drug addiction ripped them apart. Does Adam want to get back together now that his former lover says he’s clean?

Relative Best: When hotel owner Zeke Bandy meets Vic Longbow, he sees stars. But Vic is in town to attend a wedding and to open an office, not to fall in love. Are they doomed as lovers because they’re both too busy for happily ever after?

Frank at Heart: What will it take to make hardware store owner Frank update himself and his store? Could the new man in town be the key to unlock Frank’s life and future happiness?

Waking the Behr: Ladies’ man and small town contractor Ben Behr is blindsided by his lustful feelings for San Francisco entrepreneur Mitch O’Shea. Can a country mouse and a city mouse bridge the gap in their upbringing and expectations to find love?

Short Order: Amid the happiness of the Christmas season, horticulturist Fen Miller and his landlord sous chef John Barton have some serious decisions to make. Fen must decide on a career and John on eluding his grim past. Together can they support each other enough to discover their happily ever after?

Published: July 31, 2021

Publisher: JMS Books (https://www.jms-books.com/)

Editors:

JM Snyder

Cover Artists:

Written Ink Designs

Genres:

contemporary, MM, romance

Excerpt:

EXCERPT FROM "What's in a Name?"

Slowly I sat up and then stood. My knees protested, so I sat back down and then tried again. This time my knees cooperated.

COLLAPSE

The Orpheum Miracle

Part of the Holiday Stories series:

Christmas joy is a matter of perspective. For some, it’s the happiest time of the year. For others, not so much.

Twenty-nine-year-old Mick, the son of crack addicts, isn’t exactly a dyed-in-the-wool Scrooge. Mick’s been on his own from childhood. As a teen, he lived in a shelter, where for a short time he had a boyfriend. After the boyfriend left, Mick moved to the Orpheum Theater. While squatting there and taking care of the grand old building, Mick watched others celebrate the holidays from a distance, never able to share in their merriment. Only his

Technicolor dreams liven his dull, mechanical life until one day the world around him begins to change. Mick is surprised when a man named Jim buys the vintage Orpheum and plans to restore it. Something about Jim makes Mick think they’ve met before. In fact, Jim rekindles Mick’s longing for a better life and a little holiday magic for himself.

Published: December 23, 2020

Publisher: JMS Books (https://www.jms-books.com/)

Editors:

JM Snyder

Cover Artists:

Written Ink Designs

Genres:

contemporary, holiday, MM, romance

Tags:

construction worker, contemporary, daydream, entrepreneur, gay romance, homeless, LGBTQ+, MM, movie theater, nightmare, non-series title, second chance, second chance at love, second chance love

Excerpt:

In early November, a new banner across the Orpheum Theater went up saying: Welcome to Christmas, the happiest time of the year. Coming soon.

Far as I could tell, Christmas was when children danced around like clowns on crack. Besotted parents cavorted around them like ninnies in the stupid race. And the rest of us stood back waiting for the inevitable explosion.

Despite how it started, Christmas had been morphed by the rich into a season of greed. It had nothing to do with whether a kid was good or bad, but how much money his folks had. Take the kids I knew down at the shelter. Shit, they could be as good as little angels, and the best they’d ever get was someone’s cast-off pity, which wasn’t going to do them a damned bit of good when the holiday parade of who-got-what started at school.

All Christmas did, as far as I was concerned, was make poor kids feel worse and rich kids feel more powerful and more ready to rub everyone else’s nose in their misfortune. And we all knew, where you started was pretty much where you ended up in life. The Christmas miracle was a lie that should have been shot in the head and buried eons ago.

Fortunately, here in the bowels of the old Orpheum Theater, the only Christmas merry-makers left were ghosts of vaudevillians, chorus girls, corrupt managers, and the live help. Those of us who weren’t going from office party to cocktail land were left here to sweep the floors, squeegee jizz off bathroom walls, pry gum from under seats, and oust anything that moves after the doors were closed and locked.

I’ve been called cynical, a Scrooge, a vulture perched and ready to rip the eyes out of the season. It wasn’t true. I was as big a sap as the next guy.

I was still working here at the Orpheum, wasn’t I?

Even after the new guy, a hotshot investor type, bought the building and threatened to give the Orpheum the Wonderful Life makeover, I was still here. The stately Orpheum might be closed to the public for renovation, but as the longest paid employee, I was one of the lucky bastards kept on during the project.

(After the new manager comes in, and our narrator Mick gets a promotion….)

That night, after we piloted the last cleaner on his way out the door and I lagged behind the rest of the regular staff as they got out of there, I sat in the dark, the theater locked, the alarm on, and the heat turned down to its slumber setting.

For the past few years now, I’d sit like this, middle of the center row, shoes off, three pairs of socks, blanket bundled around me, feet and legs over the seat back in front of me. Sometimes I ate the leftover popcorn, sometimes not. I didn’t ever steal, so no candy, hot dogs, chips, or anything I wasn’t entitled to.

I’d sit, relax, and run my own movie, my mind movie. Sometimes it was a romance, with me meeting the perfect guy. Usually, he was walking by the Orpheum and a heavy rainstorm or windstorm blew in and he had to get out of the elements. Sometimes he’d run into me as I was cleaning up the lobby, maybe spilling some popcorn he’d just bought.

“Damn. Sorry,” he’d say.

Our eyes would meet, and that’s all she wrote.

(After Mick reminisces about his one, true love….)

So back in the Orpheum at bedtime, romances were my all-time favorite dream fare. My second favorites were homemade domestic comedies. Me, the dad of a brood of spritely boys, and husband to a goofy, well-meaning guy, whose day job working in an office was driving him nuts. We’d take the boys on camping trips and tell stories around the fire. We’d teach them all the stuff we’d learned as we grew up.

My husband, who grew up in a white-picket-fence-type family, would give them tips about being good, upright citizens. I’d pass along all my street lore. Where to find food that isn’t too tainted, where to find shelter, who to trust—no one—who to stay away from—everyone. My husband would tell them about fairy-tale hopes and dreams, about Christmas. I’d ground them with a reality where hopes and dreams only happened on film. Our lives would be paradise.

I liked watching my homemade DIY romances and domestic comedies. I could fall sound asleep, only getting up a couple of times to stretch my legs and take a piss. On those nights, I’d wake up rested, ready to meet the day, hardly missing breakfast or a real meal. Over the years, Randy, like some of my wilder hopes and dreams, faded. I wished I could remember what his face looked like, but after all this time, it was just a hazy blur, never coming into focus. No matter. My hero wasn’t so much a face as the feeling of being protected and happy.

COLLAPSE

Reviews:Dan on LoveBytes wrote:

I really liked this one. It tugged at the heartstrings in places. Especially one section.

“You forgot that not everyone was a child of kindness and wealth?

You forgot that Christmas is just a season of too much buying and too little love?

You forgot that some of us aren’t worthy of love?

You forgot that a child’s wonder doesn’t get to happen to every child, just select ones?”

Don’t those lines just make you put it in perspective? The M/C of this story is a young man who grew up hard. His mother was a crack addict and his father was gone. He grew up in a crack house, where I think bad things happened. It kind of referenced them in an aside, so I’m not sure, but regardless, he ended up in a shelter as a teen living on the street. He had a boyfriend for a short time, but the boy disappeared and no one ever knew where he went. He was rumored to be dead.

Since then his life hasn’t improved much. He is still homeless, but now lives in the theater he works in. It is a secret, but there is a new owner, who might not be as understanding.

This is nice little story. I really liked it and I would highly recommend it!

A. M. Liebowitz on A. M. Liebowitz wrote:

If you’re looking for a little sweet, gentle holiday read, this is a good choice. It’s warm-hearted and has the overall feel of taking a big bite out of a delicious holiday sugar cookie.

Mick, the homeless jack-of-all-trades employee (and resident) of the Orpheum Theater doesn’t believe in Christmas cheer. He hasn’t had a lot of reason to. But he’s still a dreamer, and somehow he manages to keep his hope alive even with all he’s been through. I liked Mick very much as a narrator. Right away, he had me hoping right a long with him. I loved his “mental movies” where he gets to be the star.

This is very short, easy to read in just about the length of time it takes to enjoy a good cup of mulled cider. There isn’t much I can say without spoiling the story and the delightful surprises along the way. Is it a little bit tidy and improbable? Sure. Some readers might find the coincidences a little too handy or the middle a bit too short to feel fully satisfying. But isn’t that exactly what makes holiday magic fun? We don’t need the same level of having things drawn-out as in a full novel.

It’s everything I’ve come to expect (and appreciate) about Pat Henshaw’s writing: heartwarming, funny, and doesn’t rely on sensuality to carry the plot. This is a great cozy fireside read. It’s also a terrific introduction to the author’s style for new readers.

For a lot of sweetness, a delightful main character, and a cup of holiday cheer, this gets 9/10 fountain pens.

Prime on MM Good Book Reviews wrote:

I really have become a true fan of Pat Henshaw’s work since getting into the Foothills Pride series. The Orpheum Miracle is Pat’s offering this year to Dreamspinner Press’s Christmas themed stories.

This is a really sweet and uplifting story, which reminded me a bit Oliver Twist or A Christmas Carol when it comes to basing the entire thing around Christmas and orphans. Mick is the character narrating our story. He lived in a kid’s home most of his life, never adopted and all he really has is his job managing the Orpheum Theatre. He really has only connected with one person in his life, but that was back in his teens and that kid had disappeared from his life when the kid got adopted.

Things change one Christmas, a time of year he has never got to love, when he meets the new owner of the theatre, Jim. Jim is a bit mysterious, but you’ll figure out the ending before you get there probably. Nonetheless, the romance that begins to develop between the MCs is sweet and I totally loved it!

Molly on MollyLolly wrote:

This was a sweet holiday short. I liked Mick and his boss together. It was obvious at first who he was. But the reveal was still sweet and nice to read. I liked getting to see Mick transforming from someone that dislikes the season to someone that loves it. That slow melting of his opinion is wonderful. There was just enough story here you could get a sense of Mick and get invested in his happy ending. Mick and his guy are wonderful together and you can tell they’re going to make a go of a relationship. I do have faith they’ll go the distance based on how they met. I would adore a sequel. Maybe next holiday we can see them a few years from now with the theater a huge success and they share holiday joy with everyone? I’d read the heck out of it if no matter what it was about.

Waking the Behr

Part of the Foothills Pride series:

When he sees entrepreneur Mitch O’Shea whirling around an empty building, contractor Ben Behr is enchanted. Even though his two brothers are gay, Ben always thought he was a ladies’ man until he met Mitch.

Despite his feelings, Ben knows San Francisco native Mitch is totally out of his league. What could Ben possibly do to get out-and-proud Mitch to notice him?

Turns out Mitch is just as attracted to Ben. As they compete in car rallies, camp in the Sierra Navada foothills, and tour the bars Mitch owns in the city, they realize how stifled they’ve been their entire lives.

Maybe looking over the fence and jumping it to explore what’s on the other side are good ideas. When these two seemingly opposites get together, will Ben and Mitch find out they have the world at their feet and might even have love in their hearts?

Published: October 7, 2020

Publisher: JMS Books (https://www.jms-books.com/)

Cover Artists:

Written Ink Designs

Genres:

contemporary, MM, romance

Tags:

construction worker, contemporary, entrepreneur, Foothills Pride series, gay romance, MM, novella, San Francisco, Sierra Nevada foothills

Excerpt:

Contractor Ben runs into his brother Con while out to lunch with client Mitch. Ben, who thinks of himself as a ladies’ man, is trying to come to terms with his sudden attraction to Mitch. Rita is Mitch’s car.

My gut screamed that Con was encroaching, which was really weird. It wasn’t like I had any real designs on Mitch. I mean, I’m straight, even though I was between women and didn’t really feel like hunting down another one at the moment.

So what if I was attracted to Mitch? He was a good-looking guy. I had a lot of good-looking friends.

True, none of them made me want to run my hands all over them, though. Which was beside the point, right?

“So you’re here for lunch?” Con asked Mitch.

I nodded, but Con didn’t acknowledge me.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked, staring at Mitch.

Couldn’t he tell he was the third wheel at this party?

I shrugged, and Mitch nodded. I had no clue what the nod meant.

Lorraine, the Bottom’s co-owner, latched on to us near the hostess stand, scooped up three menus, and said over her shoulder, “Right this way.”

Connor was having lunch with us, then.

“Let me give you a quick overview about the roadhouse, Mitch. Then you’ll have some basic info to think about. Okay?” This was a working lunch, right? So I’d best be acting businesslike.

Mitch nodded, and Con, fortunately, figured out what was going on and shut the fuck up.

After we ordered, I walked Mitch through the building’s long list of minuses and its one plus—it was a sturdy old bugger. He told me he’d get back to me about what he was going to do. I had a feeling he’d already decided and was going to call the Realtor to make an offer once we were back in town. You don’t often find guys dancing around like crazy idiots who don’t already have their minds made up.

As we ate, I watched Mitch and Con chat. I sat there and mentally took notes on how gay guys flirt. If nothing else, I guess I could chalk lunch up as a learning experience.

Right before we got dessert, Mitch asked Con what guys did around here for fun. Nobody mentioned the missing “gay” before the word “guys,” but we all knew it was there.

Con told him about Stonewall Saloon with its gay owner and bartender as well as a couple of clubs in a fifty-mile radius.

I thought they’d be off on another of their shared experiences discussions, but Mitch surprised the crap out of me by asking what I did for fun. I’d given up on learning how to flirt with a man and had switched to thinking about Rita and the drive up here, as well as the rest of my stops for the day. I was buried so deep in thought I had to ask him to repeat his question.

“Me? What I do for fun?”

Yup, I sounded like I was loose a screw or two.

Mitch smiled as if he found my reaction funny.

“Uh, well, Con already told you about Stonewall. It’s not just a gay bar but more of an everybody bar.” I scratched my head as I thought. “Well, except women. Not a whole lot of them there. You have to go….”

Yeah, right. Like Mitch was interested in where to go to pick up girls. Con was staring at me with a puzzled frown.

“Uh, well, anyway. Um, I’m mostly a country boy. Even more than my brothers.” I shifted in my chair. My hands and feet felt too big and too in the way. “I like stuff like fishing, hunting, camping—stuff like that.”

Mitch had brightened at my list and seemed to be sitting a little closer to me, maybe even leaning in a little .

“You like to go camping?” He made it sound like a special treat to sleep outdoors. “How about canoeing or kayaking or rafting? Do you like those too?”

“Are you kidding?” Con asked and snorted. “If you can do it outside, Ben’s your man. He’s done all of it . And actually liked it. Right, Ben?”

I nodded even though my face was getting hot. I didn’t know why I was blushing. I did like to do all of that, as well as skiing, motocross, swimming, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Only outdoor activities I wasn’t partial to were birdwatching or counting wildlife. Those I left to people who didn’t like to get dirty.

“Are you any good, Ben?”

Mitch’s curiosity seemed odd. What the hell did he care? It wasn’t like we were going to bond or anything over any of it.

Con butted in before I could answer. “I hate the outdoors, but if I had to go, I can’t think of a better person to be with.” Con’s compliment took me by surprise. “Ben knows the area around here like the back of his hand. He should take you out sometime. Then you’d see what I mean.”

He stopped and shot me a fucking “got you” grin. But he wasn’t finished.

“You know, if you’re going to be here this weekend, there’s a rally on Saturday. You could go along as Ben’s navigator.” He turned to me with a twinkle in his eyes. “I’m sorry, bro, I can’t do it. I promised both Monique’s and the Bottom extra desserts ’cuz this weekend’s supposed to be so busy for them.”

Con’s smirk said “you can thank me later” even though he knew I probably wouldn’t be in the thanking mood.

Mitch brightened and turned to me.

“What’s a rally?”

With a quick glare at Con, I explained it was a car competition of sorts. A race that wasn’t a race, exactly.

In the back of my mind, I tried to figure out what Con was doing. He acted like he was setting me up on a date, but that couldn’t be right. Could it?

Mitch stared at me for a few seconds, then at Con.

“You know, I think I’d like to go with you, Ben. I’d like that a lot.” Finally he settled his gaze on me and grinned. “You’ve got a date.”

Now I felt like I must be brick red, and my ability to speak had left the building. What the fuck had just happened?

COLLAPSE

Reviews:Kenna on Joyfully Jay wrote:

I am going to recommend this one, especially to fans of OFY and opposites finding each other.

Jenn on Diverse Reader wrote:

This is a short read and is book 7 in a series, but can be read as a stand-alone. I liked this book, I liked seeing these two guys find their way to an HEA. Mitch and Ben are a great quick read with some laughs and love!

MelanieM on Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words wrote:

When they share their lives and grow closer, they start to question the way they’ve always defined themselves. Then they kiss and fling open the door to love. Now they must step up and travel the road that may lead to happily ever after—even if that path isn’t one they ever expected to walk.

Waking the Behr is another cute story in The Foothills Pride series by Pat Henshaw.

Both characters come across as intelligent, warm hearted and loving. I enjoyed their dance towards romance and a HEA. I also love that we get to see other characters from previous stories play minor roles here. It’s nice to see them again.

Prime on MM Good Book Reviews wrote:

I have absolutely loved this series – I love the writing, the plot lines and most importantly the characters. Waking the Behr is no exception.

If you’ve read the previous books of the Foothills Pride series, you’ll know what type of story to expect. This is a really sweet book. The characters have sizzling hot attraction and I love how they both develop as I got to know them. I feel that I really got to know them and that of course made it so easy to relate to the guys.

Behr Facts

Part of the Foothills Pride series:

Big, burly CEO Abe Behr is furious to discover someone—probably a relative—is embezzling from Behr Construction, a family-run business in the Sierra Nevada foothills outside Lake Tahoe.

To confirm his suspicions, Abe takes the unprecedented step of hiring a non-family accountant, handsome Jeff Mason, to go over the books and help find the culprit. As they talk to Behr relatives and visit construction sites, Abe and Jeff are drawn to each other, bringing out new, softer emotions in workaholic Abe.

Since he has sacrificed romance all his life to build the construction business, Abe’s surprised by his feelings for the handsome Jeff. He’s even more shocked when they come face to face with homophobia in the small foothills community where generations of Behrs have called home. Abe had always thought Stone Acres was a live-and-let-live kind of town.

As he and Jeff get closer, he finds out how wrong he is when he comes out to both family and a community who think he’s making a big mistake. Will being the head of a large, powerful family and a pillar of the community be enough to win Abe his happily ever after with Jeff?

Published: August 8, 2020

Publisher: JMS Books (https://www.jms-books.com/)

Cover Artists:

Written Ink Designs

Genres:

contemporary, MM, romance

Tags:

accountant, construction worker, contemporary, embezzlement, Foothills Pride series, gay romance, MM, novella, Sierra Nevada foothills

Excerpt:

Abe and Jeff are having dinner at a café:

“You ever come up the bank to sit under my tree? Looks like a much more comfortable place to fish. Not as rocky at any rate.” Jeff took a drink of his beer as I again scrambled to keep up. “My dad called it the Fishing Tree. He seemed to think fish congregated off the shore there.”

We sat in silence. It was my turn to talk. I’m pretty good in business situations. Not so much in social ones. At social events, mostly I hold up walls. Shake hands. Grunt a lot. Let others carry the conversational load.

Lorraine set our meals in front of us. The full burger with everything for him. The grilled mountain trout and steamed vegetables for me.

“You do a lot of fishing?” I managed after a long silence.

“Not really.” He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “My dad said fishing couldn’t be taught. He said it was something intuitive. I never had any idea what I was doing. So I never saw any use in fishing. I never saw any fish either.”

Again, silence as I processed and caught up. “It’s not rocket science. You figure out what kind of fish you want. Where it lives. Lure it to you. Then catch it.”

He looked skeptical and almost self-conscious. “It can’t be so easy,” he said with a little laugh.

“Why not?”

“What about the different rods, lures, tackle, stuff?” He looked so serious, as if I were missing the point. As if I didn’t understand. He was right. I didn’t.

“Look. You can catch fish with your bare hands. If you want to. The extra stuff is just extra stuff.”

“If you say so.” He shook his head, a smile still on his lips. “Have you ever caught a fish with your bare hands?”

I lifted my hands and looked down at the mess that were my paws. Calluses, nicks, cuts, punctures, blunt fingers, the bandage now off the one with the splinter. These were the hands of a man who’d framed houses as a tall, rangy preteen and had lived in construction ever since. Could I catch a fish with my bare hands?

“Yeah. All it takes is absolute stillness and patience.” I sighed. “Not a whole lot of people have both together. Somebody once told me it’s all about Zen.” Somebody else said the only reason I could do it was because I was too stupid to know it was impossible.

“Zen.” His tone said he was surprised I knew such a word.

“You know, like the Eastern religion,” I answered. “Though why we still call it Eastern is beyond me. It’s really Far West, not Far East to us.” I was grumbling and rambling. Avoiding for some reason.

He rattled me. Nobody ever rattled me. I’m Abe Behr, the big Behr.

He was studying me as intently as I was him. He appeared too beautiful, too perfect, too unscarred. I just hoped his accountant skills were as perfect as he looked.

“What kind of fish you want to catch?” I asked. Staring at him wasted our time.

He pointed his fork to my plate. “How about that? It’s good, right?”

“Trout,” I agreed. “Lots of different kinds of trout.”

He looked like he’d never eaten any in his life.

“This is trout from our lake. Have a bite.”

He’d finished his burger but didn’t make a move on my fish. His expression was split between wanting to dig in and reluctance to do so.

“Just taste it,” I growled. “It won’t bite.”

His eyes snapped up to meet mine. His puzzled stare asked if the stupid bear had deliberately made a joke or not. Then he gave a happy, hearty laugh, and his fork raided my fish.

“So? What do you think?” I asked after he swallowed.

“I think you made a great joke,” he said with twinkling eyes. “And the trout is delicious. Is this why you threw your catch back? Did you know you’d get it cooked perfectly here at the cafe?”

“Naw. I was stalking the pie. Fish was a bonus.”

“They have good pie here?”

“Wait and see.”

COLLAPSE

Reviews:Dan on Love Bytes wrote:

Ok, let’s start with my ONLY real complaint about this book…it just wasn’t long enough damn it! I really liked the story in this book and wanted it to keep going for at least another hundred pages! Honestly I really liked what there was of the story, but I will detail below where I thought there could have been more.

In Behr Facts we return to the same community in which the previous two books in the Foothills Pride were set. I think the name of the town is Stone Acres if I remember correctly, but honestly the town name doesn’t matter as much as the characters. Ms. Henshaw does a good job of painting her character canvas without going into too fine a detail. We aren’t dragged through pages upon pages of descriptions, and frankly I find that refreshing. You get a good idea of who everyone is, roughly what they look like, and that is it. The rest is up to your imagination.

What we do get to know is the story of Behr Construction and its CEO, Abe Behr. Abe has discovered that someone (probably a family member since most of the employees are extended family) has been stealing from the company. The cost overruns on every job are through the roof and there isn’t any explanation of why. Deciding to get to the bottom of the mystery, Abe hires an accountant named Jeff Mason. Jeff is from a family that the three Behr brothers have heard about all their lives. Something to do with a house, and the owner refusing to sell it to their father, which in turn caused everything bad that occurred since then to happen. Obviously they know that isn’t true, but he is a MASON!

Jeff is a well educated and nice to look at CPA that doesn’t even own a pocket protector! He can help with the Behr Construction cash flow mystery. Abe and Jeff start hanging out, fishing, going out to dinner, and working together every day. Abe has always thought he was asexual. So why is he noticing the way Jeff smells? And why is he liking the smell…..?

A couple things which were a bit vague in the book because of its length could have been expanded into more detail and might have made it a better read. For example we learn there is growing homophobia in the town, but it is vaguely attributed to the town minister and we don’t really find out much further, except for the culprits behind some spray painting. The overall homophobia wasn’t really addressed again. Another thing is that there are no actual sex scenes in the book, as with the previous books in the series. Sex is implied, but takes place off screen. In my opinion, that didn’t hurt the story of this book, but as with her previous books, I would have to say a little detail would be good. One final comment needs to be made about the cover. The bear on the cover looks to be close to my age and build, I’d say late 40’s at least and no where near the 32 year old big burly bear described in the book. I know sometimes authors don’t get a lot of choice, but that guy just doesn’t fit.

I recommend this installment in the series. In my opinion, it might be the best of the three so far. If you haven’t read the other books in the series, don’t worry, this could be read as a standalone. I would recommend though that you get all three and read them all. As for me, I’ll be keeping my eye on Ms. Henshaw’s Facebook page to be ready when she gives us hints on the next one in the series! Ok, I know I’m greedy. This review is posting on the release date of this book, and I already want the next one! Please Ms. Henshaw, try to make it a little longer!

Melanie M on Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words wrote:

Pat Henshaw takes us back to her Foothills couples and increasingly integrated community with her latest release, Behr Facts. With Behr Facts (Foothills Pride #3) by Pat Henshaw, another terrific story, this marvelous series just added another wonderful layer of depth, community and love. All in 92 pages.

Pat Henshaw took the fact of gay flight during the recession from the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento into the Sierra Foothills and created this series. As noted in the author’s forward that’s how FLAG (Foothills Lesbians and Gays) was formed. As with any influx of newcomers into a old established and conservative community, integration does not always go smoothly. And each book has dealt with not only a couple finding their way to each other and their place in the new FLAG community being established but the reactions, both good and bad from those already in place.

Each story has also served as an introduction to the next couple and story in the series so in Redesigning Max (Foothills Pride, #2), we got our first glimpse of Abe Behr, CEO of Behr Construction, a family owned business having its own problems as well as CPA Jeff Mason. The second story gave us just enough of a taste that we knew we had to know more…of Abe and Jeff. What Pat delivered was touching, wonderful, moving and felt so right that 92 pages just wasn’t enough.

The characters of Abe and Jeff were just so right, Henshaw gave them just the normal amount of flaws, human imperfections and endearing traits that you just loved these men, together and apart. Abe who has pushed his sexuality into the closet to be what he thought the family needed him to be. Henshaw was able to convey the quiet pain that Abe carried with him at all times making us hurt for him. She also managed to show the layers to Jeff without lengthy descriptions. We wanted this couple to succeed from the very beginning.

Their romance? Ah, that was conducted with a warmth, and affection and so much heart that I wanted to be sitting under that tree with them, listening to their conversations, watching them grow close together. How did the author manage to make that happen in such a short time and still let it feel so real?

The drama that swirled around Abe, his extended family and the financial disaster in the making at the construction company also felt authentic and believable. I just wish the author had given herself and the couple more time to work things through as throughly as you would expect Abe and Jeff to be in their business affairs. The backlash and the hate? Unfortunately, that was all too real as well.

Had this been a longer story, a little more filled out, than this might have been close to perfect rating. As it is, I loved this story. The series too and I can’ t wait for more. The Foothills Pride series is a gem and should be on all lovers of contemporary romance. I highly recommend this and all the stories in the series