Review: Cherry Pop by Samantha Kane

30 May of 2016 by ButtonsMom2003

Reviewer's Rating: 5

5.0Overall score

I want more stories for this series!!

Cherry Pop By Samantha Kane

Contemporary Romance / GLBTQ / MM

Released April 19, 2016

SK Publishing LLC

Series: Mercury Rising, Book 3

Synopsis

Ben Heston followed his job from California to Mercury, North Carolina after his boss fell head over heels, crazy in love. Ben welcomes the change at first, still reeling from a bad breakup. The move is meant to be temporary. That is, until he meets Tripp Lanier.

Tripp was born and raised in Mercury. His family owns a local construction business and he’s next in line to take over. But as much as he loves his family and his job and his little hometown, there’s something missing in his life. When he meets Ben, he realizes what that something is.

Tripp is ready to embrace his newfound sexuality with the object of his desire. Ben, not so much, because he doesn’t believe Tripp is really gay. But Ben can’t resist the chemistry that explodes between them whenever they’re near.

Ben begins to love all the things Tripp loves about Mercury: night trains and tall trees, family, friends and sweet Cherry pop. Just when Ben begins to think he might be Tripp’s Mr. Right his past comes calling and old hurts and new fears might be the one thing that could keep them apart.

Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

I want more stories for this series!!

I am a huge fan of books by Samantha Kane. I’ve read nearly everything she’s had published. Her characters are fascinating and her storytelling is superb. She makes me wish that her fictional towns and characters were real.Cherry Pop is the third story in the Mercury Rising series. It’s a standalone book but you might enjoy it a little more if you read books one and two first. Characters from those books also make an appearance in this one.

Ben and Tripp hit it off as friends but there’s a spark that bothers Ben. He knows that Tripp is straight but he just can’t seem to help being attracted to him. Ben forces himself to treat Tripp as just a friend even when Tripp seems to be openly flirting with him.

Tripp has never had feelings for a guy before but the things he feels around Ben are different from anything he’s ever felt for a woman. There’s just one problem – Ben won’t acknowledge Tripp’s feelings or admit that he feels something for Tripp; he thinks that Tripp is just playing at being gay. Ben doesn’t want to be an experiment for Tripp.

I loved the first two books in this series but this one is my favorite. There are a lot of humorous passages in this story which is something I don’t remember in other books by Samantha Kane. The added humor is fantastic and just right to help balance out the more serious aspects of Ben and Tripp’s relationship.

This story had me laughing out loud in places to the point that my husband asked me to read to him so he could know what was so funny.

(These quotes are probably funnier when read in context with the rest of the book.)
This takes place in Wren’s diner.

“Trey Barlow is here and Tripp Lanier is pitching a gay hissy fit at Wren’s.”
Tripp turned and laid his forehead on the table.
“Now look what you’ve gone and done,” Luke said angrily. “All this gay ain’t good for him. You can’t sling a cat without hitting one of you around here.”
Tripp heard a chair being dragged over to the table and then Trey said, “Oh, are you gay too?” in a flirtatious voice.
“I sure as hell ain’t,” Luke said. “You just keep your gay over there.”

A discussion between Tripp and his dad while driving in a car:

“You and Ben. The gay thing. What’s wrong. You name it,” his dad said, as if they were discussing the weather. “You scared to have gay sex?”
Tripp choked and felt his cheeks grow so hot they must be fire engine red. “No,” he said in a strangled voice.
“I’ve been reading up on anal sex,” he went on. “There are some guidelines to making it good, apparently. You need advice, just ask me.”
“I would like to never hear you say the words ‘anal sex’ again,” Tripp said, feeling a little sick. “Could you promise that, please?”
“Just trying to be supportive,” his dad said, sounding a little hurt. “I figured we never really had the sex talk about girls, so maybe we ought to have one about boys.”
“Oh God, make it stop,” Tripp begged.

In addition to the humor, Cherry Pop is also a very touching story about Ben, whose first relationship was a disaster, and about Tripp who has never had a serious relationship at all. Tripp just knows that he wants Ben and has a hard time understanding why Ben keeps pushing him away.

I sure hope Ms. Kane has additional stories coming in this series. She has created a wonderful town in North Carolina, with wonderful characters, and I want to visit there again and again.