I have received this book as an arc. It was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

when I requested this book as an arc, I was really looking forward to reading it, because of my previous experiences with this author. And she did not disappoint.

I loved reading this book. It was an interesting and good read from start to finish. It kept my interest and it moved me.

I would certainly recommend reading this book.

This one just didn't work for me sadly.
Sometimes the UK writing and words work for me and sometimes they just don't. '
this one was in the don't pile.

Thank you Riptide,

Devan has gone to find someone he has been searching for all his life, and along the way he gets side tracked by Kyle, who is in Porthkennack to escape his diagnosis of narcolepsy. When an emergency with Devan sister call him back home Kyle steps up to the plate and helps Dev in a way he didn't expect. What Devan sees though is someone who he isn't worthy of, will this cost Dev and Kyle their happy ever after or will they be able to work around it.

Devan and Kyle both had some idealistic idea about each of their issues, while Kyle felt that naraclepsy kept him from doing anything ever again. Devan believed that walking upto a strangers door and saying hi was the way to introduce himself to family that might not even know about him.

While each had their flaws they were able to bring out the best in each other. A good book with a good storyline and characters.

A fantastic start to a new series. Loved the damaged characters and setting. Can't wait for more of these! And interested to see that some are historical!

Great story. And I learned so much about narcolepsy that I would never have considered before. Loved it!

Reviews shared on Goodreads, Amazon, B & N and V's Reads: http://wp.me/p3AKEA-2dp

Devan Thompson is a 24 y/o mechanic who desperately wants to know who his family was. He was given up for adoption, but the family who took him disintegrated when he was young and he was shuffled from placement to placement and group home to group home until he aged out of the system. He recently learned that his birth mother is alive and part of a prominent family in Porthkennack, a seaside town on England's Atlantic coast, so he's come on an extended holiday to attempt to meet her in person, now that his attempts to reach her via email have been ignored.

While getting up his courage, and staking out the lay of the land in Porthkennack, Dev meets Kyle, when it seems he's collapsed due to heavy drinking at eleven in the morning. That's what a local girl says, anyway, as the townies see, Kyle, the strange new resident, as a lewd mystery. Dev didn't smell any alcohol though, and some of his "caregivers" were chronic alcoholics, so he's familiar with the signs. Digging deeper, Dev learns that Kyle was diagnosed with narcolepsy and cataplexy, and he is often struck by attacks of either quite suddenly. He retired from his job as a barrister, fearing that he'd have an attack while in court, and not being able to control his situation left him bitter and frustrated. Kyle's unsure what Devan might want with a surly, broken man like himself, and isn't excited to even begin a friendship. But, Devan also knows people, not just cars, and he's got precious little else to do. Reuniting with his mum seems as exercise in failure, and he's glad to have Kyle's shoulder to cry on when it gets ugly.

I liked this textured and layered story of two isolated men building a connection that makes them both whole. Devan's sweet and faithful attitude is a balm to Kyle's wounded heart. Kyle has worked his whole life for a career that now seems moot--and he laments giving up on so many opportunities to have a richer life for studies that haven't borne fruit. Kyle has a lot of resentment about his disability, but Dev hardly finds it a challenge; he's searching out ways to accommodate Kyle's attacks and Kyle's touched that this stranger is more compassionate and conscientious than his former lover of several years. Meanwhile, Dev's always lamented his lack of family. He's desired the connections all his friends have--someplace to go come Christmas, and people who build a life around knowing you. His dreams are realized in Porthkennack, but not in the way he anticipated. This is a sweet and tender romance, with some steam, but it's also an interesting story that educated me regarding new disabilities and the insensitivity some have towards afflicted persons.

Dev has come from London to the Cornish seaside town of Porthkennack hoping for answers to his unknown origins. Kyle has retreated there from a high-profile job as a barrister because of a disabling health condition. They have little in common, but the connection between them is strong.

This is a very atmospheric book with interesting characters and a lot of fascinating stuff going on. Especially with Kyle's illness - I never even knew that was a thing! I always like J L Merrow and this was certainly no exception. Great sense of place, good development of the romance between the characters who both face real challenges.

I think I've soured a bit towards dialect in books. It has the possibility of distracting more than authenticating and for me, this is what happened in Wake Up Call. I found myself having to read sections over because I wasn't quite sure what was being said. I'm definitely not saying that books have to be written in an "American" way...I REALLY AM NOT. I'm just saying that for me, the dialect proved difficult to get the hang of.

After reading Joanna Chambers' "The Gathering Storm", I fell in love with the world of Porthkennack and Merrow's book only added to this. Overall, I felt like I could have really really liked this book.

But, again...that dialect...so I just only sorta kinda liked it.

Set in an attractive seaside village in Cornwall, this first book in a new series introduced us to Dev and Kyle, two young men who are about to wake up and realise that they can overcome the difficulties and disadvantage in their lives.

Dev has come to Porthkennack to confront his past. He is holidaying on his own but manages to befriend some of the locals including Kyle a young man whose life has been derailed by a health condition. The two men have little in common. Dev is mechanic who was brought up in foster care from a young age. Kyle is a barrister who was brought up in a stable loving home. Kyle is running away and hiding but Dev is seeking truths from his past.

When the two men meet Dev shows Kyle compassion and despite Kyle's reluctance a holiday lovers relationship quickly starts but as the two men become closer the relationship blossoms into something deeper and more solid and each man has to decide a path for the future.

The story is a pleasant enough read with a nice British feel to it. The setting is excellent. JL Merrow has a way of setting her stories in places that make you want to visit and this one, although an imaginary place, made me want to put Porthkennack on my own list of places to visit.

The romance between the two men develops quite slowly, from strangers, to friends and then lovers. This takes place against the backdrop of the challenges both men face but as they become closer they each help the other wake up to the possibilities of life even in the face of difficulty.

It is a lovely story, well written and engaging but one that is a bit too slow in places. An ok start for a new series.

Copy provided by Riptide Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Oh, the 'British' is strong with this one. That's not a bad thing, but it's worth mentioning, mainly because the dialect takes a little getting used to - at least it did for me.

I like learning about new locations, even if they're totally fictional. I also like getting to know characters dealing with things that I know little or nothing about. Of course I'd heard of narcolepsy, but I've never met or read about a character who dealt with it. Kyle was dealing with his diagnosis the only way he knew how, by shutting himself off from everyone. Not exactly healthy, but in his mind he had lost everything important to him. His former partner didn't do anything to sway that opinion.

I have to admit, that Devan was my favorite between the two characters. Kyle eventually grew on me, but I liked Devan from the very beginning. The supporting characters were pretty great too, once readers got to know them better. Porthkennack may have been a tourist town, but some local residents weren't exactly welcoming.

As much as I liked the story and the characters, except for the ones that I didn't like at all (there were quite a few that were really easy to dislike) there were a few things about Wake Up Call that drove me nuts. One, maybe even two, misunderstanding are acceptable. Between Kyle and Devan though, it seemed like every other situation put them in another moment of doubt. There were times that I wanted to drag back the one (because both of them were guilty) that ran off in a huff and make them really listen to the other. This happened from the time they met and even though I understood, it was still a little annoying.

This is the first book in a series that promises to be interesting. It includes both contemporary and historical books, which is a unique approach. Each book is also written by a different author, so readers will be provided with a variety of perspectives. The next book in the Porthkennack series is A Gathering Storm by Joanna Chambers, which is historical. I haven't decided if I'm going to pick that one up or not, but the next contemporary, Broke Deep by Charlie Cochrane is already on my TBR list. ;)

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. Kyle meets Devan who is trying to get in touch with his biological mother. There are other little stories in this book that are short lived. The book is a good read but some of the words are slang and hard to understand at times.

This was right British, mate. I was knackered trying to decipher the first couple of chapters, but once I got the hang of it, it went down smoother than an ice-cold pint. And worth it too, innit? An angsty, interesting treat, just fit for meself. Oi, I reckon you'll fancy this book too.

I don't read much J.L. Merrow, so I forgot how utterly British her books sound. However, I was insanely grateful for that fact once I got going because it was like a breath of fresh air.

Wake Up Call felt unique. First of all, I absolutely go gaga for an MC with a disability, and I was beyond fascinated by Kyle's narcolepsy. Truthfully, I didn't know much about the disorder prior to reading this book, but I was insanely curious to learn all about it. I think that the author did a fab job of showing Kyle's condition in a realistic light. I loved how she allowed Kyle to be cranky and imperfect and let his personality shine through, while still giving us a sense of living with a chronic, debilitating disorder.

I also liked Dev and his backstory. He was sort of rough around the edges, but I loved how daring and charming he was. He really won me over with his personality and his way with people, and I felt like I really got to know him.

I thought that Dev and Kyle made a great match, and I loved how they both sort of fumbled through the beginnings of their relationship. It was a little slow burny, and I liked the pacing of their courtship (so to speak).

I wasn't as crazy about Ceri, though not because I thought she was a bad character. I simply thought that there was a bit too much focus on Ceri, and I wasn't quite sure of her appeal at the start. However, I did like how the author integrated secondary characters, and I liked the range of people that we got to meet.

Overall, this was a really well done story that gave me a lovely sense of place in the small town of Porthkennack. I really enjoyed the whole thing from start to finish, and though the British slang through me for a bit, I wouldn't have had the book any other way.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars

When Dev travels to Cornwall for his summer holiday, he is looking for answers about his family history. He doesn’t expect to meet Kyle, a damaged and reclusive barrister.

This story is set in Daphne Du Maurier’s Cornwall. Craggy cliffs, eerie legends, and family secrets – this may be Devan’s summer holiday but he only ever watches the carefree holidaymakers on the beach from a distance. I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and the familiar setting for this book.

Dev quickly embeds himself into the life of the small town he is visiting. Dev’s story is unclear at the start and we slowly learn more about him as the story progresses. The author works hard to make Dev’s Cockney dialogue authentic, but I found it grating after a while.

Kyle is also a mystery at the start. His story is equally complex. Neither Dev nor Kyle excels at communication, so we learn about them through stilted conversations and long inner monologues.

There are some sweet moments between Dev and Kyle, but I didn’t ever fully believe in the connection between Kyle and Dev. There were times the relationship felt convenient. At other points, it felt like Kyle’s self-confidence was so low he believed that no one else could ever care for him. The sex between these two is hot, but I wanted to know how the mechanic and the barrister were going to make a life together. Dev spends a great deal of time feeling inferior to barrister Kyle. I was disappointed that the author doesn’t dig any deeper into the differences between Devan and Kyle’s lives. We never see how the care leaver actually fits into Kyle’s comfortable Surrey life.

It took me a very long time to get into the story and I struggled with the erratic pacing throughout the book. I felt like it took far too long to establish Dev’s reason for his Cornwall holiday. There were a couple of subplots that never seemed to really resolve (I wanted to know what happened to Ceri) and the resolution of some main issues were thrown out at the end in a very quick epilogue.


Angie – ☆☆☆
The blurb of this book had me thinking this would be a good book. The best thing about this book is the blurb. The book was so wordy and honestly very boring. I found myself skimming, hoping that things would pick up, but they never did. I felt no connection to either main character and then all the side stories and secondary characters, it just didn't work for me at all.

As I went on Goodreads to grab the official summary, I realized that this is the first book in the Porthkennack series (which is the name of the town). However, each book is written by a different author. I thought that was kind of cool, so I figured I'd mention it! Anyway, back to Wake Up Call. I thought this was a really interesting story. I appreciated that the secondary characters had their own story lines. It created a community for Devan and Kyle, and it wasn't just about their burgeoning relationship. There is Ceri, a local waitress, who Dev befriends. There is also Dev's mate who comes in later in the story, as well as Dev's foster sister. Kyle didn't have as many characters around him, but readers do get to know a bit about his colleagues and his own family. At any rate, Kyle is supposed to be more closed off. He was a barrister (aka lawyer) before quitting and renting a cottage in Porthkennack because of a medical diagnosis of narcolepsy and cataplexy. In really simple terms, he can often - and quite suddenly - fall asleep. This scares Kyle, understandably, and he feels like everything he worked for is going to disappear. He's not in a great place when he meets Dev.

One thing that really made the book feel authentic to me is the dialect. Merrow doesn't shy away from showing readers how Dev speaks, including various slang, etc. This book is set in Europe, so there could be words or phrases the average American won't recognize, but I didn't think it was too difficult. Context usually helps. Regardless, I thought this was done well by the author and it helped show how different Dev and Kyle are, in terms of the "social ladder" so to speak. Dev is a mechanic and Kyle is a lawyer. They had very different upbringings. All these differences are issues they must face, but it wasn't done for unneeded drama. All in all, I thought the book was done well, and I'd be curious to see how the other authors handle the town of Porthkennack.

I have decided to DNF this book, so I won't be reviewing it. It just didn't grab me, and I had a hard time with the vernacular.

I am always a fan of this author and this book was no different. I loved this read. The characters really captivated me and engaged me from the start. I highly recommend it.

I can always count on this author to write a really British book. Wake Up Call is no exception in that. What is different in this book is that while I'm used to JL Merrow writing humorous and thus lighter fare, this book has a melancholy and painful undertone throughout.

First, there's Devan Thompson, a car mechanic, who's come to Porthkennack on the Cornwall coast to find someone he's wanted to meet all his life - the mother who gave him up for adoption at birth. He's decided that he's going to track her down and ask her why she did what she did. Basically, he's planning to force the woman to give him a reason, without any thought to what may have led her to the decision, so I wasn't really on his side from the start.

Still, Devan is a good chap, and this becomes clear when he runs into Kyle Anthony, who's lived in Porthkennack for a few months and already has a reputation as the town drunk, as he tends to pass out in inappropriate places. There's a reason for this - Kyle has been diagnosed with narcolepsy, but refuses to seek treatment, and hasn't even told his parents about the diagnosis. The condition has so far cost him his job as a barrister (that's English for attorney), his boyfriend, and he's built a bunch of walls around himself, needing nobody and no one. Or so he tells himself.

Devan makes no assumptions, even when told not to bother, with a sneer to boot, and merely stands guard over a passed out Kyle until the other man wakes up again. Attraction is immediate, and they begin spending time together. Devan's personality comes out in droves, and his compassion and easy-going manner have Kyle second-guessing his decision to keep everyone at bay and living life as a recluse in his house on the cliffs.

I'm not going to tell you the whole plot here - you should read this book and have the full experience - but I will tell you that there's humor and banter and very British English throughout the book, with interesting, complex, fully realized characters who both struggle with their lot in life and have serious doubts about what they might have to offer a partner - what with Kyle's narcolepsy and Devan's being a simple car mechanic. Their budding relationship is not smooth sailing, and there are instances when they both walk away in anger, with slamming doors and hurt feelings. Kyle came across as a bit whiny on occasion - while I understood his frustration with his condition, I didn't quite understand why a grown man would choose to hide himself away, instead of facing the issue head-on. I also lacked sympathy for Devan on occasion, especially when it came to his quest for answers, because it felt supremely selfish to me. It was only when he was given the true reason that he got some clarity on his motivations, and almost grew up before my very eyes.

There are supporting characters too, the most prominent being Ceri, a waitress in the local cafe, to whom Devan takes a liking and with whom he also starts spending time. She's an interesting character, cynical and blunt, but has her reasons for being that way. I liked her a lot - she didn't take crap from anyone, and she made Devan think. There's no romantic interest here for either - but they do become friends. Sort of.

The plot flows easily, and while the romance between Devan and Kyle is rather quiet and languid, there are passionate moments within as well. For the most part, the melancholy undertones persist, as Devan finds out more about his mother, and Ceri's backstory, and Kyle faces a decision on what to do about the narcolepsy.

The pace picks up a bit toward the ending of the book as Devan's little sister gets herself into a tight spot, and both Devan and Kyle rush to London to help out. This leads to Devan's doubts raising their ugly heads again which... well, you read this for yourself.

The primary location of this book was chosen really well - an old fishing village, with possibly pirates and smugglers in its history, with rocky cliffs and hidden tunnels, which now depends primarily on tourism to support its residents.

The ending felt a little rushed, especially since the subplot with Devan's sister was resolved so quickly, but we did get a fabulous epilogue, so I was happy with that.

Overall, this was a great first book in this series, and I'm keen to check out the others.

4 Stars!!!

Devan is on a mission while vacationing in Porthkennack to track someone who holds the key to his past. He gets distracted from it when he sees Kyle collapse on the street. Kyle is the local alcoholic, or so everyone but Devan seems to believe and despite his prickly nature, Dev is intent on finding out more about the handsome man.

Kyle has been hiding in Porthkennack for a couple of months. Hiding from his friends, his family, and from the horrible narcolepsy diagnosis that cost him his job, his lover and his life as he knew it. Dev refuses to let him hide, though, and they strike a tentative friendship that slowly grows into more, even though Kyle is not sure if they should give into something that has no future.

However, when Dev's sister calls Devan to ask for help, Kyle can't do anything but step up to the plate, making him realize perhaps his life isn't as over as he thought it was.

I loved Dev, he was impulsive, fun, extroverted and nurturing, wanting to help others around him however he could. The scenes when he interacted with the person he'd been looking for were heartbreaking and I found myself crying before I could stop myself. I have to say I was a tad angry at Ceri's reaction when Dev told him about the first encounter, I understood where she was coming from, but calling Dev selfish is like the pot calling the kettle black. *slaps Ceri and hugs Dev*

I loved Kyle, too. I feel so bad for him, and really, I have no clue how I'd react in his situation. It's definitely not easy and perhaps he needed a swift kick on his behind so he realized his life wasn't over, but I think JL Merrow dealt with it very realistically.

The chemistry between Dev and Kyle was amazing and I enjoyed the slow progression of their relationship.

I really enjoyed this book! It was sweet and fun and relatable, with some angst to keep things interesting. It was very British, though, so keep that in mind while reading, it took me a bit to get into Dev's POV chapters because of it at the beginning until I got used to the different style.

Very recommendable!

*** Copy provided to the reviewer by Riptide Publishing via NetGalley for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

I thought this was cute, but I won’t say I was blown away by it. I’ve read Merrow’s work before and quite enjoyed it (Muscling Through is one of my all time favorite MM novels), so I figure this is just one of those books I liked less than the others. It happens.

While I liked the writing and I enjoyed Dev’s regional dialect, I just thought nothing in the book stood out as special. Sure, the author included some heavy topics—chronic illness, adoption, rape, ‘the system,’ economic disparity, etc.—after a while they started to feel little more than plot mechanisms than anything deeply explored or fitting seamlessly into a natural story.

All in all, not a bad book. Again, I did think it was cute. I wouldn’t tell anyone not to read it. But it doesn’t stand out either.