I seriously have mixed feelings about For A Good Time Call. Seth and Nate were very interesting characters to read but, the authors lost me if a few places. I adored how the friendship built to love, how Nate showed Seth that there was more to life than just hook-ups. But, I kept getting confused with the family dynamics of both characters.

I also loved the “grace” angle of this story. It was fun and interesting to me since I have never read a story such as this. I, just like Seth, had to research it a little bit to understand the concept. Once understood, I got it and I appreciated and enjoyed it.

As for the family dynamics of this story, there was so much back-ground that I had to go back a few times to figure out just who was who and how they fit into the story. Some of it, even now, still doesn’t make sense to me but will leave it at that. Maybe, because there was so much going on, I just wasn’t getting the gist of it. And, except for Pearl, I did not like anyone in Seth’s family – at all!

But, all-in-all, For A Good Time Call was a good read. It was fascinating, in a way, and fun. Both authors are new-to-me and I will definitely give them another read. Personally, I think Tarkus needs his own story! He was the true fun and highlight of the book. I honestly think he was human and I can’t remember when I looked forward to seeing what the dog was going to do next in a book.

So, I enjoyed For A Good Time Call even though I had some time-line and flow problems. But, I can definitely cut both authors some slack on that with me since I can’t imagine how hard it is for two authors to combine their style of writing, making sure it’s continuance is on the mark and that the story is flowing flawlessly. Single authors have a hard time with that so imagine what two authors go through getting it correct. I enjoyed the British humor that was thrown in and most of the supporting characters were interesting. Will I go back to Bluewater Bay? Absolutely.

I received a copy of this arc from NetGalley for an honest review. I did not finish this book as it had so many characters intertwined and I kept having to go back and try to figure out what I missed.

A slow burn romance with a sexuality type I've never read before (gray asexual). It was a lovely romance, and whilst I wasn't crazy into some of the side stuff, it's an enjoyable addition to Bluewater bay. 3.5 stars

this was overall a very good story.. i really enjoyed learning about graysexual because i had never heard of that one.. it was very enjoyable to watch a relationship that had to be a relationship before sex.. however there are a lot of characters involved in this story and at times i did get confused. overall i loved the storyline and writing. i am glad i got to review it

I had a difficult time keeping track of all the characters. This series has so many coming in and out. Well written storyline, and it presents asexual, which is very seldom written in the LGBTQ genre. Adding sex scenes was not what I expected but well done, I just wanted more. I wanted more depth.

Review shared on Goodreads, Amazon, B & N and Joyfully Jay Reviews: http://joyfullyjay.com/2017/05/review-for-a-good-time-call-by-anne-tenino-and-ej-russell/

Nate Albano is a 37-year-old special effects tech working on the Wolf’s Landing show in upstate Washington. He’s been celibate for the past three years—since his last lover walked out—and expects to remain alone for the rest of his life. He’s “grace” (gray asexual), which roughly means he requires a fair amount of relationship-building before he develops a sexual attraction to his partner, and he’s had two long-term partners in his life to this point.

Seth Larson is a thirty-year-old man living in an apartment above his grandmother’s garage. He’s the youngest Larson, part of a “storied” founding family, but he doesn’t go in for all that jazz, and resents his uncle who browbeats him over caring for his grandmother. Seth is also a budding mixologist and loves tending bar. He’s never had a steady boyfriend and thinks he never will.

One night, Seth and Nate meet at a local pub and Nate’s ecstatic to learn about Seth’s heritage, but Seth takes it as a come-on. He’s never met a man who really digs history, or genealogy, and isn’t prepared for Nate to storm off when Nate realizes Seth was serious about getting it on. But, time cools heads and they actually begin a friendship. It’s such a novel experience for Seth, who doesn’t have any close friends, either. They dig deep into the skeletons of Seth’s family, in the hope they can do just enough damage to the Larson name to allow Seth’s grandma to sell her home and break the family trust—a legal situation that’s kept her virtually a prisoner in her historic home for more than a decade. Thing is, the skeletons aren’t pretty, and Seth’s family is in an uproar when the scandals hit the community paper.

And, Nate’s in an uproar, too. Of an entirely different kind. He’s feeling more than friendly to Seth, and that scares him a whole lot. How could he fall for Seth, and risk being left alone again once Seth, a vibrant, outgoing man, grows tired of his sexual inadequacies?

This book is part of the larger Bluewater Bay universe, but is enjoyable on its own.

I’ve read several asexual romances in the last few years and this one was a bit different. I didn’t study up on “grace,” feeling like the authors did a good job of explaining it in context. In short, Nate does have sexual relationships with his long-term lovers, once they have been together long enough to establish a strong bond of emotional intimacy. He actually craves touch, and is demonstrative with Seth from nearly the beginning. This sends Seth mixed signals, because he’s only ever been wanted for sex in the past, and tries to stay lighthearted in the face of his loneliness. That said, Seth relishes their friendship and fervently hopes that the cues he’s reading from Nate demonstrate a growing attraction; he’s ready for a sexual relationship with a man he really cares for.

There are a whole lot of family dynamics at play, too, regarding the Larson ancestry and Nate’s own paternity. This was interesting as a vehicle for intimacy. Seth and Nate have intense discussions regarding their personal demons and how to get past them. They both have to grow into their developing relationship, and they seem to do so without too many hardships. I loved Tarkus, the one-eyed wonder dog. What a great companion that mutt is, and it was clear that Nate learned a lot about unconditional love from him, while Seth drew his strength from his grandma.

This is a slow burn, not least because it’s a long novel. Lots of patience is exercised before their sexual connection is kindled, but I found it worth the wait. I received a review copy on NetGalley.

I have received the book: For a Good Time, Call… of Anne Tenino & E.J Russell as an arc. It was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
This book is part of the Bluewater Bay series, nr. 17. For me it was the first one of this series I read. That was no problem. I think it can be read as a standalone very well. There are some mentions of people from earlier parts of this series (I think), but that does not get annoying.

I was especially interested in this book because one of the main characters is grace (gray asexual). I was not familiar with this and I was very curious about how this would play out in a romance novel with the other main character very much interested in casual sex. I was definitely not disappointed. I think the book gave a very good idea of wat gray asexual is without being too educational.
I also really enjoyed the other characters in the story and the plot. The book was written very well and I would like to read it again one day. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read a funny, interesting and sweet book about two men falling in love.

For a Good Time, Call... was a great addition to the Bluewater Bay series, but I wanted more. *sigh* I know, that's a somewhat frequent complaint I have of books that I really like. This time though, it's more because so much was happening, so many little story lines were thrown into the mix and not all of them were fleshed out. It just seemed like there either needed to be more, or there needed to be a sequel.

That's just my opinion though and despite that one minor flaw, I really enjoyed For a Good Time, Call... I liked the slow burn between the two characters and the vast difference in their approach to attraction. For Seth, it was a loose concept. He was up for 'a Good Time' pretty much 24/7. For Nate, it was a little more complicated. Their attraction to each other was a surprise for both of them. Nate's past made him keep his distance regardless of what his heart and body were telling him. Seth just tried to keep himself in check because he didn't want to risk the bond that was growing between them.

Aside from the romance, the history and ancestral angle was really interesting. I loved the bond between Seth and his grandmother (who, by the way, was one of my favorite characters.) I liked the fact that this story pulled readers into the Bluewater Bay community and history - its roots, but there was still a strong story line within the Wolf's Landing cast and crew. There was also an interesting twist that I'm really hoping gets explored more because that story line is just too intriguing to be left hanging. There were also a couple of other loose ends that I want to know more about, but we've already discussed this, right?

So yes, For a Good Time, Call... had a few bumps and wrinkles, but I still liked it and I'd still recommend reading this along with all the stories in the series. They're written by different authors, some I've enjoyed more than others and they can pretty much all be read as stand alones. However, there's enough of a common thread, regardless of how thin, that I think readers would get more out of any of them if they experienced most of the Wolf's Landing/Bluewater Bay world.

really liked both of these characters, I loved that Seth researched Nate's sexuality in order to better understand him and to make sure he never pushed for more than Nate was comfortable with at any time. At times, Nate came across as a bit judgemental of Seth, his perceived lack of ambition. I liked the secondary characters too with the exception of Seth's mother and uncle who were really nasty.

A super slow burn romance with a MC who identifies as a gray asexual. Be patient because the feels WILL come!

I'm a long time Anne Tenino fan-girl, so I was eager to try her collaboration with E.J. Russell. I'm also building up my "asexual" reading list, and I was practically jumping for joy when I saw that this book had an MC on the asexuality spectrum.

Now, many readers may be unfamiliar with the term "gray asexual." AVEN (my go-to site for this kind of info) describes it as the following: "People who identify as gray-A can include, but are not limited to those who: do not normally experience sexual attraction, but do experience it sometimes."

A little vague, right? Well, that's because gray asexuality is pretty much different for each person. I had a hard time differentiating it and demisexuality, but it seems as though demisexuality is a subcategory in gray asexuality, more or less. The main idea is that people who are gray asexuals only experience sexual attraction in very specific circumstances, and their sexual response may vary from the same as a sexual-defined person to less intense than a sexual person.

I liked that Nate's sexuality was central to the story, but it never felt like constant teachable moments. I don't usually enjoy stories where I feel like the whole thing is a lesson, and this wasn't like that. Nate's sexuality was important to the development to the relationship between him and Seth because it sort of led the pace of their courtship, so to speak, but it wasn't the whole story.

The romance was very slow paced but much more impactful than I was expecting. It was... sweet, very sweet. The two guys had a lot of their own baggage, but I really liked them together, and I thought that they complemented each other well.

The whole family mystery and history of Seth Larson's ancestors was pretty "meh" for my personal tastes, but it didn't detract from my, in general, very positive feelings about the story. However, I think some readers may find all of the local history and minor sleuthing to be a bit dry.

Overall, this was a lovely romance with a very well done portrayal of an asexual MC (IMO), and a great addition to the Bluewater Bay series. Also, this story can be read as a total stand-alone, though characters from previous books do make quite a number of appearances. I think if readers have the patience to let the romance really develop, they will be pleased with the feels from this story.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

It took me a while to get into this story because the authors took their time building the characters, their interactions, their backgrounds, and finally their attraction. But when I look back over the hours I spent reading this, I realized I enjoyed it overall, and there were points in the story where I couldn’t wait to get back to it if I had to put it down while doing daily activities.

If you are looking for a sexy romp, stop here, and don’t purchase this one. But if you are looking for a new perspective on sexuality, romance, friendship, and love, by all means, keep going and pick this up.

Seth Larson is a good-time party boy and king of one-night stands. Not interested in anything other than a hookup for most of his life, he’s shocked when the quiet, sexy Nate Albano, 37-year-old Special Effects Technician for the Wolf’s Landing TV show, turns him down cold after leading him on. Or at least, Seth thinks Nate’s been leading him on. It takes him a while to find out that Nate is so sweet and innocent of the sexual innuendos most guys thrive on that he didn’t even realize Seth was coming on to him until it was too late. No wonder Seth was shocked when he was looking for sex but was turned down flat! And Nate’s pretty embarrassed by that experience because he liked the guy and just can’t figure out how he misunderstood him.

Seth lives with his grandmother in the stately old mansion on Russell Hill where town founder Finnimore Larson established his estate. His family has lived there for generations, and Seth is employed by his father and uncle as the caretaker and all-around handyman in exchange for rent in the little apartment above the garage. When his grandmother wants to sell the place and move to senior living with her friends, Seth is fully supportive but the others, including his mother, are opposed to selling the house. Since they’re in charge of the estate and are supposed to be making decisions to care for the elderly woman, they have control. And Seth is determined to help his grandmother win her freedom from their oversight. Lots of family turmoil surrounding this issue ensues, but it’s sprinkled with some great humor.

Nate enjoys his job, though because of his erratic behavior as a result of past emotional upheaval in his life, he’s lucky to have been hired, even with a recommendation from Levi Pritchard. Looking at it as a new lease on his career, he’s dedicated and focused, and he and his best friend have come up with great ideas and even better execution for special effects for the show. He’s still grieving the loss of his former partner, Jorge, who left him three years before for another man—more so because he’s only ever had two relationships in his life. He’s gray asexual, so for him the relationship spark must come first. Even after Seth’s blunder, though, he realizes he does feel that spark of attraction with Seth, and he starts to wonder if he’s going to be lucky enough to get a third.

Seems hard to believe, given Seth’s history and reputation, but after they make amends from their first meeting, it’s very definite that they are indeed attracted to one another. Seth goes through pains to keep from offending Nate—so much so, that Nate starts to doubt Seth is even interested.

Once the storyline is established, the story moves along more quickly, but be prepared for the slower start while the groundwork is being laid. The authors did a great job piquing my interest throughout the story. Added to the romance is a potential murder mystery for the guys to solve. When the apparent weapon from Seth’s great grandfather’s murder is found, they take a genealogical trek through the Larson family tree, work on special effects to garner interest in the sale of the mansion, and visit with a few characters from past stories. Add in a feisty old lady and an extremely lovable dog and this became a book I couldn’t put down.

It’s not one of those mysteries readers can’t figure out, but the relationship issues sprinkled among the murder mystery and the plans for the house sale all combine to make this a different take on the usual romance. And when the men finally, finally get their act together, it warmed my heart.

Fans of Bluewater Bay will surely recognize the past characters and various locations highlighted and I’m sure they’ll enjoy this book, but so will others who are looking for a nice MM romance with an atypical couple. And no fear—this can definitely be read as a standalone.

Gray sexuality.
Nate is all about that. And Seth is a kind of a guy for a having fun only.
Nate is cute and Seth can't stop thinking of him. Was that enough? Apparently not.
Some adjustment must be made, because well, all Seth can think of is sex,. Started from the very beginning. But Nate, not.
Finding out what he really wanted need a little time for Seth. Some mistakes had been made, some people still wanted him for 'fun'.But Nate is different, and when Seth finally set into a relationship mode, Nate was kind of doubted it.
Not a very complicated imo, this one is sweet and low of angst. A little bit slow in progress, made me frustrated sometimes.
But overall, this one is a good read.

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review...

Having grown up under the weight of his famous great-great-grandfather’s legacy, Seth Larson has learned to content himself with waiting tables and helping his beloved Grandma out at the family’s estate. In a small town like Bluewater Bay, with its communal history making everyone around him far too familiar, hooking up whenever he was in the mood for sex had always worked for him just fine. Finding someone who really mattered was never a consideration, at least until he’s knocked off balance by a stranger who makes him want more than a random encounter could ever hope to deliver.

With two failed relationships in a row and a nearly-hostile connection with his famous mother still casting a shadow over much of his life, Nate Albano doesn’t have a lot of hope of being truly loved—not when his sexuality seems to inevitably drive everyone he’s ever fallen for away. Being grace is especially difficult when the heart that he can’t help but put first has already been bruised one time too many. Giving up on the idea is surely his best option. But, who would have guessed that his own expectations would be turned upside down by Bluewater Bay’s most infamous party guy?

We first met several of the characters in For a Good Time, Call… in Wedding Favors, the seventh in the Bluewater Bay series. Seth played an important role in that novel, and turned out to be my favorite of the two main characters here. Seth’s main cause of stress is his relationship with most of his family, rather than a lack of romance in his life. In fact, something that endeared Seth to me from the beginning is that he experiences a good bit of slut-shaming, both active and passive, in this story, which he handles extremely well by shrugging it off, for the most part. It simply is what it is. Additionally, I thought his determination to understand and respect Nate’s specific, non-generic, sexuality was notable.

Nate is grace/gray asexual, and I was happy to see the representation. The story deals with Nate’s sexuality in a matter-of-fact way, using his growing connection to Seth to answer a lot of potential questions about what it means, in this context, to be grace. In fact, it is Nate’s other relationship issues that cause a problem between he and Seth (as well as with his previous boyfriend) and threaten to ruin the best thing that’s ever happened to him, romantically. Fortunately, both men prove they can learn—and listen—before it’s too late.

As an aside, there were two other things, in particular, that I loved about For a Good Time, Call…: the dog, whose name is Tarkus, and a nod to the film Big Eden.

Once again, the Bluewater Bay series has given a complex situation some much-needed attention, and these authors ably illustrated that relying on labels simply isn’t sufficient if we’re to approach any real understanding. Both Seth and Nate learn the importance of honesty and communication along their journey, as well as the necessity of patience and trust. Also of consequence is the acknowledgement of the inevitability of making mistakes, and the damage that is sure to be inflicted by angry words spoken too soon. Despite its significance, Nate’s sexuality doesn’t dominate the narrative, keeping the tone from straying into any kind of preachiness and allowing the story to draw the reader in for its own sake. Overall, I think For a Good Time, Call… is a worthy addition to this series, and I very much hope it will continue for a long while to come.

For a Good Time, Call..., Anne Tenino, E.J. Russell

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  Romance, LGBTQIA

Bluewater: I love this series, so many different authors bringing fresh story-lines and ideas keep it fresh even though its got loads of books in now.
It could get messy, could lose continuity but whoever checks overall management of that does it perfectly. each book has cameos but characters from other reads but even though they are characters created by someone else they always manage to keep their same "voice~" and personality, and that makes it feel so right to me. Like meeting old friends once more. 
I don't know much about characters that are not on the mainstream side sexually, and Grace (grey asexual) is a term I'd never heard of. Still, that's the beauty of fiction, reading about so many different people, different issues and problems means its always new and interesting. 

I like to imagine What would I do if placed where a character is having difficulties, and when they're like this it means some deep thinking.
What "I" want isn't what "they" want so I need to look sideways. Reminded me of Animal Welfare Law at uni, just because we enjoy being inside by the fire on a cold wet day doesn't mean its the right thing for a fish, he/she doesn't want to be inside by the fire but needs to be out in the water, regardless of weather and temperature. 

I enjoyed too the way it wasn't kind of preachy and prickly, as so many books are - not just about sexuality but any kind of discrimination, anyone who's not quite on the middle section of "normal". I know some disabled people who are very prickly and easily offended and that happens in life, but I don't want to read it all the while, even though as a disabled person myself I understand it. After all reading is for many an escape from real life and its issues. 
Still, that said things need to be handled realistically, I need to feel the characters and issues are real and that's was so perfect here.

I learned a lot form Nate, from seeing what he felt. He was a lovely man, and his dog, Tarkus, well he was such a star!! #tarkusisastar.
Nate had been in two relationships before, both ended badly and he's given up on finding a third one.
Then he meets Seth. That first meeting doesn't go well...and was so understandable. I so felt for both when the penny dropped. Still, they become freinds, mainly via Seth's search for history about his family, and Nate's interest in genealogy. 

We meet both sets of families, and poor Seth, lovely nan, on the fence dad and a viperous mother and uncle. The parents and uncle hold the purse strings, and while nan wants to sell up the family home and move to somewhere more suitable for her age, they don't want it, won't allow it.
Poor Seth draws the short string with them too, always being ridiculed for his bar-tending job, and they insinuate its by their good grace he gets his apartment over the garage free. Seem to forget that he's been solely responsible for the upkeep of the whole building, for looking after nan and ensuring she's well. Nice people...not! 

After a while Nate's astonished to discover he has real feelings for Seth. What to do though? Take the risk of more and  lose it, or lose the potential of more and settle for freinds. How will he feel if Seth moves on? What if Seth doesn't return his feelings? What if he does!
So many questions and they lead us a lovely dance into a slowly growing romance. 

Though I loved all that, I found the side issue, the house and all its history, the family issues where Nan was prevented from selling, were a bit confusing and kind of muddied the water. At times that felt like a totally different story, and though there was interest in it and what they found, it didn't mesh well with the main story for me.  

Stars: Four, a great read, sensitively done.

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

Let me say I love this series! I’ve read most of them so the references to the secondary characters just fits right in.
Seth, who seems to be just drifting along in life, always up to have an itch scratched is suddenly faced with Nate, an asexual character that is sub classified as a grace. Someone who needs the romance before the sex, to put it simply. So when they meet Seth sees one thing and Nate sees something completely different. And off they go from there.
There are a couple of sub stories included, Nate and his relationships with others close to him. Seth and his relationships with his family. And the town founders history and how it all ties up to Seth’s family. So you have a story that keeps you guessing, has angst, has secrets, has control issues and a HEA. In someways it almost seems like there is too much going on. I think one or two of the subplots could have been left out and still been a great story. 4.5 stars