I absolutely adored this book, which was both a bit of a delightful surprise and the first step in laying a foundation of affection for everything that comes after this!

I decided to take a mini-break away from the horror-fest I’d been on and finally read this way overdue Netgalley title. I think I may need to stick with horror a wee bit longer because I found Spun all too sweet for my current mood.

It was also very hard for me to stick to and when it starts there are so many characters from previous books I haven’t read popping in that I had trouble keeping track of who was who and who was connected to who. I’m not sure if it was the dialogue, the accents or just the sometimes overly wordy prose but I found myself going back and rereading many a paragraph for whatever reason and at times it felt a little too much like work to finish this book. It also has kid characters and they’re featured quite heavily and while it added to the characterization and connection between the couple, kids in a romance aren’t exactly my favorite.

The story opens with David getting fired from his job after he is discovered doing sexual things with the husband of somebody at a work event. Oops. He decides to move out of the city and rents a room from Rory. Rory is a divorced dad of two who has just been dumped by his latest girlfriend. Rory is straight or at least always thought he was until he starts thinking thoughts about David that he’s never thought before.

You can guess how it goes from there right? Okay, good.

So I liked David. He is a bit of a nut. He’s quirky, flirty and flamboyant and carries around a teddy bear he’s named Gregory. It is impossible to dislike David even when he’s making poor decisions and doing the whole jumping to conclusions sort of thing. This brings me to the main issue I had with this book, the misunderstandings and lack of talking about those oh-so-pesky feelings! Rory and David talk about everything else but jump to conclusions and listen to outside forces and get themselves all hurt up for no good reason except maybe to make the book a little longer. It kind of wore on my last nerve and made me want to grab them both and clang their skulls together if I’m being completely honest. I also liked Rory. He’s a quite a few years older than David and he is a kind, sweet and open-minded guy. Their attraction and slowly developing romance felt genuine. But again it was too slow for my tastes.

I liked this story but not enough to give it more than a three.

Again the UK/English vs North American/English didn't work for me on this one.
Although I have read some JL Merrow books that I have loved this one at that time just did not mesh with me.
Sometimes Im a picky reader and I know I shouldn't pick up a book and I do it anyways.

Thanks for the chance

Reviews shared on Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, V's Reads and Amazon: https://vsreads.com/2017/09/25/new-opportunities-spun-a-review/

David Greenlake is a flamboyant gay man with a deep desire to find Mr. Right. He’s a romantic, but he always seem to get involved with men who plan to use him. His mother argues that he should look for a blazing passion, but David really only wants a cozy hearth fire. He gets mixed up with a dashing older man, Xav, at a company party, unaware the man is married…to his boss’ sister-in-law. So, he’s immediately sacked.

He flees to the country, and his friend, Mark–who was once his boss and his crush. Mark and his partner Patrick live in Shamwell, and were the love story described in OUT! Mark is a decent guy, and helps David out with a part-time job, and finding him a room to let with Rory, Patrick’s mother’s ex-boyfriend. Rory is a divorced man, kind and doting on his two young children, and ashamed his wife left him for a wealthier man. He’s a guy with a giant heart, and he wears it on his sleeve. He’s a postman, and his attention to life in Shamwell is nothing short of intense–he notices people, and he’s sure to be a friend to anyone in need. That includes David.

Living in their close-quarters home is sweet for both David and Rory–they like the quiet life, and vegging out with shows on the TV or computer. David’s got a special friend, hew childhood teddy Geoffrey, that he sews dapper outfits for, and takes with him places. It’s charming to Rory’s children, Lucy and Leo. Especially Leo, who speaks to David as if they are old friends, when he doesn’t normally speak to anyone but Lucy, and certainly never to his overbearing stepfather. Rory has a decent relationship with his ex-wife, and wants more time with his kids, so he’s particularly happy to see that David gets on with them.

This is a slow-burn odd couple romance with Rory spending a lot of time pondering his unexpected attraction to David. David adores the closeness he feels with Rory, and his kids, and it’s almost like an instant family, without all the sexytimes. But, he wants the sexytimes, bad. It’s also problematic when Mark admits he doesn’t really have enough work to keep David employed long, and the alternative seems to be an offer from Xav to be his ‘kept boy’ as a piece on the side in London. It’s hardly a burning passion, and not even a shadow of the tenderness David experiences in the platonic hearth fires of Rory’s humble abode.

I loved the ending of this one, as it’s so happy on so many fronts. David and Rory find a way toward intimacy, and their little family is united in love. David makes changes that allow him to stay employed, and in Shamwell, without selling his body to a higher bidder, and he’s wiser and happier with Rory at his side. David has a bit of a child-like manner, what with Geoffrey Bear and his relating to all the kids he meets, but he’s a smart man whose childhood wasn’t complete and that leaves him sweetly vulnerable. Rory’s sure he’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he’s smart about how to act in a relationship, and while it takes him some time to come to terms about his new attraction, he’s honest and unwilling to hide his love for David.

Spun by author JL Merrow is the fourth book in the Shamwell series. I feel this book is standalone though, you really don’t have to read the other three to understand the love story in this book.
David thinks is life is really dull. He gets caught with his employer’s brother doing the naughty, the brother blames David, and well David gets fired.
David has always been a bit of a rule breaker, so when the thinks his life is boring he gets himself into trouble.
He is lucky though he has good friends. He needs a place to stay and a job.
Rory takes David as a roommate. Rory is not gay as far as he knows. But suddenly he can’t stop wanting his very sexy roommate. Rory’s ex left him for another man, he has been very lonely since.


They make great friends, and eventually even better lovers. I liked the progression in this story it felt natural. I also liked the pace of this book not too rushed. Great chemistry between David and Rory kept me turning the pages too. When you want a great friend to lovers book this is the one to pick up.

Five Shooting Stars

Oh God, I loved Spun! It's got two adorable British men, a teddy and a love of Doctor Who! How could I possibly not fall in love with it?!

David has gotten himself into a pickle, lost his job and his home. So now he's lodging with Rory, a divorced single dad who's a postman in a small British village. David is much younger, in his 20s, and a refined, sweet guy. Rory's almost his opposite, in his 40s, shorter, gray haired and simple in tastes and mind. They find they actually like each other, but their romance is of the slow burn variety, VERY slow burn, but so worth it because it's so sweet.

As Rory comes to terms with his bisexuality and he and David fall in love, I was awwwing all over the place because I couldn't help it. They're both so sweet, to each other, and in general. And you add in Rory's adorable kids, and they are adorable, even the scary daughter, then you have a well rounded, sweet romance. I like it much better than Caught!, which is the only other book in this series that I've read. If you like your MM romances with lots of heart, lots of sweet, then Spun! is just the one for you.

*3.5 stars*

Easily my favorite book in the Shamwell series, which turned out to be quite a low-rating series for me. I had trouble connecting to most of the romances in the Shamwell series, and I struggled a little bit with it here as well. However, I adored David, who carried the story.

David is exactly the sort of character that I love to read about. He is BIG on personality. I just need an MC that makes a big impression at this point in my reading career, so David was perfect for my tastes. He was a bit eccentric with his Teddy Bear BFF, and I loved how he was chatty and determined and unique.

The romance is fairly slow burn, which I liked as well. I wish there weren't quite so many miscommunications and missed chances at showing their true feelings, which bumped down my rating quite a bit. While Rory wasn't a stand-out for me, I liked his chemistry with David and I LOVED him discovering the breadth of his sexuality for the first time.

Lots of kid-time in this book, so for those who don't love children in romances, be aware. I didn't mind them much but they did take up a lot of page time. I also HATED Barry, and I couldn't decide if he was actually in love with Rory or just a Jerk.

While Spun! was by far my favorite in the Shamwell Tales series, it wasn't my favorite J.L. Merrow book. However, David gets all my love, and it's worth a read for him alone.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

Nina Decker's review 

Jul 23, 2017  ·  edit


really liked it


I really ended up enjoyed this book! It's a sweet slow burn romance with a lot of humor, sass and quirky little ideas. Some characters we already know from the first books in the series but it can definitely be read as a stand alone and you never feel like anything that's happening goes over your head if you haven't read the other books. 

In the beginning though I was a little worried I wouldn't like it I have to admit. David is out and proud and very flamboyant and he flirts with everybody which made him seem a little shallow/flighty in the beginning. Rory on the other hand is the exact opposite. He is sweet and kind and innocent but in the beginning he also felt a little...dumb. Every innuendo went over his head and there were a lot since David can say pretty much nothing else ;) You know the "Aw honey" HI MYM episode? It was a bit like that lol. 

But thankfully it's been easy to adjust and once I got to know these guys a little better their quirks actually grew on me a lot. Plus they brought on some very interesting changes in each other. 

All in all Spun! is just as charming as the other books in this series and just plain fun. If you like a quirky and very British slow romance this book is for you.

Awww…It’s been too long since I visited Shamwell! I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it until digging in to Spun!, the latest addition to this wonderful series by JL Merrow. As with the other stories in the series, Spun! is filled with colorful characters, and chock full of British charm. Aside from a couple of little niggles, this was an incredibly fun read; I completely fell in love with Rory and David.

My first minor issue was some confusion, i.e., feeling a bit lost, with the introduction of David’s character. Though, the problem is most likely down to me not having read Out!, the third book in the series, rather than an actual issue with the construction of the story. Out! was Mark and Patrick’s book, and as David is a friend and ex-coworker of Mark’s (and apparently, he also had a crush on Mark once upon a time), we may have learned more about him in that book. As it was, when David was all of a sudden talking to a random teddy bear name Gregory, I felt like I was definitely missing something! I even had to reread chapter three a couple of times. Soooo, yeah. Heh, heh. I would say that this book mostly works as a standalone…after I got through to chapter 4, I was totally fine. But, there may be some benefit to reading the previous book first.

Like I said above, I completely fell in love with the main characters. But, whereas my fondness for Rory was immediate, David did take a minute to get used to. First, his penchant for randomly using French phrases and nicknames might initially give the impression that he’s perhaps snobby or pretentious. That, coupled with his attachment to Gregory, makes for in interesting first impression. However, as far as the pretension goes, nothing could be further from the truth. David is an absolute love. He’s fun, intelligent, well-rounded, and very sexy! The descriptions of him in the book pretty much made me swoon. And, he’s wonderful with Rory’s kids. Like, super hearty eyes wonderful. Rory definitely never stood a chance! Also, he’s completely hilarious. Lines like this had me cracking up:

“Are you a postman too, Barry? Do you go around in those fetching little shorts, delivering hopes and dreams to the masses?”
As fabulous as David was, though, I have to admit that Rory was my favorite. I loved him SO stinkin’ much. Rory is kind, loving, loyal, and an amazing dad. Forgiving to a fault, he’s even sweet to his best mate Barry when he’s being a dick, and to his ex-wife, who cheated and left him, taking their kids with her. One of the things I loved best about him was that he really gets David. He doesn’t even bat an eye when being introduced to Gregory—reminder: Gregory is a teddy bear—and, shares David’s love for all things fandom. He also doesn’t judge or underestimate David like so many others do. His belief in David, and in their friendship, are what ultimately help him take the leap of faith he needs to take regarding their relationship. I just wish he would have taken the leap sooner!

Which brings me to my second niggle. The story was going along sooo beautifully—the guys were slowly falling for each other, and they were moving closer to becoming a cozy family unit—when the inevitable miscommunication, or rather, lack of communication, had to be put into play. I get that we like a little conflict to be resolved. I do. Unfortunately, though, for me, the miscommunication and mooning around about what the other must be thinking went on for tooooo long, and started to get a bit repetitive and grating.

Not to worry, though…There were WAY more things I loved about this story than didn’t. I loved seeing Mr. Enemy, the schoolteacher and one of the MCs from Caught!. It made me want to go recapture the joy I got from that book. I loved David’s relationship with his mom. I loved that Merrow once again went with pairing a blue-collar guy with a sort of more upper-crust character. I loved that Rory’s ex-wife, Evie, finally apologized for being an asshole, and the way that whole resolution, with him and the kids, played out. And, Lord help me, I loved that adorable, costumed teddy bear!

Reviewed at bingeonbooks.com at link below. Key takeaway:

"A sweet, amusing book that plays with stereotypes rather than buying into them. A quirky, gentle pleasure."

Spun is the 4th book in The Shamwell Tales and can be read as a stand alone - I did and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I loved the English dialect, humor and characters and although I can't vouch for the authenticity it felt realistic to me.

This is a very character driven and humorous book with a slow burn M/M romance that just worked. There is a big age difference between Davy (who is 24) and Rory (41) who is a divorced, father of two and previously straight character. Davy is flamboyant and fun. He has a teddy bear he dresses up and makes no apologies for who he is. He's been fired from his last job and so he arrives in Shamwell (A small village) hoping his old boss/friend Mark can provide him with a job and a place to live. Mark provides him with the job and then introduces him to Rory who could use the money and has an extra room.

Rory is a very down to earth, sweet man who loves his job and loves his kids. Life has been hard on him recently and he's lonely. He only has custody of his kids every other weekend and he just got dumped by his latest girlfriend. Enter Davy who brings fun, laughter and a brightness into Rory's life. His kids love Davy and isn't long before the two have a fabulous friendship. At first blush these two don't strike you as two men who would fall for each other but they bond over their lack of culinary skills, love of Doctor Who and Agent Carter and respect for each other. It isn't too long before Rory is starting to question his sexuality and feelings for Davy.

I loved both Rory and Davy and I loved them together. It seems that no one in their lives believe that these two could work (including themselves sometimes) but they do and the slow burn romance is fantastic! You can't help but root for these two and laugh along with them as they work their way to a happy ending.

It’s been a few years since I last read anything by this author but I’m so glad I corrected that oversight recently. Spun! was a delightful friends to lovers romance that checked a lot of my favorite boxes – in addition to adding some new ones (pardon me, is our hero actually carrying around a teddy bear?).

But seriously, it’s quite something when partway into a book, I was as enamored by the fun and flirty Davey as I was by his childhood bear, which he dresses in the height of fashion. On the surface, Davey was sassy, sophisticated and well, silly, so I was delighted (and relieved) at how well he got along with Rory, who is decidedly none of those things. They were very much the odd couple but with a lot less bickering and a whole lot more playtime. Get your mind out of the gutter, I meant playtime with the children, ie. Rory’s two kids who came over every other weekend. But speaking of bears, Rory was warm, gentle and infinitely cuddly and I adored his easygoing approach to everything, including the prospect of bisexuality and coming out in his forties. I also loved that he was just a regular joe with average looks and a soft middle and hints of male pattern baldness.

Family and friends were central to the story, which if I recall correctly is an underlying theme in the Shamwell Tales universe (Shamwell being a small and presumably fictional village outside of London). As awesome as many of the side characters were (friends, kids, various exes and all), not all of them were well-meaning. There was the odd biphobic comment tossed out early on which I suppose was meant to illustrate the challenges the unsuspecting couple-to-be would face down the road, and Rory’s best mate in particular was overtly homophobic throughout. But the book generally kept away from any real ugliness and pulled off the “all’s well that ends well” thing neatly in keeping with the positive tone of the book.

Indeed, Spun! was pretty much zero angst and all fun. I loved how the unlikely pair bonded over really simple things like watching geeky shows together and competing for the title of Most Mediocre Cook. Between that and quality time with the children, they fell into an easy domestic pattern and I really liked that their relationship was based on compatibility and comfort. It reminded me that the “friends to lovers” trope doesn’t always have to be about the sexual tension, and that it can also be warm and cozy, like slipping on a favorite pair of socks.

It’s not a romance that will sweep you off your feet but it will charm your socks off. I may or may not have giggled occasionally (okay, cackled every few minutes, whatevs) and perhaps even sniffled (Davey and Rory are so misunderstood, you guys!). It’s a charming and hilarious read and I highly recommend it.

5 Stars!!!

Spun! is book 4 in the Shamwell Tales series by JL Merrow and it can technically be read as a standalone. I suggest reading at least book 3, Out! first, though, because we met David there and Mark and Patrick, the couple featured in that book, make several appearances in Spun!

David is, without a doubt, my favorite character in this series and I have been dying to read his story ever since I read Out! for the first time last year. I have to admit that I was kind of bummed that JL Merrow didn't pair him off with Mark, I thought they had great chemistry and frankly, I didn't like Patrick for most of the previous installment. However, after seeing David with Rory and his kids, (and getting sort of disillusioned with the way Mark thought of David when David helped him so much in Out!) I think Rory and David make a whole lot more sense.

David could charm the pants off almost anyone he meets. He's friendly and despite what everyone seemed to think, I didn't really think he was all that flighty. He has a penchant for older men, preferably handsome and rich, or at least he did until the latest of his conquests turned into a frog after he went down on him and ended with David being fired from his job and having to ask Mark, his ex-boss, to employ him and get him some place to live in Shamwell. David made some mistakes and was a bit immature, but really at 24, anyone would be, so that was very realistic. I loved that Gregory (his teddy bear), was such a big part of his life. He was truly adorable.

Rory is a straight, divorced man in his 40's, with two kids, Lucy and Leo. He's easy going and laid back and accepts to take David in as his lodger when Mark asks him to. While he's never given much thought to men as being attractive, that changes as he gets to know David and they hit it off, bonding through their lack of cooking skills, their similar tastes in movies and series and the fact that David is just great with Lucy and especially Leo.

This was a slow-burn romance, but it all happened so naturally that even if it took a long time, it felt right. There was a lot of British humor, especially where David was concerned, he was just fabulous and made me laugh so much. I was also in tears, though, my heart absolutely broke at one point of the book for David and loved that throughout it all, he could count on Rory to make it better.

All in all, in my opinion, this was the best book in the series. It was witty, fun, captivating, sweet, somewhat angsty, but above all, it had David, Rory, Gregory, Lucy and Leo, who were just about as perfect for each other as they could be.

Definitely a must-read!!!

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

I’ve read all of the Shamwell Tales by this author, and this is my favorite so far. Flirty, campy David, who readers met in Caught!, starts the book off with a bang, quite literally, losing his job and his home when he is caught in a tryst with his boss’ very married client. He seeks out his former boss Mark, now relocated to Shamwell, finagling a temporary job with him and lodging with Mark’s acquaintance Rory.

Rory is a very sweet, straight teddy bear of a man with two young children whom he wishes he could see more often. He has no problems boarding a gay man, even when his mate Barry warns him that David is out to “convert him to the cause.” But Rory, recently dumped by his girlfriend, is glad for David’s company, whether it’s cooking and eating together or comparing the merits of the various Dr. Who actors. David, who has a history of going for Bad Boys, is surprised to realize how much he likes and respects Rory, not to mention how well he gets along with Rory’s kids. Like slowly turns to lust for both men, but David is convinced that Rory remains straight as an arrow, and Rory thinks there’s no way David would be interested in a plain, poorly educated postman.

This book is just plain fun. David may be a bit too stereotypically effeminate (he carries on conversations with his teddy bear Gregory FFS), but you can’t help root for him to open up his heart and let someone in. Rory is just about perfect as he engages in a brief internal struggle about his attraction to David, quickly decides it’s no big deal that he is probably bisexual, and then risks his friendship with Barry because he won’t lie about his feelings. The only weakness is a bit of uncharacteristic and out of place angst when both David and Rory start avoiding each other instead of being honest, but the scene where they finally come together (and Rory processes his first gay sexual experience as it happens) is hilarious, sweet and worth the wait.
Merrow is at her best when she goes for humor and heart, hold the angst, and Spun! is one of her better efforts. While the previous books were published by the now-defunct Samhain, Spun! is being released by Riptide (who is also re-releasing the previous books in the series). I hope they give her the green light to keep the Shamwell Tales going.

This is the JL Merrow I fell in love with! One of my all time favorite books ever is Muscling Through (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11045338-muscling-through?from_search=true) and this reminds me of that story – a lot! It’s very low steam, but high on humor and very, very British.

The HEA is amazingly happy and though it takes our MCs until nearly the end to find one another in the way we’re hoping they do – it’s a fun ride to get there!

Highly Recommended!
(This is absolutely fine as a standalone.)

4.5 of 5 stars

Hallelujah ... I finally found a book in JL Merrow's The Shamwell Tales series that I LOVE. JL Merrow has always been one of my go-to-authors for those humorous M/M romance books featuring quirky Brits and The Shamwell Tales series was just not working for me ... until Spun! so I am overjoyed to write this review.

We last met fabulous and flamboyant 24-year-old David Greenlake (they used to call him "Camp David" at work) in Out! where and his teddy bear Gregory made a memorable appearance or two. Fired from his PA position in London, David arrives in Shamwell hoping his old boss Mark can provide work and/or lodging.

41-year-old Rory Deamer (a background character in previous books in the series, usually in the company of the very drunk very homophobic Barry) is a postman, divorced with two kids who primarily live with their mother. Rory is a salt-of-the-earth sweet man who looks after his neighbor and the older folks on his mail route, assuming anyone else would do the same. He loves his job ("As much fresh air and exercise as a man could want, walking around the best village in the world") and loves his kids ("He’d loved walking them home from school, stopping at the swings and popping into the baker’s shop to buy them doughnuts or gingerbread men and making them promise not to tell their mum").

At first glance, Rory and David seem unlikely flat mates, but they quickly bond over their shared lack of cooking skills (“Ooh, remind me to give you my mushroom soup pasta recipe.” David paused, a forkful of food halfway to his mouth. “Although actually, that’s it. Mushroom soup and pasta.”) and love of Doctor Who and Agent Carter. Rory and David's relationship is a very, very, very slow burn but it works as Rory ever so slowly begins to realize he's bisexual and sorts out his feelings:

"It was like . . . like the time he’d let the lads talk him into going on that ginormous bloody roller coaster, when they’d had a Spartans trip down to Thorpe Park. Sitting in that carriage after they’d chugged up to the top thinking, Oh my God, what have I got myself into? His reflection grinned at him. That’d been bloody brilliant, that ride. And this would be too. Him and David."

The reason Spun! works so well, IMHO, is that it the most character-driven book of the series. Rory and David are such lovingly-drawn men who belong together, despite everyone else advising them against such a thing. David longs for someone who takes him as he is and Rory, bless, is that lucky soul. 4.5 stars!

This was enjoyable.. i will admit that i havent read any others except caught but i followed this one just fine and i enjoyed it a lot.. the characters were so much fun.. i laughed.. i smiled.. i enjoyed myself.. it was a really fun story to read and im glad i got to review it

What a delightful finish to a wonderful series! In this story, we get to see a different side of David Greenlake, the flirtatious P.A. of Mark Nugent from Out, book 3 in the series. David is out of a job after he’s caught with his mouth where it doesn’t belong during a ritzy party. Unfortunately, the other guy is not only a client, but a relative, of the owner of the company where David works—um, worked. He couch surfs at a friend’s house for a while because his roomie is marrying another of the boss’s relatives (he can’t win!) and finally begs Mark for a job when he learns Mark is setting up his own business in the village of Shamwell.

David is very tall, handsome, and effeminate in both his clothing choices and his gestures, so he certainly doesn’t hide the fact that he’s gay. Mark’s partner, Patrick, wants nothing to do with allowing David to stay in his home, but David does find a suitable place to stay when the men mention that postman Rory Deamer has a spare room. Rory’s just broken up with Patrick’s mother, and his kids live with his ex-wife, so there should be no problem. And there isn’t—at least not from the diminutive, chubby, bald, older man who gives “straight” a new meaning—the issue is with Rory’s BFF, Barry, a homophobe who is apparently worried that David will take away his time with Rory, and with Patrick, who thinks Rory is an asshat for breaking up with his mother.

David turns out to be a remarkably good housemate, helping Rory cook, watching TV shows and movies together, and enjoying time with Rory’s kids. In fact, Rory starts to question how good it would be to always have David by his side, and then he wonders what it would be like to cuddle with him. David’s little teddy bear, Graham, always at his side and always wearing the appropriate outfit for the occasion, only endears David to him further. In fact, one of my favorite moments was when Rory peeked in on David, early in the story, only to see him snuggled in the pink fairy bedding in Rory’s spare room, wearing pink ear muffs, and cuddling his teddy bear. From that moment, I knew David was going to be a keeper for Rory, who himself was a teddy bear—a bald one, but fuzzy inside and out, nevertheless.

The author gives us two amazing characters, who endeared themselves to me from the beginning. Rory had a very slow awakening to his bisexuality, and then it took time for him to develop his conviction that David was the right person for him, and finally, he had to take the step of verbalizing his feelings. In the meantime, others, including his own mother, Patrick, and Mark, were telling David that he was flighty and that they didn’t expect him to stay in the village or stick to the job or to ever develop feelings for a man like Rory. The odds were stacked against these men, but they do eventually get there. And when they do, Rory is surprisingly firm in embracing the idea of a permanent partnership with David.

The humor present in each of the stories in this series was definitely present in this one. It was also sweet, very “homey,” and charming in its simplicity. This is the perfect story for those who like cuddly teddy bears—both human and inanimate—and MM stories with children, older MCs, Bi-for-you, and a touch of exceptional British humor.

I am a SUCKER for British humor. This five star rom-com had it in spades.

I can't vouch for the authenticity of the dialect, setting and characters because I don't have any personal experience, but I bet many other reviewers will vouch that this is as real as it gets.

Any and all drama is simply drowned out by the pervasive dry wit that our MC, David, brings to us. He is one of the most charming and endearing characters I've ever read.

I've only read one other book that had such nonstop humor bundled in with the unfolding drama - The Lightning-Struck Heart - But, whereas TLSH is YA(ish) Fantasy, Spun! is solidly in the adult Contemporary Romance category.

Campy and flamboyant 24 year old Davie takes a room rental from 42 year old divorced dad (previously 100% straight) Rory.

Rory is ... lonely is the best word I can find for him. He's an easy going, laid back character. His life has thrown him a vicious curveball and he's simply doing the best he can with it.

When Davie enters his world, things light up. Davie makes him smile and laugh. Davie quickly becomes a supportive friend to spend time with. Even Rory's kids are immediately taken with Davie's easygoing personality.

I fell in love with Davie. It doesn't surprise me at all that Rory did too.

I adore a story that makes me smile, laugh and feel good.



A big thank you to the Riptide Publishing and NetGalley for this wonderful ARC.