I love Bluewater Bay. The show, the actors, the town. And this was no exception. A slow burner and a series I miss.

New Hand is a sweet story of loss, acceptance and love.

Jesse happily lives his life out of the closet. He's HIV+ and undetectable, with medication, and some people just cannot get behind it, hence his latest fwb ghosting him. When he meets a Garrett, a hot older guy, he thinks his life just may get even happier.

Unfortunately, Garrett is grieving, hard, for his deceased husband. He still hasn't gotten over his loss, and may never get over losing him. Jesse isn't sure he wants to be with a man who might see him as a replacement for his dead husband, but he can't deny his attraction, or his feelings, for Garrett.

I found New Hand to be curiously low on the angst, in a very good way. Sometimes angst can enrich a story, but most of the time, it just gets in the way of a good relationship. What New Hand does offer, though, is a wealth of emotions, in a subtly beautiful tone. Seeing these two men fall in love, seeing Garrett start to accept his loss, and seeing Jesse by his side while doing so is pretty awesome. And Garrett's acceptance of Jesse's condition, making Jesse feel loved and attractive? Just as awesome. Their whole story is awesome. And sweet. And sexy. Pretty darn great!

This was an enjoyable read, filled with likable characters, both main and secondary. These men fit together perfectly and their chemistry was out of this world. Another enjoyable read from L.A. Witt.

I wish to immediately go out and read everything written by L. A. Witt, and certainly everything written by this author within the Bluewater Bay series.

I absolutely loved my introduction to Bluewater Bay that I found with Anna Zabo's Outside the Lines, and this book thrilled me not just because we got to see Simon, Lydia and Ian again.

Jesse, however, does work in the same comic book store with them. He's just off work and at the nearby bar when he meets Garrett for the first time.

Garrett is nine months post the death of his husband who died of cancer. He isn't exactly looking for a relationship when he and Jesse first spend the night chatting over the bar, but he can't deny that he's interested pretty shortly thereafter.

Both of these characters are smart in that they decide to move things slowly, but at the same time the feelings do develop between them at a breakneck speed. Further complicating things is the fact that Jesse has HIV and Garrett grew up in a time when that was actually a death sentence.

Although there are some overreactions from Garrett over the course of the story, I didn't find them overblown. One of the things I most loved about this story was that both characters had more than ample reasons given for their actions and overreactions. Both characters were very well fleshed out. I absolutely fell in love with both of them. If their character voices weren't quite as separate as I would have liked them to be, that's possibly only something I would have noticed.

What I love about this author is that she writes so broadly. You’ll find romance with little or no heat but there are also books that burn up the pages. There is military featured, priests, rock stars, mafia and comic book geeks. There really is something there for everyone.

I’ve followed the Bluewater Bay series since early 2015 (I think) and knowing that this (with Outside the Lines – which was released the same day) is the last book had a bittersweet feel to it. I’ve really come to love this community of actors, small-town peeps and those working on the production behind the scenes. I’m sad to say goodbye, but I’m also excited for all the new books. And when I’m craving some Bluewater Bay I’ll always have the books to take me back again.

I read New Hand immediately after I finished Outside the Lines and I realise that maybe it wasn’t the smartest move because now those two stories are so linked in my mind — also because they feature the same characters — that I’m not sure what happened in which book. At the same time I loved that I could go from Ian, Lydia and Simon’s story to Jesse’s because I came to really love him in Outside the Lines. Having New Hand to read immediately after Outside the Lines was awesome and I can only recommend you to read those two close together.

Right from the first page Witt drew me in. Garrett is grieving for his late husband. And Jesse has to deal with the stigma and prejudice of someone who recently found out about his status. To say they don’t have it easy would be an understatement. Still, there is an immediate camaraderie between them that I really loved. I’m a sucker for slow-evolving romances and this one hit just the right notes for me. I loved the natural progression and how Jesse and Garrett build a solid base of trust rather than jumping into bed five minutes after meeting. (Which given their past wouldn’t have felt realistic or true to character anyway.) Though when they do jump into bed… whew! Let’s just say these two know how to burn up the sheets!

The first half of the story is rather light and the conflict arises in the latter half of the book when the guys know each other better and are already emotionally involved.
I loved the honeymoon-phase of their relationship – when everything is great and smooth sailing. Though it doesn’t take long until reality catches up with them and they have to face what it means being in a relationship with someone who is HIV-positive.

To me it felt like Witt did a great job portraying the live of someone who is positive without it being queer-pain porn — same for Garrett who is still processing the death of his husband. Witt deftly weaves a story of loss and new beginnings and you can’t help but fall for her characters. I wanted to hug both of them so much to protect them from being hurt again…but at the same time I trusted them to figure it out together through communication and by listening to their hearts.

New Hand is told from both Garrett’s and Jesse’s point of view, which worked really well for this story and added a layer of tension. We really understand why they are reacting the way they are – but sometimes want to shake them so they see what’s right in front of them.

New Hand is another awesome story in this series and (together with Outside the Lines) rounds the Bluewater Bay series up perfectly. If you’re a fan of May/December, friends to lovers stories with a bit of geekiness this might be perfect for you. Definitely recommend you to read it!

Garrett needs a new start, he can't keep living in the house he shared with his husband, so he leave Seattle and their shared past behind after eight months of being alone and moves to Bluewater Bay. He picks up a job as a bartender and meets all sorts of interesting people but he doesn't expect to meet someone who will make him feel again.

Jesse is in the bar to drowned his sorrows after his friends with benefits leaves him once he disclosed his HIV status, so he starts chatting with the bartender.

Jesse and Garrett become friends, so chat and hang out, because that he all either of them needs right now. Jesse doesn't think Garrett would be interested him because he is still raw from the passing of his husband. When sparks start to fly between them, they have to learn to navigate a couple different hurdles.

This was a great book, I enjoyed the way the author treated Jesse and his struggle with finding someone who would continue to treat him life a regular person even though he has HIV. While Garrett went a little overboard at times it was easy to see it was his fears driving him not anything else.

I have to admit, I was more than a little sad when I found out that New Hand would be the very last book in the Bluewater Bay series. Even so, I'm happy to say that it ended on a high note and it was rather appropriate that L.A. Witt wrote both the first and last book in the series (plus a few in between.) I really like these multi-author series. They not only introduce me to authors that I may not have otherwise known about, but they also give perspectives on a whole spectrum of ideas, situations, issues... that I didn't know existed or never considered. In the Bluewater Bay series, there were even a couple of F/F books thrown into the mix, which isn't one of my go-to genres. I can't say that I've become a true fan, but I like stepping out of my comfort zone from time to time. Even though most of these books would have been easy to read as a stand alone, I personally think that you get a lot more out of each book if you've read them all. New Hand is a good example of that. Not only were some of the characters from Starstruck (the first book in the series) but Jesse was introduced in Outside the Lines, and characters in that book played an important role in New Hand. Just my opinion though. Honestly, there are very few books in the series I wouldn't recommend. ;)

As for Jesse and Garrett's story - these guys took turns breaking my heart. They were equally broken for very different reasons. Garrett was grieving and trying to run away from the memories. Even though he was attracted to Jesse from the first time he saw him, he spent a lot of time in his head second guessing his feelings. It didn't help that he had well meaning (and some not-so-well meaning) friends and family re-inforcing those doubts. It seemed like for every positive step forward he took, he was pushed back two or more.

In the mean time Jesse was dealing with rejection and he couldn't risk his heart any more by being a rebound for a grieving man. Once he realized that Garrett's response to his admission wasn't rejection, things got better, but he still wasn't sure. The crazy part was, neither was Garrett, but he didn't want to give Jesse up. He just had to convince him of that before it was too late.

There was a lot to love about this book. If you've been here before, you know how I feel about supporting characters and New Hand had some of the best. I fell in love with Lydia, Simon and Ian from Outside the Lines all over again, but especially Lydia. There were even more characters from previous books thrown into the mix which was also fun. Garrett went a little fan boy from time to time, which was kind of adorable, especially since he was the older man in this May/December romance.

So yeah, New Hand brought this series to a satisfying end. I'm kinda hoping that some of the authors treat readers to at least a peek at a few of the characters in the series in the future. Even if that never happens, I'm pretty sure that this is a series that I'll pick up again.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
I decided to read New Hand for the very reason I probably shouldn’t have – Jesse’s HIV status. You see, my best friend and partner of nearly a decade was HIV+, and while we weren’t romantically involved, I saw the struggles he dealt with when disclosing his status to others. So I already had a vested interest in Jesse before opening the book and knew this was going to be a particularly personal read for me. However, I had no idea just how hard it was going to hit me until Garrett revealed why his husband died. I actually considered stopping the book right there because I wasn’t sure I could deal with the emotions I knew would come up as I read their story. But I’d just finished reading a romantic comedy the night before and my spirits were still buoyed by it, so I stuck with New Hand and I’m so glad I did – even if I lost track of the number of times I cried while reading it.

Don’t let my emotional reaction to the book scare you off because it’s really not a sad story, it’s just a difficult time of year for me to read a story that hits on two of my biggest issues. In fact, Jesse and Garrett’s meet cute was perfect – the “they don’t make ‘em much gayer than me” guy who’s just been stood up spends the night chatting up the hot bartender at a lumberjack bar and both men part for the evening feeling grateful to have made a real connection with someone, if only for that night. For Jesse, it was a balm to his soul after being rejected by someone he’d considered a friend. For Garrett, it was an indication that maybe he wasn’t as dead inside as he’d thought he was since his husband’s death less than a year ago. Because both men have baggage they’re unsure of how to share, their journey is not smooth sailing – but it is realistic, even as moments of it left me crying for one, the other, or the both of them. And again, I feel like I’m focusing on the depressing parts, but this was an emotional read for me. That said, I loved watching these two geek out over games and things I have no clue about, but it didn’t matter because their shared passion for them was obvious. Their relationship developed slowly in some respects and moved quickly in others, and yet it felt right for them. There was no rush to bed and that allowed them to savor their time getting to know one another and start building the foundation they would need when obstacles tried to derail them – and boy, were there some doozies.

It’s my understanding that this is the final installment in the Bluewater Bay series and I loved how Witt addressed the show that got it all started, Wolf’s Landing. That the author was able to incorporate several of the past characters and include yet another wedding for a couple from a previous book reminded me why I enjoy this series so much. The people of Bluewater Bay and Wolf’s Landing have forged lasting bonds, meaningful relationships, and families – both legal and emotional – over the course of the series. The sense of community and camaraderie that has developed over the past three years has made these characters feel more like friends than fiction, but at least I can revisit Bluewater Bay anytime I want.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars
M/M Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Garrett is mourning the loss of his husband. He is wrapped in the pain of surviving, watching someone he loves die, and having to deal with the aftermath. He choses to pick up and start over near friends – away from the pain of his husband's death. He has found a happy place and despite not having the accounting job anymore, he loves being a bartender.

Jesse is living life the best he knows how. Being HIV positive is sometimes a hinderance on his personal life, but he's had it so long that he knows how to handle it. When he finds himself stood up by someone he thought cared for him, he finds himself at the mercy of Garrett.

This story is more than a romance. It is both men working through their own preconceived notions, prejudice of society, and their own family drama. Their relationship begins rocky and kind of stays on that precipice for a while.

I wish that there was less introspection and more relationship, but overall this was a successful story. Both characters grow throughout the story and, for the most part, they find themselves and each other.


Sarah – ☆☆☆
This is the last Bluewater Bay book and I really wanted to love it. But this is a heavy, difficult read and somewhere between the grief, the angst, and the miscommunications, my attention wandered.

I loved Jesse in the previous book and I enjoyed him here. His back story and his struggles as an HIV positive man are difficult, but I loved the fun he has with his work and the relationships he has with his geeky friends.

I’m still not sure Garrett was ready for a new relationship when he met Jesse. His grief overwhelms the story at times. His struggles are awful. His pain is real. But this is supposed to be a romance and I want to know that the men in my romances are meant for each other. That they make each other better people. And I didn’t feel that here. At times, I just saw Jesse getting a raw deal because Garrett was still grieving hard.

There are some lovely moments here. I loved seeing favourite characters from earlier books and watching them come together in this one. I loved Lydia, Simo,n and Ian fiercely in the previous story and I’m glad they’re all back in this one.

I’ve really enjoyed this series, but unfortunately, Garrett and Jesse didn’t quite work for me.

Having read nearly every Bluewater Bay story since the beginning, I’ve been increasingly anxious lately about the series’ end. Many of the characters introduced in these titles have meant a great deal to me, the glimpses into lives that might be led making me think about how I view the world on the other side of my own door. New Hand, the final book in the series by inaugural author L.A. Witt, brings everything to a close in some very familiar ways: with heartache, laughter, hope, and a lot of love.

Though every character in the Bluewater Bay universe has had significant conflict to work through, Jesse and Garrett face an uphill battle from minute one. Garret’s (ongoing) grieving, Jesse’s (also ongoing) experiences with regards to his status, their age difference, lingering wariness from previous relationships, and—of course—the opinions of others all contribute to an intimidating assemblage of obstacles that tests both men throughout the narrative.

One of the longer titles in the series, New Hand covers a lot of territory as Jesse and Garrett navigate the beginning of their relationship. The loss of Garrett’s husband illustrates the very personal nature of grief, and the ease with which those around us can affect that process. How soon is too soon to love again? And who gets to decide? Another complication which I’d originally thought applied more to Garrett—that some burdens simply aren’t transferrable nor shareable—actually applies to both men. As does the fact that similarities between two people doesn’t make one a replacement for another. Even though all these issues and questions are extremely important, the “informative” feel of some of these passages did seem to weigh the story down in places.

While I liked Garrett—and adored Jesse—my favorite part of New Hand was the return of the main characters of the previous title, Outside the Lines. I knew they’d be back, but I was thrilled with how often they appeared in Jesse and Garrett’s story. Simon and Ian were a welcome sight, but Lydia is still just about the best thing ever. In truth, I don’t think the story would have worked nearly as well without her being there as much as she was.

The Bluewater Bay series has always been unique among many of the other long-running series I’ve read. The thoughtful, and generally respectful, approach the authors tried to take with regards to the lives of the characters made it a favorite early on, and I’ll miss the anticipation of waiting for the next story to come out. Still, Outside the Lines and New Hand were a pleasure and left Wolf’s Landing and the town itself in a good place, making saying goodbye a little easier.

This story was a journey. It wasn't incredibly angst-y but the characters both go through so much soul searching and emotional upheaval that going along for the ride with them was intense.

The first mc, Garrett, has lost his husband to a long and drawn out illness just a year prior to meeting the second mc, Jesse. Jesse is working through his own insecurities living HIV+.

There was so much information in the story about how people can live with this diagnosis today and I was glad to see how he does it. I've read several stories over the past few years and this was the most hopeful and uplifting one I've enjoyed. Likening it to managing diabetes helps put it into perspective and I really appreciated that.

The kicker in the twist is that Jesse is practically a clone to Garrett's deceased husband, so all kinds of doubts and questions are swirling around both of them through most of the story... which created so many uncomfortable feelings for me and made it hard to read. I truly felt Jesse was being short changed and taken advantage of unfairly. Garrett was sweet, but wow talk about making your new squeeze into the perfect rebound guy!

I've got no problem giving this story 4 stars. Witt does an amazing job building these characters and just because I didn't love their actions and feelings all the time doesn't mean it wasn't a good novel. It sure made me think and ultimately I did enjoy it and have no problems recommending it.

Anything by L.A. Witt is an automatic read and I love the Bluewater Bay series so I figured this would be a slam dunk read. But....it didn't do much for me. Jesse and Garrett both carry a mountain of baggage on their shoulders, and while that didn't bother me, at times it felt like *too* much angst to climb. Witt's writing is on point, like always, the continuity of the Bluewater Bay world was there, and the struggles Jesse had as HIV gay man where realistic. So, it's not a bad book by any means, it just didn't have that "something special" so many of the other titles in the series had for me.

Reviews shared on V's Reads, Goodreads, Amazon and B & N: https://vsreads.com/2017/12/22/end-of-the-road-new-hand-review-and-giveaway/

Jesse Connelly is a twenty-seven year old flamboyant gay man who manages End o'Earth Comics. He was infected with HIV by his first sexual partner back in high school and has been managing the disease for the past decade. He's always upfront with his status with new partners, but his most recent love interest was a friend, first, and just when they started getting physical Jesse confided his (undetectable) status. And that dude has just stood Jesse up at the local alehouse. Feeling down, Jesse is charmed by the sexy silver fox bartender who's new to the area.

Garrett's younger husband died of cancer eight months ago. Though he'd been counseled not to make big changes for the first year of grief, Garrett sold his home, quit his job and moved form Seattle to Bluewater Bay to be near his good friend, Scott, a marriage and grief counselor. They each had lost partners young, and Garrett's encouraged that Scott has now found love again. Garrett's not looking for love, but he wants to know that he won't always be so overwhelmed with grief that he'll spend the rest of his life alone. Then, he meets Jesse.

The attraction is unexpected, and immediate. Garrett's been celibate since before his husband died, but they both agreed he should find a new love. Jesse feels horrible and unattractive because of his status, but Garrett's interest is a big ego boost. They have some issues regarding Jesse's health, but it's not because of HIV; Garrett has PTSD from caring for, and losing, his husband. Once they get past the misunderstanding, it's hot times in Bluewater Bay for these two. Scott counsels Garrett to enjoy the comfort Jesse offers, and Jesse's ever-mindful about Garrestt's loss. In fact, he's a great confidante, willing to listen to Garrett's memories of his husband. They enjoy each other physically, but also emotionally and on a friendship-level, too. It's cathartic and tender, and their bond seems unshakable, until Garrett's in-laws find out about Jesse. And, their unsolicited disapproval provides a hiccup that makes them both pause and reassess. Is Garrett using Jesse as a replacement? Or, are these feelings both Jesse and Garrett are experiencing the beginning of a new life together.

This is a hurt-comfort story that has many facets. Garrett and Scott do a lot of soul-searching about guilt and loss. Jesse pushes all sorts of buttons for Garrett, but they aren't all in common with those of his late husband. They share different and fun interests, including gaming and comics. Garrett sees Jesse as his own man, one Garrett feels honored to spend times with, but his friends and family are worried he's moving on "too soon" which brings conflict and guilt. It's natural that Jesse would wonder if he's being set up for huge disappointment. If he's just a rebound fling, well, it's going to crush him, now that he's gone and fallen for Garrett. I loved how Garrett and Jesse examined their relationship, and accepted good advice from friends. It's not easy to admit one is wrong, and they both had their share of apologies to make at different points. They have a fantastic physical connection, and they are able to reassure each other that their feelings for each other is genuine in the end.

This book may mark the end of the Bluewater Bay series, and I've enjoyed so many of the stories. I think I've read 21 of the 23 books and probably rated most of the 4 stars or higher. It was great to see the wrap up of some of the previous couples, including Scott and Jeremy from RAIN SHADOW get married. I chuckled to see the age-gap couples (Levi and Carter, and Hunter and Kevin) pal around with Jesse and Garrett. I loved how the young whippersnappers ganged up on their mature partners, but relished their experience and patient loving. O.O A sweet and tender story.

I've never read a book by L.A. Witt that I didn't like.

But this one...this one I loved!

Anyone who has lost a loved one and lived through the grief, the anguish and the pain will feel Garrett.

Everyone will wish there was a Jesse in their life.

Their story was slow and poignant. Filled with kindness and caring.

Perfectly beautiful.

4.5 Stars!

After Jesse is stood up by his date, after disclosing his HIV status, he meets widower bartender Garrett, who recently moved to Bluewater Bay. The two of them hit it off despite their age difference and start dating, however, after Charlie's reaction, Jesse is wary of telling Garrett that he's positive and Garrett is having trouble dealing with his grief and deciding if what he feels for Jesse is real or if he's just a stand-in for the man he lost.

I loved Jesse and I wanted to kill Charlie for standing him up like he did, although it ultimately worked in Jesse's favor. My heart broke for Jesse's pain at being dismissed so callously for being HIV positive and made his reticence and then his reaction to Garrett's shock when Jesse finally told him about it understandable. Ms. Witt did a great job with this whole angle, being informative and sensitive about the subject matter, without going overboard. Jesse was sweet, understanding and supportive and I just loved how he wanted to help Garrett in any way he could.

I really liked Garrett, although there were moments in which I just wanted to scream or throw my Kindle away. I understood he was grieving and that it's a process, but the push and pull got tiresome after a while. It's like he was doing well, then someone said something and he was back to square one and doubting himself and whatever he might have been feeling for Jesse. It got a bit repetitive, though. Still, the chemistry between Jesse and Garrett was outstanding. They were hot together and when Garrett wasn't being difficult, they just fit together so perfectly despite their age difference. Never mind that even if I've said it before, LA Witt just writes the most amazing kisses. *dreamy sigh*

I really liked the supporting cast and while this is my first Bluewater Bay book, I feel like it really could be read as a standalone. That doesn't mean that I won't be looking for some of the other books, since I was intrigued by some of the characters featured in this story.

All in all, this was a great introduction to the series for me (and yes, I'm aware it's the last book), it was enjoyable, well-written, interesting, with great characters that I was totally rooting for and really good storylines. Very recommendable!

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

I'm a fan of L.A. Witt but this wasn't one of my favorite books. I never really felt the connection between Garrett and Jesse. I think Garrett still had so much grieving to do and I didn't feel like he was in a place to move on so I never really believed the love between the two of them. Another issue was that there was a lot of information "dumped" into the book about the game Jessie played, HIV and the grief process. I liked both Garrett and Jesse a lot but they seemed more like two friends than two men falling in love.

Jesse, I loved him. He'd had a tough time, scarily what happened to him is probably commoner than we think, in terms of STDs rather than full on HIV. Poor kid. It must be hard coming to terms with being sexually different to most of your peers without having that lumped on top. He copes really well, and I understood his anger at others actions. People are scared though of what they don't understand, and I liked that Garret took the trouble to look things up, ask professionals and not just give poor Jesse the elbow over something out of his control. I never felt like the age difference was an issue in this story and even occasionally forgot that there was an age gap of 15 or so years.

I also will admit I may just not have been in the mood for a book that was dealing with a grief stricken widow. Being this close to Christmas I like my books to be happy and although I won't say this was angsty it did have a lot of sadness in it.

Overall, a good book but I've read books by L.A. Witt that I enjoyed a lot more.

3 for the sentences, not for the story
I'll keep it short.
Two guys with a mountain of baggage on their shoulders.
The story was too expanded.... I scrolled and scrolled. The writing style was of course good it's from a good author but...the story didn't hold my attention. Too much information, too much attention about other parts of their life... too much of the past and too little about progress...

4.5 stars

I really loved New Hand, so much so that it hovered close to the 5 star mark much of the time. I hadn’t read any books from The Bluewater Bay series so I began this title with minimal expectations, though I was a little nervous I’d be lost as this is the final book of the series. While the story contains a few cameos from other characters in the series, some playing larger parts than others, New Hand can easily be read and enjoyed as a standalone as I did.

New Hand was one of those books that flowed so well, it was hard for me to put down. The banter between characters was smooth and faster paced, the narrative easy, and the story interesting. I was immediately hooked by Garrett and Jesse, and I loved the way Miss Witt infused their personalities into the characters’ points of view, making their personalities pop. Though this is a May-December romance, the difference in age wasn’t much of a focus with the other scenarios facing the couple.

When a leading character is a widower, I’m always curious as to how the author will approach that past relationship and I think New Hand is one of the better books I’ve read dealing with the loss of a partner. While this wasn’t a depressing read, it was emotional- leaving me teary eyed more than once. Garrett is still processing the death of his husband when he first meets Jesse and though Miss Witt didn’t let the story or characters get lost in the grief, she also doesn’t avoid the pain or sweep the less than bubbly parts under the rug. It was balanced, touching on so many emotions that it was impossible not to feel all those highs and lows right along with the characters. I especially liked that the story incorporated things you might not think of, such as how Jesse processed Garrett being a widower and dealt with learning about Sean, Garrett’s deceased husband. Sometimes it did feel as though Sean was a third leading character in the story, but that inclusion leant believability to their story and certainly made this a book I'll remember.

I don’t know that I’d characterize New Hand as a hurt/comfort romance, but it definitely had elements of that. The emotion in this book certainly is palpable and I really enjoyed getting to know the characters, seeing them come together, grow, and ultimately reach a good resolution that left me with a smile on my face. I’d wager that this will be one of the more memorable books I’ll read over the coming year.