Pine Cove series by HJ Welch (Books 1-4)
Title: Safe Harbor (1), Troubled Waters (2), Homeward Bound (3), Bright Horizons (4)
Author: HJ Welch
Series: Pine Cove
Number of Pages: 298, 282, 342, 366
Genre: LGBTQ+ Romance
Publisher: Helen Juliet (1), Independently Published (2-4)
Date of Publication: Â May 17, 2019 & August 13, 2019 & September 16, 2019 & December 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1916027244 & â 978-1686181337 & 978-1693575129 & 978-1671854680
I had been listening to a lot of KC Wellsâs books on Audible and HJ Welch came up in my recommendation. This is the first series I have read by them. So far I have read four books and they are okay, the writing is a little amateur and I do not like some of the characters. I will finish it out but will probably choose a different author for this genre next.
Book one of the Pine Cove series is called Safe Harbor. It follows the clichĂŠ of a gay guy named Robin who has a room open in his apartment and rents it to a guy who he thinks is straight. In the end Dair accompanies him to a high school reunion where he will run into his ex and Dair will be the model fake boyfriend. A trope that has been done before so I was not too impressed with the storyline. These two are at least likeable and the storyline was entertaining.
Book two of the Pine Cove series, Troubled Waters, was probably my least favorite of the four Iâve read so far. Unfortunately I did not like the characters. Scout and Emery have a hookup in a bathroom of a bar and then end up getting stuck with each other as Emery needs a body guard and Scout gets hired. Scout to me, was not a strong character, and for some reason seems enamored by Emery right away. Emery is probably the most annoying gay character Iâve ever read and thinks heâs some sort of gay influencer online. The storyline was a little over the top as he somehow has a group of gay haters attacking him, breaking into his house, bombing him, kidnapping himâŚ.very unrealistic. There seems to be no character development between the two and the romance was subpar. Wouldnât recommend.
Book three of the Pine Cove series, Homeward Bound, was my favorite so far. I actually liked the characters and thought the storyline was alright. Micha gets in a spot of troubled with the law and ends up needing to return home. He reunites with his childhood friend and crush, Swift, and together they overcome Michaâs past as it attempts to catch up with him. Swift is strongly family oriented and has a child that Micha helps raise. The development between the two progresses nicely and the storyline never tired.
Book four of the Pine Cove series, Bright Horizons, was a yikes. This so far has been my least favorite, and I really didnât care for book two. Honestly this book felt more like a standalone or spinoff to the Pine Cove series. The two characters were not really tied to the original Pine Cove characters, more like mentioned in the first three books briefly. The book itself was not even based in Pine Cove. It starts in Pine Cove and then they go to London for the entirety of the book. Because of the two characters not really having ties to the rest, it didnât connect well with the series. The storyline was okay, Ben inherits a giant amount of money and estate in the UK and somehow has a lawyer regular at his coffee shop thatâs willing to up and leave his job for two weeks with no notice to go to BritainâŚ(laughable, you can tell the author isnât American, because realistically we canât just do that.) Ben isnât really a strong character and is easy to run over so he has issues coping with his new family and power. The character development between him and the lawyer, Elias, is pretty much nonexistentâŚWelch can leave these two in Britain behind. I hope book 5 goes back to Pine CoveâŚ.
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Alright for a quick listen on Audible if youâre bored.
 -Pine Cove Series #5-7 by HJ Welch
- First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
Book Goal: 19/75 Â = 25.3%
Page Goal: 6.7/20k = 33.8%
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