Nortown Box Set 1 by Ofelia Gränd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 Stars

In the forward of the book, the author mentions that she started writing this series mocking some of the commonly used tropes and so I was expecting an overwhelming sense of dry humor, but found a few touching stories about a small town in the woods with a quaint cafe, some lumberjacks and a couple of old gossipy knitters.

Once in a Snowstorm: Aiden & Tristan

Aiden has a chip on his shoulder. He feels he's been wrongly stereotyped his entire life for being short and thin and stylish. Oh, and he loves yoga. And lattes. When he finds himself with nowhere to go, literally carried from his death in the snow by a lumberjack named Tristan, he finds himself not knowing what to think about his future. Trust doesn't come easily to Tristan after his divorce and he's not looking for anything, but when Aiden adds life to his dull cabin, he can't help but wonder what a little color would look like.

Once in a Forest: Tom & Jason

Jason is in town visiting Aiden for the holiday and wants to have a bit of fun. When Tom is guilted into letting Jason stay with him, he worries what everyone will think and say. But he can't hide his feelings for long.

The Empty Egg: Aiden & Tristan

When Aiden wants to surprise Tristan with an Easter Egg filled with fudge, he has to think on his feet after he eats it all. This one was more of a bonus scene.

Once in May: Zachary & John

John has lived in town for 3 years and has barely spoken to anyone. He's had a dark past and is unable to forget. When Zachary comes back to town after 8 years and sees John, he makes it his mission to befriend him and hopes for more.

Happy Endings: Aiden & Tristan

This was another bonus where Aiden is feeling overworked as he is trying to be an equal parter to Tristan financially.

There were three separate relationships at play all in the same small forest town and they were all very sweet, if not completely gooey inside. Each story had the Insta-Love cliche which I took in stride because of the forewarning up front. I don't anticipate I would have enjoyed the stories as much if I hadn't been aware that the intent was to overdramatise the situations. Given that information, it softened the nature of the quick turn around relationships and miscommunication.

I did enjoy the superfluous characters of the market owner, the cafe owner and her son, and the two knitters. Theirs stories were interwoven into each of the books in such a way that added a depth of character to Aiden, Tom and John that I appreciated.

If you are looking for a collection of steamy lumberjack stories, this is a great set with happy endings.

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