Best Laid Plans

Like a lot of reviewers, I didn't like this one nearly as much as the first. Charlie seemed like an interesting character in the first book but Parrish gave him this weird complex that just felt uncomfortable when paired up with Rye, who states he's pan without really showing that in the story or his background. They just didn't seem compatible at all and the relationship developed in a weird way. So I ended up not really liking either of them. The story itself was also too long, with the cat shelter business after fixing up the house dragged out a bit instead of spending that time actually developing the characters and their relationship.
The more stories I read taking place in this Podunk Wyoming town, the more it seems just wildly unrealistic. There must be something in the water if all of these characters have fluid sexualities and identities or are totally non-plussed by them in a rural town that has to be less than 2k. I'd like a little more conflict in that area, just to make something in this book have some actual stakes.
Overall, very meh but I'll probably continue with the series because I do enjoy Parrish's writing style. This book didn't really give a clue as to who the next couple is going to be but I hope they are a little more likeable and realistic than these two.

Solid Romance, Animals Again Nearly Steal The Show. This was a solid romance featuring one guy that never really had a chance to find himself, and another that perhaps had too much time to find himself. The connection to the prior book is fairly loose, in the way that many romance series are these days, with Charlie of our primary couple here being introduced in Book 1 (Better Than People) as the brother of one half of that book's couple. We get a touch of his back ground in that book, mostly as it relates to the brother, but here we get even more. And yes, the brother and his boyfriend from Book 1 show up a few times, even to the point of the new guy in this book befriending the boyfriend of Book 1 - which apparently is common when dating siblings. (At least according to what I've observed of my wife and sisters-in-law.) But in addition to the new guy, we are also introduced to a new cat in Chapter 1... and this cat damn near steals every scene it is in. Even moreso than the cats and dogs (including Charlie's own cat) of the first book. For me, this book completely worked. There were far less issues reading it than the first book, as while I identified with different elements here, it wasn't to the point of knowing all too well what certain ... sometimes “debilitating”... issues are like. But, yeah, blog tour - I also knew I had to finish this thing soon no matter what, anyway. :D Still, truly at least as strong as Book 1 (I could see a strong debate on which tale is “stronger”, and I could probably argue either side of it), and at least for this cat-lover, with its emphasis on cats over dogs, I'll give this one a slight edge on the first one. :D Very much recommended.