User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
RATING 4.5 STARS
Melting is book one in the Otter Bay series by Sean Ashcroft. This is my very first book by Sean. It was light and sweet and sexy and fun and just a wonderful read.
Wes is twenty nine years old and has worked for the past two years as a personal assistant to Mr. Lewis. He loves his job and he and Mr. Lewis have become more like family than boss/employee. Wes lives on the property in the guest house. For the entire time he has worked there, he has heard about Mr. Lewis’s son, Hayden, but had never met him. But Hayden is coming to visit for the summer and when they first meet, Wes can’t believe how beautiful he is.
Hayden Lewis has had a rough few years. He is also twenty nine and lives in New York where he owns his own ice cream and pastry shop. A year prior, Hayden’s long time boyfriend left him which caused him to spend even more time at work. He’s exhausted, both physically and emotionally. So when his dad asked him to visit for the summer, Hayden knows he has to go. That this is his chance to rest, get some sun, enjoy himself. Little did he expect the first thing he would see when walking into his dad’s house!
Wes, although he has wonderful friends and loves his job, is still in a kind of limbo. He floats from one bed to another, no one ever interesting him enough for a repeat performance. Hayden is still hurting from his break up. And even though his shop is everything he wanted it to be, he seems to have lost the enjoyment it once held.
“I was drowning, but as long as he held my hand, I could still breathe.” 
Hayden is the boss’s son, Wes, the employee. But that didn’t stop the sparks from flying between them. These two were like peanut butter and jelly. They just fit perfectly. Things heated up fast and it didn’t take long for their hearts to follow.
I loved these two so much. There was no angst, no push away, just pure enjoyment being in each other’s company. And when there was anything happening, they were always each other’s first concern. Still, Hayden’s life, his restaurant, is back in New York and Wes’s life is in Otter Bay, Oregon. Is there any way they can make this work? Or is their summer fling all they will ever have? The next book in this series is called Grinding, and I can’t wait to read it!
“Making Wes happy was my new favorite hobby, and I planned to spend a lot of time doing it.” For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...
Rating: really liked it
4**** starsA sweet, flufftastic, perfect light summer beach read with absolutely adorable main as well as side characters. Especially the bunch of best-friends Wes & Hayden have there in Otter Bay.
“Can I hold your hand while we sleep?”
“Like otters?”
“Like otters,” […]“So we won’t lose each other.”
*hard swoon ♡
Rating: really liked it
Aaw, I feel bad not giving this book a bigger chance, but I DNF'd at 35%.
To be honest, I found Wes and Hayden utterly boring. I can't really give a proper explanation, because both guys are decent characters, I just didn't click with them at all. Maybe it's the instalust aspect, I don't know.
And when you realize you only look forward to opening the book because you like to see the cover model again and again...well then it's better to DNF, LOL.
Rating: really liked it
Like one of those teeny tiny lemon sorbets between meals at a nice restaurant - a quick, sweet palate cleanser.
Rating: really liked it
This book is 100% pure fluff and I lived for it.
I've grown to love Sean Ashcroft's writing so much since I picked up my first book written by her. This, however is going straight to the top of favorite books of the year.
It is sweet, it is fluffy, it is sexy, it is hilarious and the angst is almost non existing. Seriously. All I could ask for. Hayden and Wes were like two puzzle pieces fitting together (yes I stole this quote from Hayden's dad).
I'll write a more intelligent review when I'm not caught up in all the feels of this fantastic book.
And have you seen the cover? It's hot!
Rating: really liked it
This was like my favorite pint of Mint Chocolate ice cream, with enough hot-chocolate sauce to feel that warm, fuzzy feeling settle into your bones. Yum.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars!My first read by this author and it was a win for me. I felt that Wes and Hayden had a connection from the beginning, their chemistry was wonderful and they were sweet and adorable together. Sometimes maybe too sweet and cutesy? Maybe, but for the most part I love that so much and just give me all the fluff, I love it. And it wasn't like was 100% fluff, there was still the fact that Hayden lived across the country they had to work through.
But these two were so wonderful together that I definitely believed that they could fall in love over about 2 weeks time.
It was a little less believable that Wes, who was put off relationship and was all about hookups before he met Hayden, wouldn't at
least have a legit freak out at how he's falling for Hayden, but he doesn't really.
But it wasn't so bad that it took me out of the story or anything. It just was in the back of my mind that Wes' non-reaction to falling for someone after being so pro-hookups was not entirely realistic. But I don't always need realism in my romance. Sappy and sweet? Hell yes, if don't well and done right I absolutely love it, and this was done right.
The sex was also hot AF between these two, and also sweet when they got to making love.
These two were just perfect for each other from the start, and I adored this book, it was a great first read by this author.
So I definitely recommend, two thumbs up from me!
Rating: really liked it
Well that was a nice surprise! I was only going to read the sample after Amazon caught me at a weak moment with it's homepage marketing, but I got sucked in and had to see it through. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a no-angst, fluffy romance novel and I think I may have found my new go-to author for it. This book was pure joy and sunshine.
I loved Wes because he came across as a genuinely happy guy. Some would say he was maybe a little too perfect, but I actually liked that he didn't fit the typical player stereotype of being a dick while resisting anything that remotely resembled a relationship. Hayden was the complete opposite of Wes. He was a year out of a demoralizing 5 year relationship and still suffering the blow to his self worth and esteem. He worked too much, never had any fun and looked 15 years older than his actual age. I loved how good coming home, spending time with his dad and meeting Wes and his friends (who were so much fun) was for Hayden. It was really beautiful to watch him come back to life.
It was such a relief every time I thought things were about to take a turn for the worse in this book and they didn't. When I say zero angst, I mean it. These two men wanted to be together and, rather than fight it like I expected them to, they fought FOR it. The plot itself was nothing new and it was pretty obvious from the beginning how it would all work out, but the characters and the friendships and all of the smiles, laughter and hand holding (oh god, the otter story made me smile like a complete idiot) made up for it. I honestly can't recommend this book enough if you're looking for something light and sweet and fun. I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series and will probably sprinkle them in between some of the heavier stuff I've got on my tbr list right now.
Rating: really liked it
This was the equivalent of the cloying, saccharine scent of flowers wafting by on a hot summer breeze. Sweet, breezy, hot and at times a little uncomfortable. And like summer at times, I did enjoy it more than tolerating it, but like the eternal cycle of seasons, it could very much be forgotten once the next one rolled along.
There was insta-attraction, and a sorta meet-cute (or meet-funny?) when Hayden and Wes first clapped eyes at each other, and after one uncontrollable and passionate kiss later, it escalates to plenty of sexy times, and then the progression of love. A tried and tested method of romance writing, it was nice and easy, with no fuss and with an almost standard separation before clashing back into each others' orbit again. It was
nice, and that can hold double meanings. Nice in a way that one won't strain oneself when reading this book, but nice in a way that it's just that,
nice, nothing more, nothing less. At times I wanted just a bit more of the envelope to be pushed, but yet the simplicity managed to wear me down and had me simply sit back and enjoying the ride.
What made me bump up to four stars though, was definitely the characters. I fell in love with them and I wanted more, beyond the book even. Hayden was just the perfect mix of lost and unsure, and Wes of fun and caring. Their individual POVs and voices were distinct, and their personalities shone through clear and bright. Their chemistry rolled off the pages and their relationship was all kinds of hot, sexy yet sweet and romantic, almost to the point of tasting like a first love. Their witty banters and inner dialogues were amusing and charming, hilarious many a times and brought on sore cheeks on my part for smiling and laughing too much. I also adored the cast of secondary characters, who added so much more dimension, charm, fun and funny to the story.
This was written fairly well, with clear distinction of voices and POVs, and the story progression was smooth and even. The sex scenes were hot, and although there might be one too many, I did appreciate the fact that some of them were just lightly referenced, and not a whole 10 page song and dance number. I do enjoy sex scenes on books, don't get me wrong, but for me, it has to service the story and not just thrown in for good measure. And although at times my eyes did glaze over some of the sex scenes, I was grateful that not all them were long and drawn out.
One gripe I do have though on the overall writing was that it was a little too choppy in style for me. It almost got a tad frustrating at times going throught the somewhat disjointed feel of the paragraphs and texts. It got better along the way, once I got used to it, but it definitely had an effect of putting me off earlier on.
Overall, I did enjoy it, not as much as I thought I might but strangely not as little as I expected to. Maybe that was just it. An average book heightened by the strength of its characters. But, if all of Sean Ashcroft's characters are as good as those in this book, I just might dip my toe in to more of his books in future.
Rating: really liked it
AwwWhat a sweet and cute book, with lots of fun moments. Despite being very low-angst, I still teared up a couple of times. It was just the right dose of happy escapism I needed.
Rating: really liked it
*** 3.5 Stars ***Sean Ashcroft doesn't 'do' books with complicated plots or emotions; they are all just going to smother you with their sweetness and you're either along for the ride or you're not. This one hit me at the right moment and in the right mood and I enjoyed it's easy, breezy nature.
Rating: really liked it
I had an interesting journey with this one:
Beginning: “Okay, I’m into the premise, let’s see what happens.”
Middle: “Toying with the idea of DNF because, while I definitely don’t dislike it, I’m feeling comfortable to the point of getting a little bored.”
End: “I’m so happy, I need a tissue. For my face. Because tears...not the other— you know what, never mind.”
What starts out as a tease for a turbulent opposites-attract romance turns into a sweet, thoroughly inoffensive instalove story, then delivers in the last half with excellent and authentic feels.
Rating: really liked it
4.25 StarsThis is a super cute read, and one of the most lighthearted romances I've come across. The protagonists are Wes and Hayden. Wes works as an assistant (of sorts) at Hayden's father's home. The two have never met since Hayden moved to a different state years ago. But now, when his friend finally convinces him to take a break, Hayden's headed home for the summer. And since Hayden can be a bit sullen, his father's asked Wes to show Hayden around, maybe befriend him. Though just friendship becomes a complication from their first meeting because the two are definitely attracted to each other. Even if Wes thinks of Hayden as off-limits.
And so begin a series of events that are adorable, romantic, hot, sweet, funny, and just great to read about. There's basically no angst to be found. And despite the lack of tension, the book doesn't get boring. The biggest reason for that is the protagonists. They're both so fucking likable. And honest. It's so refreshing to see a book avoid unnecessary conflict caused by unnecessary lies or omissions.
The side characters are also a great addition. They're entertaining, and also very likable. I kinda wanted to be friends with these people, and I never try to befriend anyone! But the book had such a happy feeling to it that I wouldn't have minded being a part of it for a while.
As for issues, it maybe had one sex scene too many? It has quite a few but they're well-written, never overly long, and never repetitive, so I liked all of them. But yeah, one or two could have been cut. The second issue is that someone needs to have a conversation with whoever was responsible for editing/proofreading. Some sentences could've been rephrased, and a couple of grammatical errors could have been avoided.
One last thing, Hayden was said to have an icy exterior, and I never saw it. He could be a little reserved and awkward, sure, but never cold. I think it was added just to keep up with the ice cream theme—Hayden's an ice cream chef—but it didn't need to be there.
And that's it for the review. The issues that I have were, for me, minor. Because none of them took away from how much I liked and enjoyed the book. In fact, a part of me wants to jump right into another book by the author. Who needs sleep, anyway? But irrespective of whether I do that or not, this is a book I'd definitely recommend checking out. It's a feel-good read for sure.
Rating: really liked it
¸.•´¸★*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.★¨*.¸¸.•`★¤
I want more of these guys!¤★¨*.¸¸.*ˑ˞★
"I knew that the moment I saw the two of you together. It was like looking at two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and knowing they were going to fit with each other before you even picked one of them up." ~Hayden's dad
So. I am a sop. I love a good romantic book and boy did I get it with this one. From the first page to the last, the author poured his heart and soul into this book and had me so drawn in, it was not to be put down. Read from cover to cover with total enjoyment!!
There was not one on screen character that didn't bring something to the pages. Wes's friends were hilarious and entertaining. I am hoping that the author considers giving Andre his own story line. Mr. Lewis was the best father ever and was the major cheerleader for his son and Wes.
Wes and Hayden. They needed each other to reach their potential and I am ecstatic that no drama was needed within their book to give them their happy ending. A definite recommendation and one for my top 20 of 2020.
I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this book without bias or persuasion from the author.
Rating: really liked it
I love Sean Ashcroft’s books! This was a really cute funny story. Both characters were great and the supporting cast - mostly Hayden’s father - was fantastic too. I did want a bit more in signage into Wes’ family situation, but overall, a cute fun read.
