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Just Life #3
Just in Time
Sequel to Just Like a Date
Just Book Three
Mark Mendelson’s life is close to he has good friends, a successful business, and a solid reputation in the jewelry industry. He fought hard to get what he has after nearly losing it all fifteen years ago, when his then boyfriend, Cole Porter, stole his designs.
When a handsome man enters Mark’s store to request a commitment ring—a design Mark made specifically for Cole—Mark wants nothing to do with him. All he can think about is his rage at Cole’s betrayal, something he thought he’d dealt with long ago. But Mark’s would-be customer, Dr. Liam Watson, returns to the shop, thinking Mark might provide some answers. For years Liam has tried to convince his cousin Jon to leave Cole, who abuses him. As the relationship between Jon and Cole disintegrates, a fragile new one forms between Liam and Mark—but Mark can’t move on until he confronts Cole once and for all.
Just Book Three
Mark Mendelson’s life is close to he has good friends, a successful business, and a solid reputation in the jewelry industry. He fought hard to get what he has after nearly losing it all fifteen years ago, when his then boyfriend, Cole Porter, stole his designs.
When a handsome man enters Mark’s store to request a commitment ring—a design Mark made specifically for Cole—Mark wants nothing to do with him. All he can think about is his rage at Cole’s betrayal, something he thought he’d dealt with long ago. But Mark’s would-be customer, Dr. Liam Watson, returns to the shop, thinking Mark might provide some answers. For years Liam has tried to convince his cousin Jon to leave Cole, who abuses him. As the relationship between Jon and Cole disintegrates, a fragile new one forms between Liam and Mark—but Mark can’t move on until he confronts Cole once and for all.
108 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 5, 2013
12 people want to read
About the author
E.E. Montgomery
15Ìýbooks8ÌýfollowersE E Montgomery wants the world to be a better place, with equality and acceptance for all. Her philosophy is: We can’t change the world but we can change our small part of it and, in that way, influence the whole. Writing stories that show people finding their own ‘better placeâ€� is part of E E Montgomery’s own small contribution.
Thankfully, there’s never a shortage of inspiration for stories that show people growing in their acceptance and love of themselves and others. A dedicated people-watcher, E E finds stories everywhere. In a cafe, a cemetery, a book on space exploration or on the news, there’ll be a story of personal growth, love, and unconditional acceptance there somewhere.
You can contact E E Montgomery at [email protected], at her blog: , on Facebook: , on Twitter: @EEMontgomery1, or at her web site: .
Thankfully, there’s never a shortage of inspiration for stories that show people growing in their acceptance and love of themselves and others. A dedicated people-watcher, E E finds stories everywhere. In a cafe, a cemetery, a book on space exploration or on the news, there’ll be a story of personal growth, love, and unconditional acceptance there somewhere.
You can contact E E Montgomery at [email protected], at her blog: , on Facebook: , on Twitter: @EEMontgomery1, or at her web site: .
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 4, 2013
Jeweler Mark Mendelson had a large number of his designs stolen from him many years ago, and when he claimed having been wronged, nobody believed him. On the contrary, he was accused of being jealous of his then-boyfriend “Cole� Porter, who not only stole Mark’s designs, but even won an award with a ring he made after one of them. Since then, Mark worked hard to re-establish his reputation in the jewelry industry, and he succeeded, doing better than ever before. He also cut all ties with Cole, never again wanting anything to do with the man. So when Liam comes to Mark with a blueprint of that very same infamous ring, demanding Mark craft it for him, Mark is taken aback and all but throws Liam out of his shop. But Mark is also intrigued. Liam obviously has a personal connection of sorts with Cole, although he won’t come clear about the nature of said connection for the longest time, and he is persistent, returning to the shop and insisting on commissioning the ring to Mark. As they get to know each other more, Mark bit by bit reveals the trauma of his past relationship with Cole–and its ending–to Liam.
On the other hand, Liam remains secretive. It takes an attempt on Mark’s life to get Liam to talk, and even then, he does so only reluctantly. However, what little Liam reveals is enough to convince Mark he has to face Cole once again in order to be able to stop looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life.
Parts of this book I liked a lot, mainly the character of Mark, his talent, the passion he had for his profession, and his never-give-up-attitude. Liam, serene, calm and loyal to a fault, was a well-wrought character too, as was his conflicted, abused cousin Jon–and Cole, the bad guy in this story, was so over the top he was already good again, very much like the villain in some James Bond movie.
Also, the premise in and of itself was intriguing–the plagiarism affair, the artistic rivalry between Mark and Cole, Liam’s unexpected request, all this had the potential for a good mystery story.
But the mystery part was also where my problems with this story started. Even after a reread, I couldn’t figure out the actual motive at the basis of Liam’s request that Mark make the ring. Although this very question was addressed several times over the course of the story, it left me confused; either I missed the underlying logic somehow or there really wasn’t any.
Also, the romantic part, which was really more a subplot of sorts, wasn’t overly convincing to me. Liam’s secretiveness about the true nature of his connection to Cole appeared far-fetched, especially seeing as it was already revealed in the blurb. Liam’s closemouthedness was one of the reasons why I had problems to relate to the supposed attraction/connection between him and Mark. Despite their erotic encounters, as for me, there wasn’t a whole lot of chemistry between them.
I think this was also why I found the ending rather unsatisfactory. After a furious, action-filled finale, Liam and Mark suddenly were together. Perhaps. Or not. To me, the ending was too open and came a bit too out of the blue to be even remotely conclusive.
All in all, this was a story with an interesting premise and interesting characters that attempted a lot but, at least in my opinion, didn’t come up to the expectations it had raised.
On the other hand, Liam remains secretive. It takes an attempt on Mark’s life to get Liam to talk, and even then, he does so only reluctantly. However, what little Liam reveals is enough to convince Mark he has to face Cole once again in order to be able to stop looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life.
Parts of this book I liked a lot, mainly the character of Mark, his talent, the passion he had for his profession, and his never-give-up-attitude. Liam, serene, calm and loyal to a fault, was a well-wrought character too, as was his conflicted, abused cousin Jon–and Cole, the bad guy in this story, was so over the top he was already good again, very much like the villain in some James Bond movie.
Also, the premise in and of itself was intriguing–the plagiarism affair, the artistic rivalry between Mark and Cole, Liam’s unexpected request, all this had the potential for a good mystery story.
But the mystery part was also where my problems with this story started. Even after a reread, I couldn’t figure out the actual motive at the basis of Liam’s request that Mark make the ring. Although this very question was addressed several times over the course of the story, it left me confused; either I missed the underlying logic somehow or there really wasn’t any.
Also, the romantic part, which was really more a subplot of sorts, wasn’t overly convincing to me. Liam’s secretiveness about the true nature of his connection to Cole appeared far-fetched, especially seeing as it was already revealed in the blurb. Liam’s closemouthedness was one of the reasons why I had problems to relate to the supposed attraction/connection between him and Mark. Despite their erotic encounters, as for me, there wasn’t a whole lot of chemistry between them.
I think this was also why I found the ending rather unsatisfactory. After a furious, action-filled finale, Liam and Mark suddenly were together. Perhaps. Or not. To me, the ending was too open and came a bit too out of the blue to be even remotely conclusive.
All in all, this was a story with an interesting premise and interesting characters that attempted a lot but, at least in my opinion, didn’t come up to the expectations it had raised.
March 4, 2013
A Review
*sigh*
"Just in Time" is the third book from E.E. Montgomery's Just Life series. In it, we meet Mark, a silver haired and looking for love. He's been burned by his last relationship fifteen years ago and is still hung up on the one that did him wrong, Cole. Mark's a jewelry designer who's been been stolen from, apparently abused and cheated on. He just wants his happily ever after.
Sadly, I am unsure if Mark actually got it because this was not really a romance nor a mystery. (re-checks blurb to verify- hmm, it implies some sort of romance between Liam and Mark) I am a little confused as to what I just read.
Dr. Liam comes into Mark's jewelry store requesting a commitment ring design his ex-lover stole from him. Why did he request this? What was the purpose? We never learn why and reflecting on the story...I don't really care to find out.
The suspense? Dull and made no sense. If Mark allowed himself to be a doormat for four years when he was with Cole and then a sheep for fifteen years, the questions about his jewelry designs didn't bother him enough to find out about it. So if he didn't care, why I beg should I?
The romance? Disappointing - seriously a handjob and some head does not a relationship make. The two times Liam and Mark got together were just sad. Both times Liam hightailed it out there without a goodbye or thank-you. One-night stands might get a little more affection than that. It was a booty call pretty much. Poor TSTL Mark just took whatever scraps Liam dished out. Pathetic.
The ending? WTF?! I think it's HFN. Maybe it was implied, maybe it was just a precursor to Liam doing another 'nut and dash'. But as I already stated, if Mark will take that crap, why should I care?
Will I read more from this series? Nope.
The author? Maybe...it was my first time reading their work, maybe it was a fluke. The writing was not bad it was not exciting nor interesting but I did like the touches of realism added here and there.
*sigh*
*sigh*
"Just in Time" is the third book from E.E. Montgomery's Just Life series. In it, we meet Mark, a silver haired and looking for love. He's been burned by his last relationship fifteen years ago and is still hung up on the one that did him wrong, Cole. Mark's a jewelry designer who's been been stolen from, apparently abused and cheated on. He just wants his happily ever after.
Sadly, I am unsure if Mark actually got it because this was not really a romance nor a mystery. (re-checks blurb to verify- hmm, it implies some sort of romance between Liam and Mark) I am a little confused as to what I just read.
Dr. Liam comes into Mark's jewelry store requesting a commitment ring design his ex-lover stole from him. Why did he request this? What was the purpose? We never learn why and reflecting on the story...I don't really care to find out.
The suspense? Dull and made no sense. If Mark allowed himself to be a doormat for four years when he was with Cole and then a sheep for fifteen years, the questions about his jewelry designs didn't bother him enough to find out about it. So if he didn't care, why I beg should I?
The romance? Disappointing - seriously a handjob and some head does not a relationship make. The two times Liam and Mark got together were just sad. Both times Liam hightailed it out there without a goodbye or thank-you. One-night stands might get a little more affection than that. It was a booty call pretty much. Poor TSTL Mark just took whatever scraps Liam dished out. Pathetic.
The ending? WTF?! I think it's HFN. Maybe it was implied, maybe it was just a precursor to Liam doing another 'nut and dash'. But as I already stated, if Mark will take that crap, why should I care?
Will I read more from this series? Nope.
The author? Maybe...it was my first time reading their work, maybe it was a fluke. The writing was not bad it was not exciting nor interesting but I did like the touches of realism added here and there.
*sigh*
February 9, 2013
A fast read.
Very fast, actually. I ate up the whole book in one enjoyable sitting and, for the most part, I was satisfied.
What really worked for me in this novella were the mystery elements and the very clear story goal that pushes the reader through to the end. It didn’t lag. The writing was sparse on description and to-the-point. For a novella, it worked.
Mark is an interesting character, and I liked learning more about his past relationship bit by bit. The deliberate suspense the author employed to keep us interested and involved in the story worked just nicely.
That being said, I feel there was so much more potential for this story—particularly in the romance department. I found Liam was difficult for me to grow attached to. He wasn’t often in scenes, and when he was, it was hard for me to like him. I just couldn’t get a good feel for him. There were also a couple of points where I wanted to shake him for just leaving after having sex without a word to Mark. Ah, no, you don’t just do that without a reason.
Also, the book ended with no clear HEA, only the hope that there might be one.
Still, I have to say I really liked that there was a lot of action in the story. I’m a fan of unanswered questions that are over-and-above the ‘will they get together or won’t they?� It felt like there was a solid plot here. Though I would have liked if the ‘love� had been amped up a bit for an even more satisfying ending.
Written for M-M Good Book Reviews
Very fast, actually. I ate up the whole book in one enjoyable sitting and, for the most part, I was satisfied.
What really worked for me in this novella were the mystery elements and the very clear story goal that pushes the reader through to the end. It didn’t lag. The writing was sparse on description and to-the-point. For a novella, it worked.
Mark is an interesting character, and I liked learning more about his past relationship bit by bit. The deliberate suspense the author employed to keep us interested and involved in the story worked just nicely.
That being said, I feel there was so much more potential for this story—particularly in the romance department. I found Liam was difficult for me to grow attached to. He wasn’t often in scenes, and when he was, it was hard for me to like him. I just couldn’t get a good feel for him. There were also a couple of points where I wanted to shake him for just leaving after having sex without a word to Mark. Ah, no, you don’t just do that without a reason.
Also, the book ended with no clear HEA, only the hope that there might be one.
Still, I have to say I really liked that there was a lot of action in the story. I’m a fan of unanswered questions that are over-and-above the ‘will they get together or won’t they?� It felt like there was a solid plot here. Though I would have liked if the ‘love� had been amped up a bit for an even more satisfying ending.
Written for M-M Good Book Reviews
February 7, 2013
This story could have been so much more. Maybe I need a break from reading for a few days. It came across as only glossing over the top.. None of the conversations showed any depth and the characters were two dimensional.
Looks like another word count limit reached too soon.. Major drama (sort of) then rushed ending. I reached what I didn't realise was the last page'. Expecting more I clicked to the next page to find the authors bio!
Looks like another word count limit reached too soon.. Major drama (sort of) then rushed ending. I reached what I didn't realise was the last page'. Expecting more I clicked to the next page to find the authors bio!
April 23, 2017
The best one of the series.
March 11, 2013
Baby, I need a sequel to this sequel!!! I almost cried when it ended. Loved the twist and turns.
December 1, 2015
At first I wasn't sure if I should give this book two or three strars! Actually the plot was very different and quite interessting! The relationship between Liam and Cole wasn't revealed immediately and I felt exited to lear more about them. I also liked the chemistry between the two MC. However the ending felt a bit rushed and I absolutely wanted to know more. All things considered Just in Time is an interessting m/m story which just a bit more developped information missing! 3 stars!
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