Stranded (In Midsummer, #1) by Jessica Frances

Review by Meaghan Stranded is an M/M romantic mystery novel and provides a wonderful start to the brand new series, In Midsummer, from Jessica Frances. This first book is told from Conner’s perspective throughout, which I found worked beautifully as it meant that we learned the ins and outs of the charming small town of Midsummer right along with Conner. This was quite different from the books I typically read, but I absolutely loved it and I can see this series becoming one of my all-time favorites! Conner is a thirty-year-old influencer who is unhappy with his life in Chicago and during a “mid-life” crisis he has decided to head off on a road trip with no strict timeframe or planned destinations – with the intention of sharing videos and photos with his followers along the way. His adventure is derailed after only a few days when the used car he purchased for his big trip breaks down in Midsummer, leaving him stranded in the small town. He heads into town looking for food and place to stay and stumbles across a bar and a hot sheriff that he is instantly attracted to. Rocky, the sheriff of Midsummer, is a single dad who likes to keep his private life to himself and away from the town chatter. His daughter, River, and his job are the two most important things in his life and they leave little time for much else. Rocky makes no secret about his attraction to Conner, approaching him in the bar, but he is also clear that he wants to keep things casual and that it will not be anything more. The chemistry between our leading men is intense, much like Rocky himself, which makes for some very steamy scenes. The discovery of a local man found dead in the mountains raises eyebrows all over town and poor Conner finds himself as the prime suspect after a previous altercation with the man. While this mystery does get solved by the end of the book, not everything that unravels is resolved. A word of warning, Conner and Rocky’s relationship is still not defined, so if a HEA ending is what you’re looking for, you’ll need to hold on as the series progresses to see how these two end. This was definitely one of those books that when you reach the end you keep trying to flick to the next page. I cannot wait for the next book so I can see where we go from here! **ARC provided for an honest review**

Release Date: May 29th 2020

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