Marshmallow Mountain: Big Boys Small Spaces, Book 1

Okay, so this is my first book co-written by these authors. I've read some books by A.J. that I loved and have some books by M.A. in my TBR list, so the fact I read the blurb and had to read this book, which I could not put down, is everything! I'm a big Eminem, aka Marshall Mathers, fan, so that intro hooked me, but then I read more, and Marshall and Marshall (Data) stole my heart and kept the pages turning. They were wholesome, sassy, sexy and so in love. The story starts with these two men who have been together for eight years going through a break up that happened 6 months before. Marsh breaks up with Data in a vague way that doesn't do the love they shared all those years justice, so when Data randomly gets a call from Marsh after all these months he harbors a bit of hope that maybe he's calling to get back together since he's still in love with Marsh and is hurt by the break up. But when the call is about packing up and selling their cabin in the mountains, Data realizes that maybe it's time to move on for real. What Data doesn't know is that Marsh is just as much still in love with him as well, which should make this an interesting weekend. What neither expects is to be snowed in halfway through that weekend. Things are tense with hurt feelings and nostalgia and cause both men to look deeper into their relationship. Data's hurt is still very much there, but there's also Marsh's insecurity and his dad's declining health swirling around. Some big truths and talks…

This was a pretty good book although I thought it was a little too long and was, in no way, low angst. It took me a long time to warm up to Marsh after the cruel way he dumped Data. However, by the end of the book I was really into these two characters and actually enjoyed it a lot. Looking forward to Bryce's story.

Overall the book was good. However, I really wish there would have been a caution about the father having Alzheimer's dementia badly, it ruined the book for me.

In this collaboration of two authors whom I admire and have previously read, comes this story of former lovers reuniting after a snowed in mountain cabin adventure. Both men are named Marshall. The one who called off the relationship goes by Marsh in the book and is forever dropping funny lines and tropes about gay men and seems never to be sad, except about ending his 8-year relationship with Data, his name for the other man who is named Marshall, who is an accountant. The Happy Ever After ending is foreseen and comforting, and the time in the mountain cabin they jointly own is their own paradise. This adventure between these two points is the joyous trip we are allowed into. MA Wardell won me the patience to slowly read his "Teacher of the Year" series, and AJ Truman has a high school series worthy of being required reading for freshly minted gays in high school. Here, the two authors spin us up in passionate sex between big men and thoughtful insights of two men who truly know each other. It is between the passionate scenes and cabin time that how meshed the two are. The opening few grafs are a bit hard to follow with the Marsh/Marsh thing and a host of characters, but it's worth it to reread that to set up the fun that comes in the rest of the book. There are no 'constructed tropes' to lengthen the book. It is funny, and it is compelling to get to the end.

Marshall and Marshall/Data are once again together after an abrupt breakup that's left Data questioning everything about his life. Things aren't always what they appear to be on the surface. They're splitting up their possessions from their vacation cabin. These two have lots of love, laughter, and spice between them. They also have lots of miscommunication, and some freshly unearthed resentments. Being snowbound in their cabin gives them ample time to let their guards down and actually figure out what went wrong. The end result is them actually confessing how much they actually still love and miss one another and realizing they're better together than apart.