Book 818: Keeping Kellan (Keeping Him #2) – Amy Aislin

After thoroughly enjoying Keeping Casey, I knew when the next one was released I would jump at it. So, when it came up on Gay Romance Reviews I did.*

This is the story of Kellan, the quiet brooding friend and teammate of Ethan from Keeping Casey, and his childhood crush Brant, a landscape architect in his Canadian childhood hometown. They’ve both been crushing on each other for quite a while, Kellan since he was a pre-teen, and the timing has finally worked out when Brant moves back home to get away from his post-college life.

For most of the book I kept waiting for it to be as good as Keeping Casey, but it never got there. there was definitely chemistry between Kellan and Brant, but it barely reached a simmer and never really boiled over. I guess that wasn’t what I was looking for at the time.

He was literally the boy next door, and he was looking at Brant with a cocky half-smile that was way sexier than it should’ve been. (Chapter 12)

A lot of the slow simmer was because Brant and Kellan had known each other so long. There was none of the getting to know you tension or the discovery of similarities. Sure, there were things that they learned about each other, but for the most part they sort of fell in together and it worked out perfectly. There was one moment of tension because of how Brant’s stepfather treats him, but that’s about it. The other minor characters were pretty much forgettable, even Brant’s sister and mom who play decently large roles. And coming from Keeping Kellan, which had such strong minor characters it was just a bit of a let-down.

Fuck it. This was definitely a date. Not a fancy one like Kell planned, but a date, nonetheless. Brant had baked so he wouldn’t say no to brownie points.

Or a blow job.

Well that escalated fast. (Chapter 12)

Aside from Kellan and Brant, the biggest characters of the novel were their jobs. I feel like Aislin was trying to write British Columbia (I think, definitely a Canadian province, but not 100% sure it’s BC) as a character, but it fell flat because so much time was spent on Brant’s nascent tour company and Kellan’s architectural rebuilt architectural practice.

All of this being said, the book wasn’t bad, it was just middle of the road. The passion wasn’t as high as I generally like and even though I enjoyed the low-angst aspect, there was something missing. There were still moments of OMG yes and a couple of eye-roll worthy moments, but it just left me wanting.

This was the man Brant had crushed on his entire life. The thing about crushes, though, was that they were easy. Bouncing stomach, sweaty palms, jittery nerves.

Being in love with someone? That was all about trusting that person with every part of yourself. Believing they’d be there for you. Support you. Trust you with themselves in return.

What he felt for Kell now was so far beyond a crush that it made Brant uncomfortably vulnerable and unaccountably happy. But he couldn’t bring himself to be overly concerned about the former, not with the way Kell was looking at him as he crossed to him, pebbles clacking together under his footsteps.” (Chapter 21)

I’m not sure I’ll seek out any others in the series, but if I came across it while looking for a quick read I’d probably grab it.

Recommendation: This one was a bit of a letdown after how much I enjoyed Keeping Casey. The main characters were okay and the storyline was fine, if a bit slow. It’s hard to put my finger on what exactly it was, but I think the fact that it didn’t have the same passion or pacing as the first book and Brant and Kell’s jobs played such a big part, it just left me wanting. I’ll definitely keep an eye on Aislin in the future, but not sure I’ll go out of my way to do so.

*I received a copy of Keeping Kellan via Gay Romance Reviews in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

Opening Line: “Brant Harkrader wheeled his suitcase behind him, duffle bag slung across his chest, backpack on his shoulders, and scanned the small crowd waiting in Arrivals.”

Closing Line: “As he joined his loved ones congregated around the food table, Kell at his side, always at his side, Brant could conclusively say that this was not one of those times.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)