Hell on Wheels

I love the fact that the 'Bluewater Bay' series is written by different authors. It gives me a different feel for each book, and not just new main characters. As a big fan of ZA Maxfield, it was a no-brainer that I would enjoy 'Hell on Wheels'. Particularly after I read the blurb - I do love a bit of the bad in my boys. “It’s probably good to get it out, though.” “Is it?” “Well. Sure. You can’t keep this stuff bottled up inside forever.” “I’m English. We pride ourselves on doing exactly that. Stiff upper lip, eh? Don’t ever let them see you flinch.” Spencer is the epitome of an English gentleman, even though his husband left him for a woman he got pregnant, and the tabloid media is insane. Luckily for him, he meets Nash who doesn't believe in bottling anything up, and somehow they become friends. With benefits, of course, because they're wildly attracted to each other. But, it's the friendship that is really wonderful to watch. Spencer doesn't have any friends, although his bodyguard and personal assistant are pretty close to him (and, hysterically funny), but they're employees so it's not the same thing. Nash is just a down-home, family oriented, grease monkey who figures "what the hell", he'll be friends with benefits with this gorgeous man and teach him how to let loose a little. Nash doesn't need to worry about his feelings getting involved because Spencer is way out of his league and would never look at Nash for anything long-term. Plus, the guy is going through an ugly divorce - everyone is safe from getting too involved. Right? "Nash kept him off-balance in the best possible way. Nash aroused him and challenged him and left him breathless. Nash exhausted him. Nash was good for him, too. He was funny and frank." I was very pleasantly surprised to see the author focus just as much on Nash, his family, and his worries over losing them to their own lives, as she did on Spencer and Nash's relationship. I very much enjoyed this addition to the series, but my heart will always go with the underdog and nobody deserved a happy ever after as much as Nash and Spencer did. Great job, ZAM! NOTE: This book was provided by Riptide Publishing for the purpose of a review.

What can you say when a book makes you laugh out loud several times and adore not just the main characters but the secondary characters as well? I’m loving Bluewater Bay so far – but this one? Absolutely, fantastically wonderful. And I’m catching on that there are a few ‘must have’s as far as what the authors needed to include in this series: Bluewater Bay, Wolf’s Landing, and cars. The other three I’ve read all had shiny, expensive vehicles and believe me this one does to. But it has an addition – an entire family whose names are fashioned after cars. Nash, Shelby, Healey…are you getting the beat? I adored Nash. He’s fun, quirky, and truly wants to help. The date he took Spencer on to the local game place was adorable. Spencer was the least drawn main character so far, but I still got him. His ex Peter was quite a piece of work, along with the mother of Peter’s soon-to-have child. But Bast and Tik totally get 2 thumbs up for best supporting characters. Seriously – I want sidekicks like that. Add in Nash’s inventor dad, teenage sister who wants a little freedom, and his twin the genius who is at college, and the entire cast of characters was a delight. Hurry to Bluewater Bay. Seriously. Before the wolves take over ;) Reviewed by a-nony-mouse for Crystal’s Many Reviewers **Copy provided for review**

Another solid story in this series! I really loved that Nash is the heart of his family and he's not ashamed of it and no one has a problem with it. I really liked Spencer, the hot Brit, too

Back to bluewater bay where we meet Nash Holly the dependable son and brother who likes to fix things and make people happy, and the prim and proper Spencer Kepler-Constantine who is in the middle of a very public divorce with this ex husband. One night being stranded at the side of the rode changes everything for this unlikely duo. Z.A. Maxfield has captured Spencer's uptight English ways that you can totally visualize and hear him in your head. Nash just wants to be a friend and help Spencer but he's not opposed to more with this sexy English man. But in the end he doesn't expect anything as he knows he's meant to take care of his family and Spencer is not meant for Bluewater Bay. But when he starts to realize that maybe his family doesn't need him as much as he thought they did his world starts to shift. As Nash and Spencer try to connect in this very public world things get rocky, especially when Spencer's time is up in Bluewater and his ex will do anything to get him back even keep his philandering dick in his pants. As Nash's world comes apart he starts to question everything so when he believes Spencer has moved on it breaks his heart, but what he also realizes is that he does want more than what he has and won't settle for anything less. As Spencer's world seems to right itself as he has always wanted it, he realizes that he too wants more and is tired of settling, so he as to go to extreme measures himself to convince Nash to be part of this world. I freakin' adored these two together and this book. It totally hit the spot of what I was needing in a book. Great book. Fabulous series.

Hell on Wheels was everything I expected to read: delightful, fun and full of romance. It was well written and there was different kinds of characters, and the setting was so good - I could imagine myself in Bluewater Bay alongside the various characters in the story. I fell in love with the characters. Nash was the imagine of bad boy on the outside: bike, tattoos, worked with cars and mischavious smile. However, he was everything but. He took care of his family, the business and he was kind, gentle and unselfish. Spencer was an actor, kind of big star, but he was down to Earth and kind as well. The supporting characters had intriguing personalities as well - Nash's father and little sister especially, and Spencer's personal assistent Bash and bodyguard Tick, were quite characteries and made the story colourful. Hell on Wheels had an antagonist, so to speak, in form of Spencer's ex-husband Peter. However, Peter wasn't bad per say even though he left Spencer. I loved how Maxfield didn't make Peter ultimate bad ex-husband but more real - Peter and Spencer just had different expectations from their marriage. Hell on Wheels was fast paced without being rushed and jumping from place to place. It was good entirety with plot, intriguing characters and romance. Nash and Spencer had spark but their relationship wasn't only aspect in the story which was good as both of them grew as characters, and Nash defined his place in his family and Spencer dealt with his divorse. I don't want to spoil anyone so I won't discuss profoundly about Nash's growth as a character but I was delighted to read how he dealt with the changes within his family. Only thing I was a little disappointed was the ending which came a little too soon and was a little too short. It was good ending for Nash and Spencer's journey but I felt unsatisfied as the last chapter was little too short for my taste. I would have loved to read more, so maybe that's the main reason why I felt like that about the ending. I devoured Hell on Wheels within one day and lived every moment with Nash and Spencer. Maxfield told such wonderful story and her writing style was easy to immerse oneself in, so flowing. I highly recommend this one to everyone who enjoys LGBT contemporary romance!

Hell on Wheels, A Bluewater Bay Novel, Z..A. Maxfield Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews Genre: Romance, Gay and Lesbian. I love the Bluewater Bay novels and it’s such fun having a series that's written by different authors. Each book is a complete story but sometimes we meet characters from earlier books in another one. This idea of author collaboration works well I think – many of them have co-written other reads so they all have a style that will work together, and though the series could feel very disjointed it doesn’t – it feels fresh and I’m really enjoying it. Some authors feature more on the film set and the stars, others take the locals from the town of Bluewater Bay. This time we meet Spencer, who’s one of the stars of the film and Nash who runs a local business. The film connection is mostly in the background though, Spencer is one of the stars but we don’t see any of the set or actual filming. Nash – oh Nash, what a great man he is. He’s got a lovable and crazy inventor father ( I love the saviour saver – or whatever it was called....), a twin brother and a disabled younger sister. His twin is away at college, dad has retired from the business and spends his time inventing more and more of those gadgets we don’t think we need but somehow end up with, and he makes good money from it. 15 year old Shelby has some serious health issues and is a wheelchair user, but the brothers and dad have done a great job and she’s very independent. I so sympathise with her when she says she feels invisible sometimes – that people see the wheelchair and not her – I’m also a chair user and that’s exactly how it is, people talk to whoever is with me as if I'm an idiot sometimes – or even more infuriating I get the “baby” voice and my head patted. One day I’m going to do the two fingered eye jab and scream!! Back to the book....now everyone is changing, growing up and becoming independent and Nash is beginning to feel he’s not needed any more, and is a bit lost. Spencer, oh he’s great too – loyal and loving, and wants a traditional type marriage, yet his husband has left him for a woman whose now pregnant. His ex is a real jerk, and the lady involved is a real b itch. They provided some great moments of drama and I do love that, someone nasty to mentally boo and hiss at. If its all sweetness and light its boring! I love Spencer’s very British curses, B ollocks and A rse, so familiar! Nash comes across Spencer waiting for a tow truck just outside town and keeps him company. He’s not one of the big fans of the series, doesn’t really get into all the celebrity cult worship though his younger sister adores the series, especially Spencer. He can see Spencer is unhappy and carrying some anger and they chat, get along well and soon become good friends – and maybe a bit more. Nash tries to tell himself Spencer’s only there to film his part and then he’s off, but the heart doesn’t listen to the head does it? They're feeling their way, getting closer and then – bam – The Ex comes out with a very public, very grand ( and very funny, though unintended on his part) gesture. Poor Nash, he’d been kidding himself he’d got his feelings under control, and when he sees this he’s convinced Spencer will take Peter back and forget him. I do love the sad parts...and I really felt for poor Nash when this happened. Its another great read from Bluewater, and I love the way we saw the whole family, loved Spencers team of Tick and Bast, and the way they all felt like real people. As I've said I could identify with Shelby and her part was very true to life. So often authors throw in a disability without ever really researching the realities of it but this time it was very realistic. Stars: Five, loved it and a perfect ending. ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers

Hell on Wheels takes us back to Bluewater Bay, the sleepy little Washington town that Hollywood has invaded in order to film the television show Wolf’s Landing. Thanks to Ms. Witt and Ms. Gregg’s contributions to the Bluewater Bay series, I have fallen in love with this series and Ms. Maxfield has insured that my love affair continues as she weaves a beautiful story of love and family for Nash and Spencer. As a Bluewater Bay native, Nash is comfortable with his life. He’s not necessarily happy that his twin has gone off to college in another state, or that his sister has been wheelchair bound since the age of three due to his stepmother’s negligence, or that his father has left him in charge of the family’s garage, but he is content with his life as the caretaker of his family. If from time to time he feels like his life is closing in on him all he has to do is jump on his motorcycle and go for a ride, which is what he was doing when he runs into Spencer – almost literally. As an actor with a recurring role on Wolf’s Landing, Spencer comes to Bluewater Bay only when he is needed. And thanks to his soon-to-be ex-husband Peter’s recent affair that has cast Peter as a father-to-be, Spencer is in need of the partial anonymity that the town offers. So it’s no surprise that Spencer isn’t looking for love, but a one-off with a sexy mechanic is another story entirely. Yet Spencer finds himself drawn to Nash despite his recent heartbreak and personally returns Nash’s wallet instead of sending it with one of his minions (their name for themselves). Both men acknowledge that nothing can come of it, but neither can deny themselves spending time with the other. As their friendship grows so do their feelings for one another which leads to the hottest sex either man has ever had – and it was quite the pleasure to read about as well. But as Spencer’s time in Bluewater Bay comes to an end and his ex makes a grand gesture to win Spencer back, what will become of their fledgling relationship? I absolutely loved Spencer and Nash. They’re chemistry was perfect – both in and out of bed. What I’ve failed to mention is that Spencer is British and his “stiff upper lip” and dry humor contrast wonderfully with Nash’s laid back personality and light-hearted humor. I enjoyed their banter and teasing. Ms. Maxfield does an excellent job of creating such contrasting characters and conveying their differences with their dialogue. I particularly loved the scarecrow scene and how it seemed to enable Spencer to speak up with Peter later in the book. Hell on Wheels is an excellent addition to the Bluewater Bay series and I cannot wait to read more from the series and the author.  I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.  Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

I do love Bluewater Bay!  Charming little community in my favorite part of the country.  *sigh* What more can I ask for?  Oh yah!  Hot guys filming a fun paranormal TV series in this little community.   In this chapter of the series – which can each easily be read as a stand-alone – hot mechanic, Nash comes on the scene.  Literally.  Stalled movie star in fancy car – hot Nash on motor cycle who can’t pass up a stranded motorist.  So the story begins.  HOT!  I mean they steamed up the windshield hot!  Nash is mostly pretty happy with his life.  He’s not too sure about still living at home, while his twin (Ooo! Two of them.) is off at Stanford. But he has his own “garage apartment” – such as it is, and really, his family still needs him.  So all is mostly good.   Hot movie star – Spencer, on the other hand, has some real issues.  “Cause if ever there’s a time for righteous indignation, it’s when your husband cheats and then runs off with a person who earns more money than you, is better looking, and can do the one thing for him you couldn’t do in a million years.”  Yep, some issues. I love how Nash helps Spencer deal with these issues.  Nash is innovative, not to mention a person who likes to help fix things – whether it is cars or people.  How could he possibly resist Spencer?  But, Spencer is still kind of married, though he is legally separated and proceedings have begun, there is some doubt about whether he wishes to stay that way.  Nash’s little sister, Shelby (I adored Shelby!) is enamored with Spencer and she things the ex is the one for Spencer.  *sigh*   The ups and downs of this romance is like riding a roller coaster.  I sighed. I giggled.  I gasped.  I yelled – “NOOOOOOO!”  I cried.  I laughed.  I sighed some more.  The ending really couldn’t have been more perfect.   Another hit for Bluewater Bay!   I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.