The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters
Series: Granby Knitting, Book 1
By: Amy Lane / Narrated By: Philip Alces
Length: 2 hrs and 26 mins
Super sweet, but the author was serious about the whole courtship/mating rituals thing
So that had my toes curling, but only just a tad as The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters is quite sincerely an adorable little listen, stitched up with good intentions, a bit of flirting, and some sex thrown in at the end. And you know me, I scrunched up my eyes tight at the end there where author Amy Lane went through the sex act in a step-by-step fashion, starting with the removal of a knitted and highly intimate article of almost-clothing and ending in a damn-the-morning-breath kiss and embrace. The characters, however, are sooo sweet that the entire thing is charming (And one can NEVER top, say, Band Sinister when it comes to unapologetic rolling in the hay. Then too, I did survive Naughty or Nice also, tho’ I must say I came outta neither of those entirely unscathed—ooooh, my blistering ears!).
Rance Crawford is a late-30s longtime resident of a small town where he raises alpacas, runs a fiber mill, and is just your run-of-the-mill grumpmeister. Ben is a twenty-something tenderfoot newly moved-in young man whose smile and cheery demeanor just light up the day. Naturally, opposites attract here, but I like that it’s written more as Crawford seeing Ben and realizing light is missing from his day/life, and less about seeking out someone who’s “more than a match” for his grumpiness. It rather elevates Crawford from a brash curmudgeon (Tho’ it is uniformly acknowledged that the man takes the fun outta “gay”) to an earnest guy seeking to grow through love… and the rolling in the hay thing.
Crawford takes young Ben under his wing, as Ben is most decidedly naive when it comes to the weather and environment in rural Colorado with its 45 degrees in the shade spring/summer to its Gotta-get-more-insulation for around the windows reality. As Ben is from California, he really needs someone to guide him. The more they hang around together, the more chances Crawford has to woo him, usually with thoughtful knit items and the occasional frank word of affection/attraction. Ben likes Crawford’s no holds barred approach to speaking his mind, even if Crawford does indeed manage to ruin many a coulda-been warm and fuzzy touching moment.
The story is really simple, as one might suppose given its itty bitty running time of just under 2 1/2 hours. All ya have to know is that Crawford sees a man he likes, and then he has to make sure to let his heart lead the way, rather than his crotchety demeanor.
Philip Alces does a decent job with narration, but I did have a bit of a problem with him taking the easy way out with the voices he chose for our two Heroes. Given Alces’s tones, Crawford comes off as sounding like a gruff anchorman; and many times Ben just sounds waaaay too young and wide-eyed to be of interest to a man in his late 30s. But for the most part, Alces does well, and that’s only a personal quibble cuz I feel I should add a bit of quibbling. He does a variety of characters, so I shouldn’t fuss, so I’ll stop now shall I?
If you’re in the mood for a sweeeet romance that’ll make you long to get out into drifts of snow all whilst wearing wonderfully wrought knit goods, this little novella is sure to be a pleaser. No tension, really, no misunderstandings, and come to think of it, no big ol’ plot either, but this is a charming little book.
Dunno if it was good enough to hit the rest in the Granby Knitting series, but it sure was a jolly good way to spend a couple o’ hours!
Oh! And by the way? Expect to hear about alpacas and rabbits getting frisky with each other also. But hey: At least those scenes didn’t toe-curl, so huzzah for me!
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