Review: Personal: The Complete Series by K.C. Wells (Personal #1-#3.5)
Note: This box set was provided by the author via Signal Boost Promotions in exchange for an honest review.
I'm rarely able to sit through an entire box set in one sitting, but surprisingly enough, I was able to finish Personal: The Complete Series without realizing how much time had passed. This collection of three full-length novels and two novellas are part of author K.C. Wells's Personal series, with each novel focusing on a different couple who remains interconnected to the other couples in the series. Of course, you can choose to go through the books one at a time instead of in one go. That sort of thing is often reserved for bookaholics like me who read way too much.
This box set is composed of the following books: Making It Personal (book one and full-length), Personal Changes (book two and full-length), More Than Personal (a novella on the main characters from book one), Personal Secrets (book three and full-length), and Strictly Personal (a novella on the main character from book three). Making It Personal and More Than Personal are about Blake Davis and Will Parkinson; Personal Changes is about Rick Wentworth and Angelo Tarallo; and Personal Secrets and Strictly Personal are about Ed Fellows and Colin Reynolds.
In Making It Personal, thirty-year-old Blake may be CEO of Trinity Publishing, but his father has shown no signs of totally handing over the company to his only son. Blake decides that he simply needs to continue showing his father that he more than deserves to take over in every manner, so his coming out as gay is nowhere on his list of priorities, not if it may mean losing everything he's worked towards. But when twenty-five-year-old Will becomes his personal assistant, Blake may be forced to choose between the company he loves and the man he's fallen for.
Personal Changes takes place soon after the events in book one. Twenty-eight-year-old Rick enjoys working in Trinity Publishing, but while his professional life is on the up and up, he can't help but envy his friends, Blake and Will, who are so in love. When someone he thought was a prince turns out to be a villain, Rick is rescued by thirty-year-old Angelo. They fit together and both want more than meaningless sex and random hookups. But when pressure from his conservative family gets to him, will Angelo decide to follow their demands or follow his heart?
More Than Personal is a novella that is set six years after the events in the first and second books and focuses mostly on now married Blake and Will. They're anticipating the birth of their daughter via surrogate but still find time to celebrate Will's birthday. Things go awry, however, when they find out their baby is three weeks early, leading them to wait and hope that all will be well while surrounded by family and friends. This novella also serves as an introduction to the new character, Colin, who is paired up with Ed in the third full-length novel in the series.
In Personal Secrets, which is set six years after books one and two, and whose start overlaps with the events in the previous novella, is about rugby buddies Ed and Colin, thirty-six and thirty-one, respectively. After one shared intimate moment, Ed and Colin are left wondering where their friendship is headed. Colin is gay and has always had a crush on his friend, but Ed is clueless about both facts. Ed, on the other hand, can't deny his attraction to Colin, but will he ever be ready to embrace his bisexuality and everything that comes with it--the ups and downs?
Ed and Colin's story continues in the novella Strictly Personal, and has the twosome in Manchester in time to watch some professional rugby. Colin's got everything planned to a T, but things go haywire during a match that they're watching in a stadium, leading to a hospital stay and a bit of jail time, leading to Blake coming in to offer his support and assistance. Will Ed and Colin be able to salvage what was supposed to be a Valentine's Day for them to remember, or will Colin have missed a sole opportunity to do exactly what he wanted before everything fell apart?
I enjoyed getting to know these three couples as well as the supporting characters, specifically the ones in Trinity Publishing. There's a bit of angst in all three stories, but nothing too overwhelming or off-putting, with the focus truly on how each couple goes through their struggles while they realize that what they have is for keeps. Each couple beforehand shows up in the proceeding stories to offer bits of advice and support to whoever's story is told next, which gives the entire series a feeling of camaraderie and family. 4.5 stars for Personal: The Complete Series. ♥
Learn more about K.C. Wells.
Purchase Personal: The Complete Series Box Set on Amazon.
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