Review: The Pretenders of Copper County by May Archer (Copper County #1)

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author.

The Pretenders of Copper County is the first full-length novel in the new small-town M/M romance series titled Copper County from May Archer, although there is a prequel novella, The Stargazers of Copper County, that introduces the fictional town situated in the state of New York that was originally offered as a freebie through a multi-author promotion on Prolific Works. (The prequel is available on e-retailers, but you don't necessarily need to read it prior to reading this new release.) While there are ties to a couple of the author's previous series, Love in O'Leary and Sunday Brothers, the new series is as good a starting point if you happen to be new to Archer's writing or have yet to read any of the stories in the aforementioned series.

When Christoforo Winowski is picked up by a handsome stranger, he can't quite believe his luck. The twenty-four-year-old charcuterie maker at the Bugle, a tavern in Little Pippin Hollow, Vermont, may be a wee bit intimated by Reed Sunday, but he'd never say no to a hook-up with the older man. Unfortunately, it turns out that the thirty-five-year-old is an agent with the Division, one who specializes in witness protection. His latest assignment is to keep Chris safe the younger man's uncle prepares to testify against a crime boss. But Chris can't quite reconcile his Uncle Danny--the man who treated him like a son and kept a protective eye on him--to the criminal mastermind that Reed says he is. When their original safe house is compromised, Chris and Reed head to a small town called Copper County...as newlyweds. As the days pass, the husbands become part of the community, but how can Reed protect Chris when their hearts are now compromised?

This was a fun read, one that had a lot of grumpy/sunshine energy to it. Alongside the romance was a healthy dose of humor and sprinkle of suspense. Chris and Reed seemed like an odd pairing, but isn't that the kind that turns out to be the most entertaining? Their meet-cute was hilarious, but it also highlighted Chris's naivete and how sheltered his life had been thus far. I loved seeing him blossom while he and Reed were in Copper County, in the same way that I found joy in Reed loosening up and letting go while they pretended to be husbands. The Pretenders of Copper County was the perfect literary escape for the day, one that allowed me to pretend issues and headaches in real life didn't exist for a few hours, and it gets five stars.

Release Date: 24 September 2024

Date Read: 20 September 2024

Learn more about May Archer.

Pre-order The Pretenders of Copper County on Amazon.