Short Stay

Love Lessons, Book 4

By: Heidi Cullinan

Narrated by: Iggy Toma

Baz Acker and Elijah Prince have it all. They're engaged, and their wedding is guaranteed to be a spectacle no event will ever top. So why are they hunkered down in a quiet corner of the Acker mansion, restless and edgy while they wait out the holidays?

When Baz suggests a road trip with Walter and Kelly to Las Vegas, it sounds like an ideal escape, but it turns out Vegas only amplifies their unease. Elijah can't slough off the self-hating his parents programmed into him, and he worries how that will affect his marriage. Baz, crippled en route because of too much time spent in the car without rest, must face the truth that his wealth and influence can't always counteract the limits his disability will put on his - and Elijah's - life.

With help from their friends, a wily poker player, a take-no-prisoners drag queen, and a smooth-talking casino owner, they face the truth that happiness is a state of mind, not a destination where they can book a stay. What happens in Vegas won't stay in Vegas - it will follow them all the way down the aisle.

©2016 Heidi Cullinan (P)2016 Heidi Cullinan

I didn't know!

What a great surprise to find that this book melded the Love Lessons series and the Special Delivery series! I just love all these characters so much. And since it's been awhile since I read the Special Delivery series, and I now have them in audio, I know what I'll listen to next.

yes! an awesome compilation

I couldn't believe that our guys were going to Vegas, and the surprises and characters waiting for them were an awesome tribute. I love this universe Heidi has created. And, as always, Iggy Toma is the perfect narrator for Heidis stories. Thank you!!!

I love these characters so much!

More please! Please revisit them all! Love you, love you, love you! Bad, Elijah, Walter, Kelly, Aaron, Mina and the whole gang are fabulous.

A Quick (too quick) Read

Overall I did enjoy this story. However there were pieces missing that is need to make the story flow better. Instead of relaxing and enjoying this story, I keep having to go back to find where threads were missed by me only to find they weren’t there. Too many characters muddied it as well. Iggy Toma manages to make this loose mess entertaining as well as can be.

enjoyed it

📖 Story comment: good pace, entertaining characters and plot.
This was fun, at times frustrating and feels like the end that was missing from Lonely Hearts (Book 3) - it feels like Baz and Elijah went from a HFN to HEA.
I loved the way the guys ended up in Vegas with the crew from the Special Delivery series. Randy is such a great character and everyone should have someone like him in their lives.

🎧 Narrator comment: Iggy Toma is a good choice for this series, he suits the characters. has good cadence, inflections and intonations, it's easy to distinguish the characters from each other and he brings the book to life, best part though, characters from both series are consistent - which i appreciate.

-----
📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 7
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough • 5 enjoyed it • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4⭐] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5⭐] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75⭐] • 10 own it in multiple formats [5⭐] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5⭐]

Sweet Story, Toma is Fantastic

Sweet, with lots of closure - a must for fans of this series as well as fans of the Special Delivery series... almost makes me itch for a re-read of both series.

Audio by Iggy Toma. Do I really need to say anything more? He was great.

Short but nice continuation

Short Stay pretty much starts off where Lonely Hearts ends. Newly engaged couple Elijah and Baz are spending the holidays at Baz’s family home and poor Elijah is slowly going crazy with self doubt. Baz sees this and decides to take Elijah and their friends Walter and Kelly and head to Vegas. There they meet the crew from the Special Delivery series and Elijah and Baz get their HEA! I loved seeing the two series merge. It was interesting seeing Randy as a sort of father/role model figure. You can always expect steamy scenes in Heidi’s books and this doesn’t disappoint! Iggy Toma is the perfect narrator for these books. His voice is just yum!

Good romance

Just one flaw- the main characters were neurotic. There was so much whining going on that it annoyed at times. Still, though, worth three listen.

Loved catching up with the guys!

This is the fourth in a series, and really, it’s the much needed sequel to book 3. If you remember, from my review of book 3, it was a long book that left our MCs in a solid HEA but it wasn’t as satisfying an HEA as our other heroes had gotten. Well, this is their satisfying happy ending.

They are still, obviously, working through some of their sh*t, but for the most part they’re dedicated to their upcoming marriage. Baz is still insecure about how Eli will take on his family and Eli is worried about how he will take on Baz’s family, too.

But – they DON’T TALK TO EACH OTHER! That was the most frustrating thing. Even their friends (old and new) tell them over and over to sit the eff down and talk! But, they finally manage to figure things out, though I think a nice long talk would have done them wonders.

There’s a lot of stuff that happens in Vegas that would really only happen in a much longer stretch of time – but hey – they are all filthy rich – so I suppose a lot of it might have happened…

In any case, it ends up being pretty darn picture perfect and wonderful in a way that I wouldn’t have expected it to be. The boys have some (for them) pretty tame sensual times, but it’s so very loving at this point.

It was nice meeting a new throuple and I’m wondering if they’ll ever have their own story told – they were pretty fascinating! (Update – I just realized – DOH – that this is the throuple from Special Delivery! Now I know what I’ll be reading next!)

This has to be read in order, or at least as a sequel to book 3, but definitely it’s best read in order of the whole series.

Fans of the series will love this and I can recommend it highly.

Audio

Iggy Toma has narrated all the books in this series and he does another fantastic job here. He’s so good at emotion and pacing and giving everyone a subtly different voice so that it’s always clear who is who without any over the top weird accents. I really liked his take on Randy! Highly recommended as a way to enjoy this book.

5 of 5 stars

Perfection. Is what I wanted Lonely Hearts to be.

This short could absolutely be enjoyed as a stand-alone - will be more enjoyed as book for in the Love Lessons Series, and will be most enjoyed by those who have read both the Love Lessons and Special Delivery series up to here. It revisits a number of characters from both series in a fantastic way.

I like the handling of both Elijah and Baz's issue's and that we see. I actually love that we get some insight into the struggles that all of the couples might still be facing - and the happiness and hope that are instilled by the simple knowledge that they are facing those struggles together, in all of their unique and sometimes messed up ways.

I want to be invited to Vegas for the anniversary party. I'll bring party favors and a red light. :)