Jacob's LadderRating: 3.75 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


Jacob “Yasha” Livingston’s day goes from bad to worse when he is sent home from his job as a pastry chef because he has a cold. Arriving home he finds his boyfriend in the middle of an orgy. After an argument that leaves him beaten up by the boyfriend, he’s in for a trip to the hospital before heading to the bus station to go to his brother’s house in Santa Cruz. Then he is kicked off the bus in the middle of nowhere after the driver is convinced he has the swine flu. Finding a room for the night in Santo Ignacio, he just wants to recover and sleep until he can get ahold of his brother. When his brother tells him now is not a good time to come, Jacob decides to spend a little time in St. Nacho reflecting on himself and his past relationships.

Jason “J.T.” Lent’s grandfather owns the hotel that Jacob is staying at. When Jacob doesn’t make an appearance, his grandfather asks him to check on his guest. Jacob finds himself falling for the paramedic with the looks of an angel. Yet, true to form, Jacob realizes that he is once again falling for the wrong type of man as J.T. seems to have a date with one pretty girl after another. Yet, if J.T. isn’t gay, why is he constantly drawn to Jacob?

throwback thursdayAs Jacob learns to heal himself, he begins to help heal the healer. With the help of their friends and the magic of St. Nacho’s, can Jacob convince Jason that he’s worth coming out of the closet for?

For this Throwback Thursday, I revisted St. Nacho’s. For those of you who haven’t read Z.A. Maxfield’s series, don’t dispair. Though this is the third book in the St. Nacho’s series, it can be read as a standalone. Like the previous books in the series, this book it set in the seaside village of Saint Ignacio, where rumor has it that unless St. Nacho’s wants you to find it, you won’t find it. While the couples from the previous two books in the series make appearances (and tempt you to learn more about their stories), readers don’t need to have a previous knowledge in order to enjoy this book.

Jacob is a victim of domestic violence, but he refuses to see that he has anything in common with the other domestic abuse victims he meets at the group meeting. Leaving the meeting, he is chased down by another one of the attendants and over coffee she offers him a job at her bakery. Little does Jacob know that most of the other women from the meeting are also working at Mary Catherine’s bakery. While this book tackles the issue of domestic violence, the message is of hope and healing.

Jason was a much harder character to like. While he gives off vibes that he is interested in Jacob, he then prances his latest and greatest conquests in front of him on a regular basis, only to find himself visiting Jacob at night. Raised Jewish, he is convinced that homosexuality would make him a bad Jew. As a reader, I would have liked to have seen more from Jason’s perspective because I think it would have helped me “like” him more by seeing his struggle with his sexuality/religion instead of just seeing everything from Jacob’s viewpoint.

Secondary characters include Jacob’s brother, Daniel, who, in my opinion, stole the show. Initially, I found myself not liking Daniel very much when he kept refusing to allow his brother who needed him to come and visit. When he shows up and explains himself, I totally forgave him. I found myself wanting to see him with Cam (J.T.’s co-worker and best friend).

My biggest complaint I had with this book was that it seemed to end abruptly and I would have liked to have seen more of J.T. and Jacob together, out and about.

Overall, this was a good read with lots of hot sex, conflict, and tension. Most of all, there is humor, which helps to lighten the heavy issues Z.A. Maxfield tackles. While not my favorite book in the series, I love to re-visit St. Nachos.

Wendy sig