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Cherry Pie

by Samantha Kane (Goodreads Author)

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 315 ratings · 40 reviews

Genre: LGBT Contemporary

John Ford packed up his life a year ago and moved from LA to small Mercury, North Carolina after the death of his long-term partner. He's been living in a kind of suspended animation, fixing up the old house he bought there, reclusive and alone. Until the day Connor Meecham appears.
Conn Meecham has returned home, only to find it isn't his anymore. S

...more

ebook, 147 pages

Published April 26th 2011 by Loose ID, LLC (first published April 2011)

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Between Sinners and Saints by Marie Sexton

Best M/M Romance Published in 2011

109th out of 399 books — 858 voters

Favorite M/M Romance Fiction Comfort Reads

88th out of 230 books — 168 voters

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Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 582)

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Jan 25, 2013 Natālija rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm-mmm-mmf

"Cherry Pie" definitely goes on my keeper shelf. I won't go into the details of the story, but I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a comfort read. There is just something about the North Carolina setting and enthralling dialogue between two somehow reserved characters that pulls you in and won't let you go until you have finished the book.

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 17, 2013 Phaney rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: oh-yes, m-m

2012 Review:

Yep, perfect. Just about perfect. In pretty much every regard. A really, really good book by an author who knows what she’s doing. Not smut, but not shy either.

Such a wonderful story. Both protagonists have their issues to deal with; both have their own ways of handling that; and it all comes together in a wonderful romance that does not require everything spelled out. ^_^

Man, I love good books.

It’s funny how long this book had been sitting in me to-read queue, always being pushed ba...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 17, 2011 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, erotic, anal-play-sex, m-m

originally posted at http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/201...

Cherry pie is winter nights by the warm fire, summery Sunday afternoons on the front porch, late night snacks in the warmth of the family kitchen. It is home: the house you live in, the life you lead, and the people who love you. Cherry pie is comfort.

Wealthy, successful and single John Ford is a man trying to recoup from the sudden loss of his lover, a soldier killed in the war. Their ideal retirement was a home in the quiet and quai...more

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May 20, 2011 Kassa rated it 2 of 5 stars

2.5 stars

I like Samantha Kane’s writing so when this m/m book came out I couldn’t wait to read it. One of the defining aspects of Kane’s books is how hot and sexy they are. Unfortunately Cherry Pie feels like a complete departure from any previous writing and comes across a little cold and unfeeling. There’s a noticeable lack of chemistry between the two men while money seems to solve most problems. I’m not entirely sure why these two men got together and just couldn’t really believe they were...more 2.5 stars

I like Samantha Kane’s writing so when this m/m book came out I couldn’t wait to read it. One of the defining aspects of Kane’s books is how hot and sexy they are. Unfortunately Cherry Pie feels like a complete departure from any previous writing and comes across a little cold and unfeeling. There’s a noticeable lack of chemistry between the two men while money seems to solve most problems. I’m not entirely sure why these two men got together and just couldn’t really believe they were that compatible. This is an ok book but a disappointing one when compared to some of Kane’s more exceptional stories.

The story begins with Connor returning to his hometown after six years away. He camps out in front of his old family house until the new owner, John, lets him look around. Touched by Conn’s nostalgia and obvious need of help, John offers to let Conn live in the house if he helps with the restoration. This of course sets the two on a path to sticky emotional needs and casual sex that is anything but easy.

The plot is pretty generic and relies on the strength of the two men to capture readers’ attention. John is predictably a very wealthy man who can revitalize a town just because he wants to so the thin side plot of the town is unimportant. It lets the wonderful secondary characters have some much needed page space and adds to the Southern charm of the story but other than that it’s anemic and forgettable at best. Thus the story depends on Connor and John and their relationship being the focus.

This is where the problems emerge. On their own John and especially Conn are pretty interesting characters. John is struggling after the death of his partner and trying to change the course of his life. While he loved his partner, their relationship was flawed and imperfect and ultimately John wants something different in his life. The flip side to that is John is inconsistent, first not willing to sully his partner’s memory but later saying instead he doesn’t want the same thing. It’s not a gradual change and realization but more of a light switch change. Likewise I just couldn’t see a man like John with Connor. They never feel natural and easy together, but instead antagonistic and angry.

Connor is the far better character with his past as an ex-con and drug user. His reasons are understandable and he comes across as the more complex and interesting of the two. His characterization feels more fluid as he grows and changes, easily more natural than John’s awkward forced changes. Unfortunately there is just very little chemistry between Conn and John and even the sex scenes feel remote and cold. Supposedly John fights his feelings and doesn’t want to admit he’s in a relationship (which parallels how John’s ex treated that partnership) but really I just couldn’t see why either men would want the other.

The story should be good as it has all the right elements, good complicated men, a wonderfully vivid and Southern setting, great secondary characters with a lot of humor and charm, a lovely pace and feel to the prose but ultimately the sum of the parts just doesn’t work. One reason is the chemistry between the men but beyond that this is one of those vague feelings where for some indefinable reason, it just doesn’t work.
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May 13, 2011 Jenre rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, m-m, romance

I've not read a book by this author before, but have heard good things about her writing. When I saw this new release at Loose Id I took the opportunity to give her a try. I'm glad I did because this book was just delightful.

The story follows John, a guy in his thirties who, after losing his lover, decides to up-sticks from California and move to a grand old house in Mercury, North Carolina. The plan is to spend some time renovating the house and enjoying his very early retirement whilst putting...more I've not read a book by this author before, but have heard good things about her writing. When I saw this new release at Loose Id I took the opportunity to give her a try. I'm glad I did because this book was just delightful.

The story follows John, a guy in his thirties who, after losing his lover, decides to up-sticks from California and move to a grand old house in Mercury, North Carolina. The plan is to spend some time renovating the house and enjoying his very early retirement whilst putting the past behind him. One day John sees a young man, Conn, hanging about outside the house and learns that the house used to belong to his family. Conn moved away from Mercury and got into some trouble, but he's back now and wants to make amends with the town he abandoned. As an act of kindness, John takes him in as a handyman to help with the renovations but it's soon clear that there's an attraction between them too.

The highlight for me in reading this book was the portrayal of small town life in the Southern USA, and the blend of the older characters with their long family histories with the younger characters who are trying to forge out a life which breaks some of the traditions whilst still adhering to small town values. The fabulous character of Miss Priss epitomised the traditions of the town whilst the sheriff embodied some of the harsher realities of views on homosexuality in the south. Although John had been living in Mercury for a year it takes Conn's appearance to bring John into the community itself and I found his utter bafflement at some of the things he gets dragged into quite amusing at times. It all happens in such an organic way that before he knows it he's going to church and hosting impromptu gatherings at his house to satisfy the curiosity of the townsfolk. His resignation that his quiet and relatively private life will never be the same was a charming contrast to the loneliness of his life at the beginning of the book. I also liked that the author addressed some of the negative aspects of modern day small town life such as lack of jobs and the closure of the smaller businesses, it grounded me more within the setting than if it had been some idealised look at small town life.

Another aspect of this book which worked for me was the way that the two characters move on from their pasts. In many ways Conn is both facing up to the past he left behind whilst also trying to move on from what happened whilst he was away. The way he's forced to face up to people he unintentionally hurt when he moved away suddenly is done at a gentle pace. There are no huge scenes with recriminations, but instead each time he meets someone from his past he has to deal with what he's done. It's not overly emotional, more a quiet intensity in his interactions with the characters, especially his old best friend, Toby, but I found it very affecting nonetheless. John, on the other hand, has run away from his past and is essentially hiding. He is forced to face up to his previous life in California as well as the painful relationship he had and then lost, through his relationship with Conn who is very different from John's ex-boyfriend. The way that John struggled with how to cope with Conn and those differences was realistically done, and in the end it is John who grows most as a character.

I had a couple of niggles. Firstly I really disliked the character of Kristine, John's friend from California. I can understand why she was brought into the book - as a sort of catalyst for John having to examine his relationship with Conn - but she was irritating in the extreme. In a book where I pretty much liked everyone except the Sheriff, her brashness and the way she spoke to John raised my hackles - which probably shows you how much I liked John! Another niggle was that I felt the last part of the book was a little rushed, mainly because the author hides a lot of things from the reader until the big reveal at the end. This was just too sudden and out of the blue for me and made the very happy ending slightly forced.

However, these niggles weren't enough to spoil the story too much for me, mainly because I liked the other characters so much and found the small town setting utterly delightful. I finished the book feeling all warm and fuzzy for John and Conn - not that this meant that everything was resolved, just that I was optimistic about their future and happy that I'd taken their romantic journey with them. Those who are looking for a contemporary romance which is strong on character and setting can't go wrong with Cherry Pie, and I'd highly recommend it.(less)

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Sep 17, 2011 Ken rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this very sweet(and sexy)book a lot. The only problem I had with it was that it seemed to be missing a large portion of the back story and the characters are rather vague at times. I found myself really wishing that the author had "fleshed-out" the story and made it more substantial.

John, a gay millionaire moved to the small, eastern North Carolina town of Mercury to get over the death of his selfish lover. He soon meets Conner, a former male prostitute and ex-con that's trying to...more

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Jul 07, 2011 Deeze rated it 3 of 5 stars

I found this one a little hard to get into at first, but it picked up and I enjoyed John and Conn's story. (view spoiler) I even found the first couple of sex scenes in keeping with the story, but again I found them over used, espcially the last one. I really hate having one chapter end and the next begin with an ongoing sex scene. Sorry just a personal niggle...more

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Apr 27, 2011 Mandi Schreiner rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

I liked this one and believed in the HEA at the end. It took me awhile to get there though. I didn't feel the chemistry or attraction between these two at first. I thought Connor was a different kind of hero and I liked him a lot. He moves back to his small, southern hometown and faces not necessarily prejudice because he is gay, but because of his troubled (drug use) past few years.

I had a harder time with John..or just understanding his attraction to Connor. Nice supporting characters and I li...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 15, 2012 Stacey Jo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm-i-ve-read, favorite-books, mm-age-gap, mm-i-own, mm-contemporary

John moves from California to North Carolina after an apparent end to his relationship with Steve and a very broken heart. At first you wonder what happened to Steve but their past slowly unfolds. John bought an old "fixer-up" house and one morning Conner or Conn as we later come to know him as, shows up across the street watching the house. John finally talks to him and learns the house was Conn's mom's house and where he grew up. There are reasons he wasn't around to inherit it when his mom di...more

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Nov 13, 2011 Arshad rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Straight-forward and by the numbers gay romance of the widower-with-money-and-trust-issues/fallen-teen-seeking-redemption variety. The mutual attraction between the two leads develops suddenly and inexplicably. The rest of the book depicts a few relationship ups and downs, without significant conflicts or effective antagonists to overcome. There was no particular story complexity or subplots. There were no emotional highs or lows, and the characterization lacked punch.

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May 25, 2011 Blackraven's Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

A Recommended Read! Cherry Pie is a beautiful book with characters to love and a story that has just enough conflict to work through to make you hope for the HEA and rejoice with them when it arrives, even if it is packaged a little differently than you may have expected. To view this review in its entirety please visit http://www.blackravensreviews.com/?p=...

1 like · like · see review

Oct 22, 2012 Paisley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm-stories

I was looking for a "comfort read" and this was recommended. It is a pretty good comfort read - but I found there to be quite a bit of tension and angst in it. The thing about this story is that it is pretty short but it is not simple.
Basically it's about two really screwed up guys (nice guys) that find each other through an unusual and somewhat unrealistic set of circumstances - and reluctantly fall in love. These two have huge baggage, I mean seriously gigantic baggage, and yet they work so we...more

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Jun 18, 2011 Byron rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-read

Interesting story that had me alternating between liking the characters and not.. Wasn't as bad as a couple of reviews I read but didn't get 5 stars as I felt like it got a wee bit hurried in one or two places. For the most part though it was really good.. to have me flicking between warring feelings with the characters is always a good sign.
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Oct 14, 2011 Kira rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: age-gap, ex-con, m-m

Being a small town girl, I have to say I appreciated that aspect of this book. I also loved the peek into the Southern way of life. :)

I found both of the MCs fun and well-written characters. The conflicts felt real and plausible.

A really good book. I would have loved to read more of these guys!

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Jul 04, 2011 Eyre rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, romance, gay-glbt-mm-mmf

I loved this story! It is obvious that Samantha Kane is a Carolina girl. She understands that in the South a dark-colored soda is a Coke no matter what company manufactured it. This a great story with some wonderful secondary characters. I've known a Miss Priss or two in my time.

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 02, 2011 Thomas rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, gay, mm-romance

This was a nice, quick read in the 'good boy' meets 'boy with checkered past' and they fall in love. No real points of contention or drama other than some not fully thought out actions. A nice 'feel goo' read.

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Jul 02, 2011 momokaachan rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who likes a good m-m romance

Shelves: mm

This is a book where everything works. The main characters are very human, flawed, believable. The supporting cast are great - some dignified, some funny, some nasty.

Read this book. An excellent read.

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Nov 04, 2011 Debbie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really liked this book. I did get frustrated with John and Conner a few times. But I loved the entire story. It was really sweet. I could definitely continue into a second book. I would love to read more of their story and see what would happen next.

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Sep 22, 2012 Barb ~rede-2-read~ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, hawt, to-re-read, read-2012

This story was amazingly good. I expected to like it because I first saw it reviewed by Tom on Bear on Books blog, but I didn't expect that it would be as terrific as it was.

MC's Conn and John, both with very different, yet troubled pasts. It's a long slow climb for John who has to overcome emotional baggage and damage. Conn, though ostensibly more damaged when you first hear his circumstances, was already healing emotionally when he arrived in town and continues to grow and effect a change in...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Missy Welsh rated it 4 of 5 stars

My first book by this author, but it won't be my last. Both these men were wonderfully drawn. I'm still smiling over the pink shirt -- thanks for leaving it on!

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Apr 29, 2011 Zabree rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Zabree by: zabreeDani@gmail.com

I wasn't feeling the chemistry. It was a bit cold. I didn't really connect to the characters either. I'm not going to read this one again.

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 14, 2011 Meggie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really well written romantic story. I loved the plot, atmosphere and all main characters. Highly recommended romantic story!!

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Apr 28, 2011 Susan R rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this book. It was very sweet and had me tearing up a few times. Great supporting characters also.

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Oct 15, 2011 Clerah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Although very different from Kane's brother in arms series. I liked this book. It was sweet.

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May 13, 2011 Ravyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-mm-fiction, c-rent-boys, g-contemporary

Short, simple, and sweet. Good for an easy read.

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Jul 04, 2012 Mary Ellen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: rom, lgbt

It was cute and not a bad book.

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Oct 31, 2011 Carolyn88 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-romance

great

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Sep 30, 2011 Penny rated it 3 of 5 stars

3 stars.

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May 10, 2011 Mandi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-mm

Good story, which kept my interest...but I just didn't feel the chemistry between the two MC's. *shrugs* I give it an even 3 stars.

1 like · like · see review

Oct 26, 2011 Snowtulip rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Snowtulip by: Sarah

Shelves: own, m-m

3.5

This was an enjoyable read that grew on me throughout the book. I loved Conn's quiet strength and was so curious about what his life back in town would turn out to be. John seemed like a perfect fit for Conn, they just worked. This was just a simple sweet read, without much drama or plot twists.

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