Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

A Matter of Time #3-4

A Matter of Time, Vol. 2

Rate this book
Vol. 2 (Books Three and Four)

Three years ago, Jory Harcourt changed his name and shut the door on a past full of pain, only to emerge stronger on the other side. He has a new career, a great working partner, and a satisfying life—except for the hole in his chest left behind when police Detective Sam Kage walked out with his heart.

Now Sam's back and he knows what he wants... and what he wants is Jory. Jory, who doesn't know if he can survive another break up or losing Sam to his dangerous job, resists returning to the arms of the only man he has ever truly loved. But when a serial killer with a score to settle targets Jory, he will have to decide if love is worth the danger as he tries to solve the case and keep Sam safe.


Don't miss A Matter of Time Vol. 1 (Books One and Two)

2nd Edition
Previously published by Club Lighthouse Publishing

298 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 2009

194 people are currently reading
574 people want to read

About the author

Mary Calmes

125 books5,016 followers
Mary Calmes believes in romance, happily ever afters, and the faith it takes for her characters to get there. She bleeds coffee, thinks chocolate should be its own food group, and currently lives in Kentucky with a six-pound furry ninja that protects her from baby birds, spiders and the neighbor’s dogs. To stay up to date on her ponderings and pandemonium (as well as the adventures of the ninja) follow her on Twitter @MaryCalmes, connect with her on Facebook, and subscribe to her Mary’s Mob newsletter.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
2,203 (53%)
4 stars
1,238 (30%)
3 stars
484 (11%)
2 stars
139 (3%)
1 star
54 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 334 reviews
Profile Image for Wendys Wycked Words.
1,590 reviews3,955 followers
November 29, 2024
Re-read 4/14/21 2/25/20 2/1/19 7/11/18 1/16/17 6/26/2016

This is my "go to" series for whenever I feel bad or need comfort, or when I am down deep in the "book-slump" pit from hell :P  So I can honestly say that I read these books at least once a year...but often times..it's more. I am that big a fan ;) I've also been deeply in love with Jory since Sam found him laying on the street with a beagle on top of him :P 

Animated GIF

This Volume fasts forward three years, after Sam left Jory behind...and boy did I hate his guts for what he did. It took me a long time to forgive him...way longer than it took Jory and I wish he would have held onto his anger a bit longer too... 

That said..I also wanted him to be happy...even if it wasn't with me :P

Afbeeldingsresultaat voor I want you to be happy gif

Sam does his best though...and it is obvious how much he still loves Jory

I was a bit bummed that we didn't get to be part of the wedding, but I have come to realize that this is nothing new when it comes to Mary. I wasn't part of Miro and Ian's (Marshals) wedding either :(  There is a short story about Sam and Jory's wedding (Piece of Cake) where they make their domestic partnership official... but I just wanted the whole shebang. I wanted to know what happened in Canada ...I am a bit greedy that way. 

One big plus...this second volume was definitely hotter than the first !!

Afbeeldingsresultaat voor jett black gif

I highly recommend this whole series !!


Keep in mind that this book can not be read as a stand-alone ;) 


 
My reviews are posted on
blank

Follow me
https://www.google.com/search?biw=1517  https://www.google.com/search?q=twitter logo
Profile Image for Meags.
2,479 reviews694 followers
August 11, 2023
3 Stars

I’m having a very tumultuous relationship with this series so far. This volume was especially befuddling to me.

I generally didn’t enjoy book #3, with all the back and forth between Jory and Sam, as they reunited and attempted to work through their past hurts and the possibility of a future together. I absolutely HATED that it had been 3 whole years since Sam “abandoned” Jory (because that’s what he did – reasons be damned!), and in that time Jory reverted back to his promiscuous ways (ugh) and Sam had his share of bed partners too (double ugh). Other than that, nothing really happened in book #3 in terms of plot.

Book #4 was a bit more to my liking. The mystery portion was a tad ridiculous and ultimately a bit too soap opera-ish for me, but I actually enjoyed how involved Jory got with his efforts to solve the case, even when his every move was the most illogical, dangerous, highly moronic decision in the history of the world. I had to laugh, and I had to laugh often. I can only assume it was meant to be funny? If not, I think I missed the point. But the fact I took enjoyment out of Jory’s behaviour and the ridiculous situations he found himself in time and again, is what I’m taking away from this story as a win!

I do like Jory in general, even though I find myself wanting to smack some sense into him a lot of the time, because let’s face it, he isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. He continuously behaves in a manner that is so wildly outrageous and so the opposite of demonstrating rational thought. He’s the ultimate lovable idiot—key word there is lovable.

And Sam – what is up with this dude!? In book #3 I was enraged by his overbearingly arrogant behaviour. He basically shows up after 3 years and demands that Jory return to him, with all the “you’re mine/you belong to ME!” hoo-ha. Nope. I was having none of it. I was so fricken glad that Jory kept turning him down over and over (for what amounted to a whole 4 days). I felt there needed to be more grovelling; more proof that Jory could trust Sam with his continually-broken-by-Sam heart. Luckily, in book #4, Sam won back my approval with his fierce protectiveness, sexy growliness and frequent dreamy love declarations – that is up until that last chapter, because WTF was that!?

But in the end, the random idiot (Jory) and the intermittent asshole (Sam) keep winning me over and I can’t help but smile through the craziness of it all. They definitely belong together (or maybe they deserve each other). I’ll just sit here and continue to shake my head and roll my eyes at the continued absurdity of this (weirdly addictive) series.

******************************************

Re-read: April, 2019

So many thoughts after this re-read...

I still hate the three year separation. It’s not even so much that they weren’t together all that time; it’s that they were with SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE. No offense but it was just too much, and it doesn’t do much to make me believe in this epic love they apparently both feel (and supposedly felt even when apart).

Then there’s the fact that Sam never actually apologised for leaving Jory in the first place. There is a lot of declarations of love and a new forever, with his trademark growly possessiveness that borders on unhealthy, but what I needed, and can’t quite get over, is that the words “I’m sorry and this is why…” never actually left Sam’s mouth.

Now, in fairness, Sam’s persistence in winning Jory back is fairly impressive and I did learn to forgive him (mostly) for leaving Jory in the lurch the first time around. By the time they re-establish themselves as a couple by the halfway mark (the end of book three), I was all happy and content with their renewed romance – much more so than I was the first time I read this volume.

Book four still left me dumbfounded over the serial killer plot line and the countless times Jory acted a twit, but it was still a gripping, fast-paced, moreish read, despite the absolute ridiculousness of some of it. This series has always been a little extreme, on various levels, but I actually felt it took things to such extreme measures here that it became too much at times.

At the end of the day, I like Sam and (particularly) Jory much more as a characters and as a couple than I did the first time I read these first four stories, but there are still so many elements of the storytelling that I simply don’t get the relevance of. There are too many pointless characters, people who are 100% irrelevant to the plot and whom I’ll never understand the purpose of. I can get past the silly and extreme moments in the plot, choosing to focus more on the fun and hilarity of it, but I really struggle getting past the fact that these stories could have been majorly shortened if all the futile add-ins were scrapped entirely.

And I’m still all WTF over that final chapter, because, really, what the hell was the purpose of enraging the reader with that shit!? It’s a prime example of the pointlessness I just mentioned.

Regardless of my overall increased enjoyment of the story and its lead characters, I’ve decided to keep my original 3 star rating because of all the niggles I’ve listed above.
Profile Image for Deborah.
3,841 reviews496 followers
April 29, 2019
Re-read 28th- 29th April 2019.

Re-read 8th September 2018.

This series is driving me crazy.
I’m completely hooked, I just can’t put it down or read fast enough. But that said Sam in particular drove me to despair in the first book. I mean seriously he’s been away for three years well two but don’t get me started on that extra year.
He turns up and demands they get back together and he pushes and pushes. Jury pushes back a bit but he loves the guy what can he do?

The next book (book 4) if I had to pick one word to sum it up it would be ridiculous.
Mary’s books are always OTT but this takes it to a whole new level and Jory. I think it’s impossible not to love Jory. It wasn’t an instant thing for me, he grew on me but here it’s hard to explain. I enjoyed the adventure but I struggled again with Super Jory. He’s just brilliant at everything including solving crimes, he leaves the FBI in the dust as he rides in.
The whole thing was unbelievable but yet I couldn’t read it fast enough.

The ending, Michael’s wedding was the big downer for me. Now I understand the reasoning but I don’t agree at all. Family is family and I hated the whole Amanda thing with a passion.

Rating this difficult the first part/book is 3* I was just exhausted with all the pushing and pulling between Sam and Jory. The second part/book was crazy and unbelievable but enjoyable so 4*. But then the ending was upsetting and in my opinion unnecessary so I want to deduct a star. But that would give a rating of 3* and this book is, in my opinion better than that so I’m going with 4.
Profile Image for Amy Lane.
Author 203 books3,488 followers
May 20, 2015
Jory is awesome, goofy, hyperactive fun, and Sam is his perfect foil. My only complaint is (and this isn't a spoiler because it's in the blurb!) the pain of imagining a three year separation between the two guys, because it just hurts to think they're not together.
Profile Image for Diana.
638 reviews18 followers
November 7, 2017
3.5 stars, I think…

A Matter of Time, Vol 2 consists of books 3 & 4 in the Matter of Time series. I finished book 2 last month, so I figured I would have no problem jumping into book 3. Boy, was I wrong. I actually had to check my kindle to make sure I was reading book 3 and not another book. I know that there is a 3 year gap between books 2 & 3, but I still felt completely lost with the story line and characters I could not remember. Thank goodness this was a buddy read, and my friend Claire reminded who was who.

The story line was all about Sam coming back from his undercover work and wanting Jory back. Basically, it was them constantly bickering. Jory has been very busy, relationship wise, since Sam took off. Including a long term relationship and many one night stands. Sam just has to show Jory that he is his.

Book 4 had a completely different feel for me and maybe my favorite of the series. There is a serial killer on the loose, and it looks like he has his sights on Jory. Of course, Jory has a great idea and tries to find the killer before he strikes again. What could go wrong

For now, I am going with 3.5 stars. Book 3 was probably a 2.5 star for me, while book 4 was a solid 4.
864 reviews229 followers
October 22, 2012

If I had not been paying attention, I would have sworn I was reading Volume 1 all over again. Volume 2 is the exact same book: white van kidnapping Jory; Sam and Jory fighting over coming out; one of them leaving the other at the hospital; every man that Jory meets wants to feed him, fuck him, and take care of him. It got old.

You know what else got old? Jory running off and putting himself in danger…over and over again.

You know what did NOT get old? Sam and Jory

I still love them.


I was sad that Dane became such a secondary character in this volume. And the whole murder mystery was exasperating.

All in all, satisfied because I got more of Sam & Jory, but probably could have been just as happy ending it after Volume 1. We'll see how the next books in the series play out...

And I’d like to have some final words with Mary Calmes:
Profile Image for Barbara➰.
1,661 reviews459 followers
March 3, 2018
After reading book one and being entirely infuriated with Sam Kage, I decided I would give him another chance. I was hoping the author could turn him around for me. I think he treated Jory like shit in book one.

I love how Sam pursued Jory. I love how he kept on and on and wouldn't take no for an answer. I hate that Jory gave in so easily but Sam kept on relentlessly. And of course my hate turned to a simmer instead of a boil. So now I just wanted to stab him with a nice new knife instead of a dirty rusty one.

It's no secret from book 1 that I love Jory. I know people have issues with him and I can definitely see why. I mean everyone wants him. He's all things good and smart and funny. Everyone wants to be his friend and every man can't live without him. He has his TSTL moments. Things in these books are very OTT dramatic and unreal but, I love it anyway. But Jory also has issues. He's slept with lots of guys and he drinks too much. But why? Because he can't find anyone who gets him like Sam. I can understand that.

So, I will definitely continue on with the next book. For some stupid reason I'm 100% invested in these two. I have to see where it goes and I keep hoping and hoping Sam will turn out to be the kind of hero I love.

But I have to say, this would have been 5 stars for me again because I loved the hell out of the mystery/suspense part and I love Jory. BUT the ending just tore me to pieces. I absolutely HATED WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING how things at Michael's (Sam's brother) wedding were done. It made me hate and rage at Sam all over again. I think the author missed a really good opportunity here with showing Sam's devotion for Jory. I understand the circumstances as to why they had to hide their relationship. But was all the extra drama with Amanda necessary? Did things have to be left sort of open ended as to what happened with her and Sam? I'm telling you right now if I were in Jory's shoes, I'd have kicked Sam to the curb!

I don't think the author handled it well. I think Jory deserved more than he got in way of explanation. For all intents and purposes, Amanda and Sam were a COUPLE at the wedding. And all of a sudden, Sam looks at Jory at the end and is all about him. Nope! And for all that I am taking off a full star because every thing that Sam gained in my mind just went out of the window.
Profile Image for Valerie ❈M/M Romance Junkie❈.
1,726 reviews435 followers
March 21, 2025
Loved. See my review for A Matter of Time, Vol. 1.

Re-read 9/9/2015 while I did all of the grown up stuff that I hate.
re-listen 12/1/2015, 01/07/2016, 03/28/2016
Re-listen 8/22/2016, 9/17/2016, 5/3/2017, 6/9/2017, 7/1/2017, 11/27/2017, 1/16/2018, 5/5/2018
Re-listen #100 trillion 2/4/2019 I adore Sam and Jory
AGAIN 9/20/2019

Reread infinity + 1 5/16/2021

re-listen 5/16/2023 a multitude of years (and rereads) later, and I still love Sam and Jory. I can still recite the majority of the book along with the audio. I can’t tell you what I had for breakfast this morning, but I can quote the dialogue right along with Paul Morey as if I was his understudy. All of that to say, I still love it.

reread 3/21/2025 Ten years (at least) and hundreds, if not, thousands of books read and/or listened to, and I can still recite the lines of the audio right along with the narrator. Goes to show, my love for Sam and Jory is still as strong today as it was then.
Profile Image for Ingie.
1,480 reviews167 followers
August 8, 2016
Written October 30, 2014

4 1/2 Stars - I just love this whatever failures, length and all heart attacks

Book #3 and #4


Collection Volume two with book-parts, #3 and #4, in the A Matter of Time series.

On audio, 13:50 hrs for two books wonderful narraded by Paul Morey.

A Matter of Time (A Matter of Time #3) by Mary Calmes A Matter of Time (A Matter of Time #4) by Mary Calmes

See my reviews here:

#3 - A Matter of Time 3 (4.1 stars)
#4 - A Matter of Time 4 (4.5 stars)

***********************************************

These A Matter of Time's books are about

***********************************************

..2 more SIMPLY FANTASTIC audiobooks!!
This was a great journey, just so d@mn good. Looking forward to two more books about Jory & Sam.
 photo 4a1f9e101fddf610977438a532dd06ab_zpsa5cad140.jpg

Despite some small flaws, way to long wait for a sweet HEA and the fact that these books are the most patience-demanding and nerve-wracking I ever read or listened to etc, I can not but rounding up to five large glittering red stars for this second volume. ~ All in all a great series to listening to.

I LIKE - ...course, I'm not the girl to resist these charming boys.



**********
The A Matter of Time series by Mary Calmes:
Profile Image for Fiona Goodman.
241 reviews65 followers
June 17, 2012
Casting of A Matter of Time. Written review to follow

Jory: Mathias Lauridsen (The only guy pretty enough to make a straight man gay....)

Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

Sam: This gorgeous unknown man...

Photobucket

Or....

Chris Hemsworth (Blonde,brown hair, check. Slate blue eyes, check. 6"3 inches, close enough...and hot,hot hot!!!)

Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket



Dane: Hugh Jackman (Hansome, debonair and damn sexy in a tux!).

Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

Dane's expression when Jory does something stupid....

Photobucket
Profile Image for Gerbera_Reads.
1,685 reviews154 followers
February 28, 2020
Reread February 2020

It was as exciting as the first time!

*****************************


I loved this volume even better than the 1st. I love a good case of amateur sleuthing but when it's tinged with hilarity and slight incredulity it makes it even better! I love Jory. He is adorable, stubborn, a bit flighty, smart, gorgeous and extremely loyal. (I am sure each and one of us wanted to be just like Jory for one moment somewhere in our lives) He just cracks me up! Every situation he gets himself into ranging from odd to extremely dangerous - he always manages to escape and still be charming about it!

I was doubtful about Sam at first. He was pushy and arrogant. But then I remembered that Jory loved Sam just the way he was - pushy and arrogant! So I made my peace with his attitude - I even liked it in the end. And the way he was with Jory - tender and sweet was just so romantic. The words he said melted my heart.

Dane and Aja were the perfect family, perfect friends and I loved gleaming into their intimate moments - Dane being slapped on the a$$, oh yes please! I loved Sam's family, Dane's friends - they were so funny and accepting, I loved them all.

But the trouble that kept after Jory, Sam and Dane - wow, I so didn't see it coming. It was a shock in the end. The audacity of the culprit, the atrocity and viciousness of the crimes were astounding and I loved every page of it! The mental capacity for hate, the rage that it took to drive and put in motion the BIG plan and almost achieve it - that was brilliant. Scary but brilliant. I enjoyed every page and highly recommend it!
Profile Image for Jennifer☠Pher☠.
2,970 reviews273 followers
August 6, 2024
**Audio Re-Read, 2024**

Ahhh...Honestly I think I will never ever, ever tire of this story. Ever. I will forever want to read and re-read about Sam and Jory. FOREVER!

The end, the wedding, didn't bother me as much this time. I don't know. Maybe I am just desensitized to it after so many reads. Who knows?

Still crazy and still just the best. I'd love to bump this up to 5★'s, I don't know why I ever rated it lower than that to begin with.

On to the next!
*******
**Audio Re-Read (again)**

It sucks that a lot of the time the end is where a review starts especially for this book.

My God I hate the wedding at the end of this book. I hate every freaking thing about it but especially Sam.

Aside from that this one still brings the crazy, probably even more after the millionth read. Jesus. No matter what Sam says, Jory is Bulletproof :)

On to the next one!
-------
**Audio**

description

I don’t even know what to say. Seriously. I love this book just as much as I hate this book.

“I cannot believe that my family, your brother, all our friends, and an entire police force can’t keep tabs on one twenty-six-year-old graphic designer who thinks he’s fuckin’ Batman.”

Exactly.

Whatever, it’s not like I won’t re-read/re-listen to it again.

description
Profile Image for Sara .
1,541 reviews154 followers
July 1, 2015
4.5 stars

Let me state the obvious; this was over the top, semi ridiculous, way too dramatic and it's fucking fantastic. *drops a quarter in the swear jar for the college fund*

I have come to the conclusion that Sam Kage and Jake Riordan were in the same closet in the closet cop factory where they picked bearded women from a moving rack and that Adrien English and one Jory Harcourt need to team up to become super sleuths and share stories about their big alpha men over a Tab.

That being said. I loved this one, again. It got a bit tiresome with Jory on the sleuth and most of the time being apart from Sam and only talking to him on the phone and me just yelling "GO THE FUCK HOME ALREADY JORY!" but it's wonderful, swoony, romantic, unbelievable and I am still stupidly in love with it.

Moving directly on to the next one with all the bulletproof foreshadowing I felt in this one. That one word... goodness.

Let's see what they boys are up to next.
Profile Image for Karen.
1,860 reviews91 followers
July 30, 2019
More fun with Sam and Jory...

So here we are at Vol 2 which is comprised of books 3 and 4 in Mary Calmes's series 'A Matter of Time' and again the narrator is Paul Morey and again this was an enjoyable listening experience...not great but no really issues. I like Paul Morey but for me he just didn't quite capture the character and voices of Sam and Jory...close but not quite.

Ok, so I'm outta' here for now to may RL things are demanding my attention so hopefully I'll revisit this and do a real review one day soon and if not I'll just have to re-listen to these audiobooks and then do a review. For now I'm outta' here.
Profile Image for CrabbyPatty.
1,712 reviews194 followers
January 3, 2016
Jory, baby, no, just ...... no. Gawd knows, you are gorgeous, a good listener, a wonderful dancer, a fabulous assistant / now marketing guru, an amazing detective (even better than Sam!), a peerless party planner, courageous, resourceful and so, so, so much more. Seeing you on the dance floor, all gay men want you, women adore you, and the straight guys? To paraphrase Sam, some of them are wondering what it would be like to just once sleep with a man.

I will freely acknowledge that every last one of these stellar attributes drives me crazy and I know darn well it's my own problem / phobia / irrationality / hang-up / obsession - you get the drift. However, I wish you nothing but the best in your life with Sam. It doesn't matter if you are perfect (although Mary Calmes has come down pretty firmly on the side of perfection in describing you), only that you are perfect for each other.

And for me, that's the saving grace of A Matter of Time - that Jory and Sam truly love one another. (And if any of the following books in the series disprove that, don't tell me, 'cause I just can't read another!)
Profile Image for Awilk -never sleeps- .
1,033 reviews6 followers
January 14, 2013
I have read both volumes of this story back to back. The only reason I am not going straight on to the next couple is I don't own them yet. (I will very soon though)

I still find Sam, the very hot, dominant cop a great character. He is my sort of man.

Jory annoyed me a little more this time. So did the way he still came across as this perfect man that everyone wants. I was thinking he might of grown up a little, seeing as this book is three years into the future from where the last one finished, but he still seemed a little immature.

The mystery surrounding the serial killer made this book more interesting then the last one to me.

My main annoyance with this book was the amount of time spent on describing two marriages of secondary characters. They seemed to be a bit over the top when important parts of Sam and Jory's life were left out completely.

Still, I am really enjoying this series, and I can't wait to read the rest.
Profile Image for KatieMc.
940 reviews93 followers
August 27, 2015
One hot déjà vu mess. Déjà vu because there were many scenes that seemed familiar, although I am 99.99% certain that I have not read this volume before. I'm not talking about "all Mary Calmes books are alike, so of course it seems familiar". I distinctly recall specific things, such as the new sister in law and her father getting sick. I also recall the scene at the end, were

ETA: I'm an idiot. I did read it. I never marked it in GR, but I have it in my Calibre library. Obviously I recall details, but not really the plot. But now I know why, the plot is one hot mess! It's a hot mess because so much is happening. Major plot points happen and get resolved in the span of a chapter. For instance, . In this one, Jory tries his hand at playing detective. In true Jory fashion, he flits into doing dangerous and inadvisable situations where he has no business. He is a self proclaimed airhead, but insists he knows better than experienced detectives and the FBI in catching dangerous criminals.

Interspersed with the crazy whodunnit plot is the development of the Sam and Jory relationship. If you like a hot dominant alpha slashed with a hot submissive twink, this is a good pairing for you. I am not a big Sam Kage fan, I find his persistence in making Jory his creepy. But for all his faults, I like Jory, even if I don't find him a bit believable.

As for the audiobook, the narrator does a great job of capturing Jory and is really good at the banter that makes up about 80% of the book.
Profile Image for * A Reader Obsessed *.
2,691 reviews576 followers
April 13, 2017
*Audio edition*

Well I have to say that this was more over the top than A Matter of Time, Vol. 1 . I listened to this story by the same narrator as the first and I still find him a bit odd/quirky but was used to it by now. Again I do think he does Jory and Sam's voices really well which is what counts since they're the MC's.

It's three years later and a series of events throws Sam and Jory back together. Further complicating their new relationship is a serial killer on the loose that personally affects Jory and those he loves. There are so many hijinks that this guy goes through . Regardless of the unbelievable twists and turns I still found this hilarious and most importantly, entertaining. It had some endearing, swoony, sexy moments especially with Sam which I quite enjoyed (Sam for sure remains in the top 5 in the category of the most alpha male ever).

What I also appreciate from Mary Calmes is that a lot of the story is just Sam and Jory navigating their relationship and their lives - something a reader doesn't often get in a romantic suspense because all the focus is usually on the mystery. If you haven't read the series I urge you to bite the bullet and go on this wild ride. Can't wait to see what the next installment brings!
Profile Image for Jo * Smut-Dickted *.
2,038 reviews517 followers
June 8, 2016
I feel like a ping pong with all the back and forth Sam and Jory do. After the 1st two books I was so ready to punch Sam. How could he do what he did? Flatly I still don't understand it and I wanted him to do more groveling (MUCH MORE GROVELING) before Jory ended up back with him. And then. I didn't. Because they are just so perfect. While the dialogue was the shiney goodness in the first set of books this one really let me feel the characters - get into their lives, get an idea of who they really were. They grew up some and it showed. I cannot recommend the series highly enough. Calmes is one of my fave MM authors!
Profile Image for Borderstar.
912 reviews17 followers
April 11, 2016
Ok so after my confused reaction to Volume 1, I still ploughed on to read Book #3 & #4 in Volume 2. But I have to say that despite feeling the need to finish it, I just felt frustrated through much of it and especially at the end!

There were parts I really liked and at times I even liked the characters a lot - the plot was pretty mental and all over the place, but kinda fun anyway. The "mystery" was obvious from the beginning, although there was a little twist at the end, but I went with it anyway. But then the big problem for me was that I still didn't really see what I wanted from the relationship between Jory & Sam. Jory did stuff constantly that would make him a TSTL character and Sam did lots of dickish stuff and shouted a lot! And again, like in Volume 1, I found that they spent a lot of time not actually with each other, shouting at each other on the phone and then when in person just spouting out lots of possessive stuff, "I love you's" and having sex. But they never really seemed to talk or do anything much together - you know, interacting like normal grown-ups!

I skimmed some bits as it got a bit repetitive and annoying again. And I was just left with this feeling that I had wanted the guys to have a HEA and I truly wanted then to love each other, but even by the final chapter, I felt like they still hadn't really learnt anything or grown as people/grown in the relationship! And although they both tell each other they love each other constantly, I just think that Sam's behaviour kept coming back to being disrespectful, even right near the end. To explain, this is a bit spoilerish, so: So yeah that's how it ended and it just left me feeling a bit like I had a bad taste in my mouth.

I really WANTED to love it and love them, and there were times when I thought they might make me love them, but by the end I just really couldn't :( *sigh* I feel real shitty now, like I need something really good to read to make me feel better...
Profile Image for Gina.
753 reviews112 followers
January 18, 2014
I want to start out by saying I enjoyed books 1 - 4, but at a cost! What little hair i have at the moment (fell out during recent chemo), I wanted to pull out in frustration with Jory and Sam! OMG how maddening they are!!! But, what is saving this story for me is Jory’s big heart and the fun I am having reading it along with the frustration. I won't do a regular review because there are enough out there, but i wanted to say I enjoyed this series so far.

These two are on again off again and it got pretty irritating, they would spend long parts of this series not together which made me mad. But when they were together it was hot as fire and my romantic heart would be all a flutter! There was drama (lord was there ever), suspense, hot steamy sex and emotionally satisfying dialogue.

Usually with this much frustration I would simply just get irritated and my enjoyment would diminish, but there is definitely something about Jory and Sam that kept me going. But despite all this frustration I couldn’t put it down. I spent many days at work this week yawning from lack of sleep from reading this series. I will be taking a break from this series because I don’t want to pull out anymore hair, but I will definitely be coming back to this series.
Profile Image for Lori.
Author 2 books100 followers
February 12, 2015
4.5

I have a love/hate relationship with these books. So much about them irritates me - yet I can't put them down once I start reading.

As much as the references to 'the beautiful' people in these stories annoyed the living daylights out of me, as much as Jory being fed every two seconds (admittedly there was less of this in vol 2)annoyed me even further, as much as Jory doing a disappearing act every two seconds was just unbelievable - I was compelled to read, and what's more I enjoyed it. I honestly can't think of another example of a book where I could list all the bits I didn't like and still have been unable to put it down.

Jory and Sam are great, even with their irritating ways. Maybe it's just me being a grump, god knows I can be. The story did venture into the realms of the unbelievable - I still didn't put it down. Jory should by rights have been head hunted by the FBI for the amount of evidence he found that the police didn't and Sam, where does he get off bossing Jory around and telling him he belongs to him? (BTW - don't stop Sam, I loved it - even though I hated it).

So really vol 2 left me as confused as vol 1 - I will have to check out more Mary Calmes books, even if it is like looking at clown porn.
Profile Image for Heller.
973 reviews118 followers
June 20, 2012
Book 3 is definitely a favorite of mine in the series. I think mostly because we see Sam really have to work to get back into Jory's graces and I loved to read that.

Honestly, initially knowing there was a three year gap between books 2 and 3 really threw me for a loop. Time gaps are something that I have issues with in romances but this really worked for the characters who really needed a break to sort things out.

Fantastic chemistry is a hallmark of these books as well as well rounded and fleshed out secondary characters. I really enjoyed how Sam and Dylan worked out their differences and any scene that has Dane and Sam squaring off is golden.

Book 4 is a wild ride. I was exhausted by the end of it but I loved how Jory is able to exist in the whirlwind and make sense of it.

Great stuff.
Profile Image for Bronwyn.
1,463 reviews37 followers
January 9, 2024
January 2024: Book 4, which takes up about 65% of this volume, is my favorite of the books so far. The story is constantly moving forward and doesn’t stall out. I find it fun to read about Jory’s adventures (or misadventures, as they may be). His mind is always working to figure things out.

I still had the same issue that I listed below.👇🏻 I don’t understand why that was even included when there had been enough other drama happening in the book already. Sam didn’t need to ignore Jory like that. 😡 I would have rather had a chapter with Sam and Jory’s wedding instead of Michael’s.


June 2021: I still hate the last chapter in this volume. There was just no reason for Sam to do that the entire wedding. Married people are often partnered up with unmarried people in wedding parties. There’s nothing that says you have to be with them throughout the reception. Go be with your spouse!!! I could understand Jory’s feelings. Luckily he and I still love Sam. 😉
Profile Image for Alex is The Romance Fox.
1,461 reviews1,241 followers
September 5, 2013
Hello Jory!!!!!!!!!!
A Matter of Time Vol 2 by Mary Calmes photo Mathias1_zps4158d805.jpg

So good to see you again and be together with you on your next exciting adventure!!!

Jory Harcourt has to be one of the most endearing characters ever. It’s just impossible not to fall in love with this guy. He’s fun, sweet, gorgeous, lovable, naughty, “camp” that just misses being OTT, helpful and can’t help finding trouble around every corner – he draws drama and trouble without even being aware that much of it due to his way of thinking…..
“I cannot believe that my family, your brother, all our friends, and an entire police force can’t keep tabs on one twenty-six-year-old graphic designer who thinks he’s fuckin’ Batman.”  photo images_zps7f98f7f1.jpg
>/i>Having just finished reading A Matter of Time Vol 1, which ended with a huge cliffhanger, I needed to get to Vol 2 like presto!!!

Three years have passed since Sam left Jory at the hospital because he did not want to endanger Jory’s life with his job….liar liar…..
Jory, has in the meantime has tried to carry on with his life and although he’s been with other men and even had a longish relationship, has never found anyone to match Sam. He has his own business and doing quite allright!!!

He also discovers that Sam has been back a year from his undercover work and never contacted him.
Suddenly Sam realizes that Jory is the man for him and no one else. And just like that, Jory must agree to move in with him and rekindle their relationship!! Talk about domineering and persistent….this man Sam just never gives up…not that Jory plays that hard to get!!!!!

But I could understand them getting together again. What they had and still have is pretty special and unique.

OOh…great! Finally these two will settle down and be happy forever, together!!

So wrong!!! Because as we know, if there’s trouble it will find Jory!!

What follows is beyond unbelievable and hysterical. A serial killer has been killing Jory look-alikes and who is the next target? Jory!!! Of course!!

Now a sane person would leave it to the cops, the FBI to find the killer but then Jory is not your average sanity thinking person.

He’s not going to wait around. He has some ideas of his own – his serial killer investigation is to “die” for……it’s like having a Jory aka Hercule Poirot “On the Stake Out” mystery, action and adventure trip!!! And so improbable but yet it just felt so believable!!
 photo download_zps068eadcc.jpg
Saying all the above about Jory does not mean that he’s all airy-fairy …he has a heart of gold, he’s kind and most times sensitive to others feelings, loyal to the ones he loves. He’s someone I could be great friends with.

The dialogue is absolutely divine. The writing smooth that make the story flow really well.

Old and new secondary characters that are never boring – the total opposite. They are a total laugh a minute. And all those men hovering and lusting over Jory – I found myself laughing out loud so many times.

I liked this follow-up on Jory and Sam. I love their chemistry and their love scenes are hot, sexy and tender.
 photo images2_zpse410ab8f.jpg
I’m so happy to see them finally building a life together.

Just one thing that I felt a bit let-down with.
Sam’s brother’s wedding – it really pissed me off. The whole thing having to hide the fact that Sam and Jory are a couple from Michael’s wife’s family and what was all that about with the bridesmaid and Sam!!!!!!!!!! It felt like a slap in Jory’s face!!!
For heaven’s sake, Sam and Jory are getting married and they have to tiptoe around people still.
And then, why have all those pages on that wedding and ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about Sam and Jory’s wedding?????

I thought perhaps that Dane would play a bigger role in this book but there was nothing really meaningful about him...well except from his psycho birth family!!!!!

Great series so far and I am now going to get going with next book, Bulletproof. Can’t wait!!
I’m always certain that book title has something to do with Jory. Who else!!!
A Matter of Time Vol 2 by Mary Calmes photo download1_zps15bcc378.jpgLove this guy!!
Profile Image for Runell.
1,166 reviews70 followers
September 25, 2015
Okay. So, I have to say it. I love Sam Kage and Jory Harcourt. I don't know why I do but I do. Sam is the definition of an alpha male. Huge. Hulking. Angry. Alpha male. And we must not forget sexy as all get out. Jory. Ah, where to begin with Jory. He's this golden guy whom everybody loves, he's sweet, he's kind, he's the kind of guy that will risk his life for others, and he has a hard time with saying the word "no". Case in point, he's also a stubborn jackass who doesn't know what the fuck is good for him and that he's too old to try and play cop.

Again, as with the first volume, A Matter of Time Vol. 2 has a wild plot that seriously stretches your ability to suspend your belief in this piece of "realistic" fiction. There were so many things that had me going like this:



Seriously. I was so confused throughout the last half of the book. Too many times to even count. I was sure I had figured it all out, found out I didn't have it, then later on that I kind of half had it right. Headache. This back and forth, zig zag, plot line gave me such a headache. A big, terrible one.

And God did Jory make me angry at around the 70%-77%. Just. Really, Jory? Really? Cops can't possibly be that dumb in real life that you have to go play detective, and conveniently find all the missing links in everything. You're not dumb by any means but no way are you that skilled or lucky.

But that's okay because once again, I love Sam and Jory together. I mean, they're hot. Melt the bedsheets hot. And as far as I'm concerned, the plot doesn't need all this Jory plays detective, he did it-she did it-who the fuck really did it stuff that it did. Just give me Sam and Jory and their every day, we have to work together to make this couple thing work. That's all you really need, and I'm pretty sure that's all any of us really want because Sam and Jory are enough for all of us . . . in fact, they're more than enough for us to handle.
Profile Image for Achim.
1,297 reviews86 followers
October 2, 2020
3.5
Funny how different an effect a series can have when you start it again after a lot of time has passed. Can't remember that Sam showed such creepy stalker qualities and that Jory is fine with attitudes that would work quite fine for a Doris Day movie – just with a lot more sex that is … but that's what I got from book 3 and of course I wasn't impressed and was scowling a lot.

Thankfully this package also includes book 4. The guys are back together again and Sam's uber-machismo is getting a dent when a serial killer strikes again. What follows is a sometimes surreal chase with Jory as a quite capable investigator blurring between manipulative ruthlessness and ingrained kindness. It's a lot to believe but at the same time a lot of fun and emotions. Finally I saw again some of what made me follow this series until the end.
Profile Image for Cindra.
569 reviews40 followers
October 16, 2016
Totally love the chemistry between Sam and Jory. But on occasion, I find I'd like to shake both of them til their heads rattle. Quite the combination of stubborn, alpha male and somewhat flighty and troublesome, although adorable, hot guy. Jory is a little "wispy" but I love that about him. The more I read about Sam, the better I understand the role he plays in the Marshals books. He's such a hardass of a boss, but it generates from a place of protectiveness, responsibility, and genuine caring for the people who work with and for him.

Second time around--still lovin' the chemistry between the MCs. On to Bulletproof.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 334 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.