Finch Mason travels to the UK looking for a fun an relaxing vacation. He's purchased a National Trust Pass, intent on visiting as many historical sites as he can. When he learns his pass is good to admit two, he invites Benedict, a handsome Brit he met upon arriving in the country. The two have a wonderful time together, and Finch finds himself smitten before their week together ends. But after an unfortunate twist of fate leaves Finch stuck in the country with no money, he turns to Benedict for help--and learns that there's much more to the object of his affection than he might have imagined.

This is the first book I've read by Elle Brownlee, and I must say I'm looking forward to more. I felt like this was written in a unique voice--this didn't feel like a run-of-the-mill M/M romance story, even if it did follow the formula. It was a refreshing and gripping read, in my opinion, and I recommend it. ( )

So, I get that the characters are supposed to be serious and reserved. But wow, it was no-heat. If I'd been the main character, not only would I have not known I was about to be proposed to, I'd not have known he even liked me beyond feeling obligation and arrogance. I think Mr. Darcy expressed more admiration for Elizabeth in the first half of Pride and Prejudice than Ben did in the entire book, proposal included! ( )

Fairy tales, vacation encounters, and secret identities that lead to all kinds of shenanigans are some of my favorite ingredients for a romance. And, lucky me, ‘Two for Trust’ has all of these in abundance. Add two great characters, some unfortunate circumstances, a robbery, and a little magic behind the scenes to the mix, and I am a very happy reader indeed!

Finch is a nurse, not generally likely to be spontaneous, and he likes things orderly, organized, and predictable. He has his visit to England extremely well planned, meets a great guy at his first country estate, and ends up wishing he could share the rest of his trip with the somewhat enigmatic Benedict as well. Then disaster strikes, and Finch is thrown into unexplored territory with Benedict as his savior.

The mystery as to who Benedict is wasn’t that much of a question mark to me, but I loved the slow unfolding and Finch’s shock when he figures it out. The two men are very different, yet somehow fit anyway, and watching them piece together the puzzle of their potential relationship was very entertaining. Benedict has some stuff to learn about wanting to control everything and keeping secrets, and Finch needs to let go a little and maybe add some spontaneity to his life, and it soon shows that they’re far better together than they are apart.

If you like romances with a little mystery, if some not-so-nice surprises that “force” the two main characters to work together are your thing, and if you’re looking for an entertaining read in a (mostly) countryside setting in rural England, then you will probably like this novel.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )