Love Ahead: Please Excuse Our Mess By Madeleine Urban

Gigi

This was my second read of these 2 blue collar short stories. Under Contract featuring construction workers Nick and Ted and Over the Road featuring big-rig truck drivers Elliot and McLean.

Both stories were lightly angsty, the perfect amount, and loaded with great sex and passion.

I loved these stories and can highly recommend them to all fans of M/M romance.

Chris

These two m/m romances were decent, but you can definitely tell that they were older stories from Urban and Roux. And, as Tam pointed out when she read them a week or two ago, how names are used in each story was definitely odd. In the first, both guys mostly used each others’ last names. That was ok, since they knew each other through their work at a construction site. Then, later in the story, when they started to use each others’ first names, it was obviously supposed to indicate their growing closeness and intimacy. I get that. But why the hell did they both have first and last names that could be first or last names?! It was so confusing. So very confusing. And in the next story? The name thing? Really? You never exchanged actual names after talking to each other on the phone for months? *headdesk*

AngelFire

Under Contract (construction workers) = DNF @ 38%
Over The Road (long haul truckers) = 3 Stars

I'm not a fan of these authors stories but I found this story on a list for trucker MM romances and I love blue collar MCs so I decided to give both stories a go. Personally, I only enjoyed the second one, Over The Road.

Under Contract = DNF @ 38%

This story was a disappointment on all fronts. There was the usual head hopping from paragraph to paragraph that these authors were known for in their early work. It's not the worst I've ever seen but it did make some sections difficult to understand.

I also hated the names - Ted Lucas and Nick Cooper - because the names were important in the story but having those specific names made the execution fall flat. The MCs start out calling each other by their last names but because these are also common first names (Lucas, Cooper), I kept forgetting they weren't their first names. So when they switched to calling each other Ted/Nick, it was supposed to show a progression in their romance but I constantly forgot that Lucas/Cooper weren't their first names. Plus - they referred to themselves as Lucas and Cooper when they were in their own POV, which made no sense and made the situation worse.

Next - Lucas' characterization was very poorly done. The man is supposed to be the big, scary foreman, he's extremely grumpy, closed off and his entire work crew is supposed to be scared of him. But the man is constantly showing soft emotions that don't match up with his supposed characterization. He demonstrates clear concern for Cooper all the time, he gets anxious and blushes when he thinks about Cooper, he blurts out his feelings out of the blue, he squeaks (!) when Cooper kisses him and he hits his head on tables/booths etc when he's frustrated with himself. His behavior was childish and made him seem like he's in his early 20s while he was supposed to be a gruff, macho foreman in his 30s so it didn't match up. Cooper was written well (he's Lucas' second in command) but because I didn't like Lucas' characterization, the story fell flat for me.

Lastly, the part of the story I read consisted of instalove and sex scenes. Lucas tells Cooper that he loves him within the first 20% and then they go have sex multiple times. Not only was it repetitive and boring but it felt like the majority of the story happened before the authors started writing. Lucas has been in love with Cooper for months despite barely knowing anything about him (cue eye rolling) but the authors don't set up their pre-existing relationship properly so I didn't feel any chemistry between them and they seemed like two random co-workers so having them jump into bed so fast meant I didn't care about their romance.

Over The Road = 3 Stars

I loved the first third and last third and overall, it was a really enjoyable story, despite the middle section involving a sequence of events that I personally dislike but others probably enjoy. Most of the story is in Elliot's POV so thankfully, there's not a lot of head hopping that happens. I didn't feel Elliot or Jimmy's characterizations were overly well done because some aspects of their personalities felt forced (like Elliot's crankiness involving over the top outbursts) and some stuff didn't make sense (like country-cowboy Jimmy wearing his shoulder length hair in very short pig tails...?) but I liked the story overall.

The MCs are are long haul truck drivers who meet over the radio and after realizing they enjoy talking to each other, they exchange phone numbers. In the months that follow, they develop a really great friendship despite never seeing each other in person. I adored their many phone conversations and the many scenarios that the authors came up with that allowed the MCs to get to know each other and deeply care about each other, despite never meeting face to face. To say I was excited to have them finally meet in person would be an understatement.

Unfortunately, the authors spent the middle part of the story having the MCs unknowingly meet in real life and develop a real-life romance that's completely separate from their long distance, anonymous phone relationship. I hate these kinds of setups because they don't make sense and it makes it tough to know which relationship to cheer for.

The only reason the MCs don't realize who the other person is when they meet in real life is due to dumb reasons: 1. They supposedly don't recognize each other voices and despite spending a long weekend together at some point, they never divulge personal information that would clue the other person in about who they are, and 2. They conveniently never exchanged their names while talking on the phone DESPITE MONTHS PASSING so they don't recognize each other's real names. All of this was stupid. If it had taken the MCs a little while to figure out who the other person was and this would have included coming across more and more parallels that made them suspect the connection between the real person and their phone buddy, I would have been fine with it. But the two separate relationships carry on for most of the story, which didn't make sense to me.

Also - I hate these scenarios because I always feel like the MCs are cheating on each other...with each other...despite not being in a romance in one of their relationships. I know that's stupid, but I can't get comfortable with the idea that both MCs are pining over Person A (who they're best friends with and know very well) but they settle for a romance with Person B (who they get along with well and are attracted to but there isn't much depth there). I feel like the author wants me to root for both relationships, but this doesn't make sense to me because the MCs believe they're in two completely separate relationships.

Anyway, I loved the last third because I did enjoy having Jimmy finally putting the pieces together and I liked how he lets Elliot know that he knows. That's followed by some good hurt/comfort angst , which I also enjoyed and the ending nicely wrapped up several small plotlines that had been woven into the rest of the story. Overall, if you enjoy the specific plot sequence that the authors use for the real vs phone relationships then you'll probably enjoy this a lot.

Charly

Two good stories

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

"Under Contract" - 8/10

Pros:
- Two macho men who fall for each other but have sensitive sides that don't detract from their masculinity.
- Interesting supporting cast: a couple of odd, amusing characters and one particularly supportive character.
- Good sex scenes (although see the cons list below also).

Cons:
- Typical (at least, it's present in all 3 stories I have read by this pair of authors) Urban-Roux frenetic POV. My assumption is that these authors go for some sort of omniscient third-person POV rather than limited third-person, which is what the majority of romance/erotic novels use. The problem is that they don't quite pull it off seamlessly; they tend to switch POV from one character to the other every other paragraph so that Par. 1 is told from A's perspective, Par. 2 from B's, Par. 3 from A's, etc. Sometimes, though, they throw in 2 paragraphs in a row from the same character's POV, and it's confusing. It's also difficult at times to tell whether you're reading an internal thought of Character A or a perception of Character A that's actually being thought by Character B.
- (Possible SPOILER here) One of the characters is in love with the other from the beginning, so for him, the sex is more than just sex; for the other guy, it's just the fulfillment of lustful fantasies at first. As a result, the sex scenes were difficult for me to read because I knew that one of them was making love and one was just f*ing.

"Over the Road" - 8/10

Pros:
- Great idea. I enjoyed the plot, which is simple but clever, very much.
- Beautiful relationship that develops entirely from conversation (and not sex). As a result, it felt more meaningful to me.
- One very funny character. By the time I had read the first 10 pages, I had laughed out loud at least 5 times.
- One of the guys has a sweet family--loving, caring, accepting. Aw.

Cons:
- Typical Urban-Roux frenetic POV. (See the same point on my con comments about the novella above.) What's different in this novella than in "Under Contract" and Caught Running, an Urban-Roux novel, is that certain scenes in this story are pretty consistently limited in their POV, which just makes the switcheroo scenes more disorienting.
- (possible SPOILER here) The majority of the sex scenes have a disengaged, one-night-stand feel to them because...well, they ARE one-night stands. (Not toward the end, of course, because the characters do get their happily-ever-after.)

Overall comments: Good for fans of romance, because despite my con comments about each of the novellas' sex scenes, love does triumph in the end. Not for you if you're looking for a hair-raising plot.

Feliz

3,75 overall.

The first story about two construction workers (actually foremen) was rather off - the- mill, with a hurt-comfort-theme that reminded me too much of
The One That Got Away by Rhianne Aile and some made-up conflict. Nice, but...yeah. 3 Stars.

But the second one about two truck drivers who meet and fall in love over the radio without ever having laid eyes on each other was just TOO cute. It had everything I desire in a good comfort read, it was funny and sad, melancholy and sweet and so fan-fabulo-tastically romantic, just aw
www...
If not for the convenient solution in the end, it would've been a five star, so it had to make do with 4.5. Recommended mostly for the second story.

Relly

Reread 2022

Still one of my favourite rereads
Every now and again I go through a thing for truckers and have to read this one. I love the banter between Millis and McLean.

One of my favourite re-reads

Sonia

Re-read.

I love the two shorties. And was in need of something hot & sweet & short.. Hence, the re-read.

Phaney

2012 Review:

This is very difficult for me to rate since the two stories differ greatly in quality.

I'll go with "it was ok" aka two stars for the first (Under Contract), but with "really liked it" aka four stars for the second (Over The Road).

The first story is just haphazardly written, as though the authors were just trying to figure out on the fly what they wanted to do with this. So inconsistencies are the rule and characters do not emerge much at all. It just didn’t feel like a real book at all, more like a lazy fantasy… draft… thing… whatever. Mostly, it felt like a session of role-playing between two relatively inept but horny role-players.

The second story I loved, though. I can't give it five stars because some of the role-playing style perspective mess persists, although it's much less annoying here.
It essentially was a true romance that took the time it needed to develop. No jumping the gun, no throwing sex in to keep some readers interested. The pacing was excellent for that. Just those two guys who start talking and a sort of friendship develops from there, and then a bit more. The timing of their first physical meeting fit extremely well into that flow, in a way that allowed it to happen in the first place and take the direction it did, without pre-empting the strengthening of their voice-only bond in the wake of it.

I know from other books I've read by these two in collaboration that they can do much, much better than the first story. I suppose they just took a while to figure out how to work together and grow as authors.

Silke

I loved the first story “Under Contract”. Especially because the characters are both “alpha males” and the plot was very interesting with one of the characters (Lukas) knowing he is in love with the other (Cooper) and confessing this right at the beginning of the book.

It’s a very cute and romantic story with lots of H/C and even some angst at the end and the sex scenes are outstanding!

Especially the part where they go bareback for the first time. Holy shit that was unbelievably hot!

The writing style is probably not for everyone but I liked that the POV changed every other paragraph from one character to the other.

So, the first story definitely gets 5 stars from me, the second 4. Which was cute, too and had some great goddamnit-will-you-finally-talk-and-get-together?! moments.

YullSanna

3,5

Хорошо, но... надо уметь вовремя останавливаться. Последние 20% обоих рассказов явно лишние, пролистала ради приличия.

Я понимаю, наверное, почему comfort read для меня в основном про подростков. Потому что в их наивность, невинность и глупость верить легче!
Да, тут нужно было выключить мозг, настроить нервную систему на максимум приема эмоций и отпустить все прочее. Не смогла :(

Fehu

I loved that anthology when I first read it years ago. Now I am a bit disappointed, the first story were a lot of sex scenes with some story thrown in. The second story was better, there was humour and a decent plot, still I didn't end up loving it the same as did back then.

Elisa Rolle

Under Contract by Madeleine Urban: Ted Lucas is new in town. A foreman construction worker, he is know among the crew to be a grumpy man. And instead Lucas is only a very shy man; his former lover left him since Lucas was not able to make him understand how much he loved him. Now, on the new job site, Lucas felt in love at first sight for Nick Cooper, his assistant foreman, but instead of making clear his feeling, he avoids for much is possible the man, and looks him from afar with eyes full of desire. Glares that Nick Cooper mistakes for disapproval ones, and that push him to ask for a transfer. The day he wants to give his notice, Lucas finds the courage to express his feelings and Cooper obviously his perplexed: how can a man who nearly spoke to him being really in love? Cooper thinks it to be only a question of lust and he is willing to give Lucas the chance to quiet down a bit of heat. But a night is not enough to wear down the attraction, and so begins a strange relationship, one in which Lucas becomes even more involved and instead Cooper is only waiting for him to be tired.

Cooper has not a big opinion on himself. He is an happy-to-go man, friendly and handsome, but probably he doesn't think him to be relationship material. With his easy behavior, he unintentionally doesn't give to anyone the chance to come closer. Lucas instead is so in love that everything Cooper does, only increases his love; he was so hurt in the past to not have the gut to voice his feelings, that now he is almost in an hurry to make them clear. It takes him a bit to have the courage to do that, but now he is like a train in race, nothing can stop him. And maybe this attitude makes Cooper wonders if it's real love or only the spur of the moment.

Lucas and Cooper's relationship is easy and enjoyable; two real man who have no problem to make physically clear that they like each other; with the bodies is simple, but when the hearts are involved, it's another matter. Sex is not a problem, and also a buddy f..k relationship, but love... it takes a lot more courage.

Over the Road by Abigail Roux: Millis (Elliot) and MacLean are truck drivers. They know each other since a bit, but only by phone. When one of the two needs a friendly ear, he knows who to call. But sometime a voice is not enough and so, a lonely night, Elliot gives up to the temptation and spends the night with Jimmy, another truck driver he meets on the street. Jimmy is an easy man, an apparently no strings attach relationship, and so that first night Elliot doesn't feel guilty... in the other hand, what he has with MacLean is not a real relationship, he even knows if the other man is gay or if he is interested in him. But then there is a second encounter with Jimmy, and now Elliot starts wondering if he is content with that, of if he wants the real thing, and if he wants the real thing, he wants that with Jimmy or with MacLean?

This is a domino play and a play of hidden cards. A mistaken comedy. I don't want to give up the story, but it's pretty clear since the first pages what the secret is, and so, after discovered it, you have only to enjoy the show, and in particular, the almost epistolary relationship between Millis and MacLean, but here, instead of letters, we have two mobile phones and the long American highways.

Again a right dose of sex, and two real men who enjoy it and a lot. In both stories, the friendship is almost important like the sex relationship; both couple are first friends and than lovers, but also when they are lovers, they still remain friends, and this make all easier and smooth. And since friendship is so important, there is also a light and funny tone in both stories that makes them very enjoyable.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0981737242/?...

Tam

This is actually two books in one (like the double mint twins). Under Contract about two construction workers and Over the Road about two truckers. I think I preferred the first story about Ted and Nick or should I say Lucas and Cooper. Shall I save my pet peeves for now or later? Why wait. I HATE when characters are referred to by their last names but their last names could be first names. As in this case. Okay, in construction people are referred to by their last names, but I found it a tad annoying as I'd start to think of him as Cooper and then he'd call him Nick and throw me off. Okay, whine done.

Lucas (aka Ted) is the foreman on a construction site and Cooper (Nick) is his assistant. He's been attracted to Nick from the beginning but has been a meany to him to avoid having to deal with his attraction and eventual love. He finally asks Nick out for a beer and when Nick states he knows Ted obviously hates his guts, Ted confesses he loves him. Talk about a shock. Nick agrees to give it a try and is injured on the job site. Ted moves in to help him (broken leg and ribs) and they grow closer but Nick won't say it's love. Ted gets a transfer and when Nick doesn't confess to undying love the split and he leaves, only to have Nick finally get his head out of his ass and chase him down. It's typical Urban and Roux, likable characters, sexy smexin', HEA story. I did love the guy who faints when he panics. They referred to him as one of those goats who fall over suddenly. Very funny.

The second one is (Wait, should I vent about names again? But then the whole point of the story would have been over in 50 pages.) Elliot (Willis) is a trucker who is stuck in traffic. He gets on the radio and finds out from Jimmy (McLean) that there is a truck upset. They get to chatting and joking around and exchange cell numbers. Now Willis is the name of Elliot's company and McLean is the name of Jimmy's company, not their real names but it's how they refer to each other. Jimmy prefers to drive at night and Elliot during the day but they fall into the habit of calling each other fairly often to kill time and start sharing their lives. Meanwhile Elliot meets Jimmy at a truck stop (totally oblivious) and has sex and they make arrangements to meet up. Meanwhile he feels guilty like he's cheating on McLean. EVENTUALLY they figure it out after some logistical issues but I thought they dragged it out too long. Seriously the guy tells you EVERYTHING about his aunt dying and leaving him her ranch and how his family hates him and you share info about your brother's kids over a series of months and you never ONCE ask the guy you think you're in love with or at the very least your best friend his NAME? You keep referring to him by his company name? Come on. Fine for casual strangers but at some point you're going to say "What IS your name anyway?" So I started skimming at the back because I just wanted to get to the confrontation scene when they FINALLY figured it out. And you didn't recognize his voice? I was rolling my eyes by the end. I mean I liked them both and it was nice to see their friendship grow but I was so frustrated with their willful ignorance and the coincidences (guy goes outside to take a phone call, your phone rings, you talk, and just after you hang up he comes back - repeatedly?) Riiight. Anyway, I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it, I did because I liked the characters but I found it a bit needlessly drawn out.

Cindi

UNDER CONTRACT: 1 Star

I have issues with any book that has a character say "I love you" right off the bat. By having Lucas do this, it made his character look weak, even though he came across otherwise as a tough-man type boss.

Cooper was wishy-washy. While I liked his character "OK" he didn't stand out to me.

I really did not enjoy this story AT ALL.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OVER THE ROAD: Easily 5 Stars

This story was very unique. I've read stories where this type of thing happens via email, facebook, etc., but not with 2 truckers finding love via CB radios.

I totally fell in love with both lead characters. Elliott was the broody type, where Jimmy was a fun loving, easy going guy.

Everything about this book was good to me. I especially loved where each character had guilt when they were together....... before they realized who it was they were actually with. While the sex was hot, it wasn't simply about the sex. Each character had feelings that were shown throughout the story.

This is one of my new favorite m/m stories.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I really wish I could rate the 2nd story and totally ignore the first one. I would give "Over The Road" 5 stars without a problem. "Under Contract" doesn't deserve 1, in my opinion.

Arthur

First Story

Nick Cooper is assistant foreman to Ted Lucas. He was so sure that his foreman boss, Lucas, hated him that he requested for transfer. Little did he know, Ted was awkward with him because he loved Nick. The relationship started with a 'bang', but then it developed nicely.

I liked this book, since the characters are nice, and while Nick sometimes calls Ted 'gorgeous', he is not what we usually see in m/m romance books. He's big bear with muscles.

The scene when their coworkers came and led to jealousy is cute, actually.

Second Story

Elliot and Jimmy are both truck drivers. They communicated with each other through radio and phone, but have never met. They both felt lonely on the road, so having each other to talk and share stories is really great. They encouraged each other to find someone to kill loneliness, but each feels guilty whenever they had night stand with other man... It's even worse when they keep meeting the other guy...

I like this story, although I find it impossible that they didn't share their respective schedule with each other.

Emanuela ~plastic duck~

3.5 stars.

The first story was nice and cute, but it didn't really grab me. I found myself putting the book down without really wanting to pick it up. I liked both characters, I think the fact that Lucas said clearly to Cooper that he was in love with him was something a little bit different, because the two characters had to find their happy ending starting from a different angle. I didn't like the head hopping.

The second story was more interesting and it kept me hooked until the last quarter, then I think that it dragged on and the last plot point was just too much. You have to want to suspend your disbelief, especially because I can't believe you won't shout "hey, me too", when you're trying to connect with someone and you find you're in the same situation. The writing was more sizzling and there was far less head hopping.

While the first story is more believable, the second is better in writing. I really liked that all the protagonists were working men, the setting was very interesting.

Yvonne

This is a two story anthology. In the first story, Lucas is a construction foreman who is secretly in love with his asst. foreman Cooper. One day he confesses this. Then they have lots of sex. Then a little separation and then they have lots of sex again. It's not really a memorable story not helped by the fact that the writers uses each characters last names, Lucas and Cooper, or their first names, Nick and Ted interchangeably. It was very annoying as each name sounds like a first name.

The second story is the story about two truckers Elliot and Jimmy who talk to each other via cell phone or cb but have never actually meet. For some odd reason they never give their real name so when they meet they don't know their true identities. This misunderstanding goes through almost the entire book and begins to feel like a gimmick after a while. I like this one better than the first book but it was on the more unbelievable side.

Tamara

Under Contract - 3.5 stars
It just didn't do it for me. A lot of important parts in character development were skipped, while it dragged too much on the (hot and steamy) sex part. It had it's good moments though.
Over the Road - 4.5 stars
Now this story was fantastic. It was funny, has good tension (plot-wise) and the characters are likable. It even has the angsty part at the end, and it made me think it would have been better if it was a tragedy rather than a HEA story. The only part that bothered me was that they didn't exchange names over all the months they talked. But it was either that or make them too dumb to fit the pieces together when they met irl, and I prefer that teeny annoying detail over pulling my hair out while screaming at the characters how dumb they are.

Dutchgirl

this book isn't available anymore. Luckely i found a paperback copy on ebay :)

Shannon

Probably more of a 4.5 star rating. This book had 2 stories and they were both very, very good. I can't decide right now which one I like better because they were so different. In Under Contract the foreman is in love with his employee but acts like an ass and treats him like shit to try and hide it. I loved this story and the sex was outstanding in both books actually. In Over the Road, the two MCs became friends while talking on the cb while driving their rigs around. This one was a little frustrating in the "why can't they meet" type way. Still a very entertaining read. I highly recommend this little treat and both books could stand alone in that they were not short stories without depth. They seemed like regular length novels just put together.

Mandy*reads obsessively*

The first story gets 3*, I liked it but both guys had first and last names that could be both and they used both, so I was a bit confused who was who. And just as it was getting interesting and a real story was starting, it ended. I'm left wondering if my book was defective,not only was the ending so abrupt, but the second story was in my book twice?
The second story was longer and more in-depth so it gets 4*, yes I had my doubts about it going on for months with the MC's not figuring it out or asking for real names, but I enjoyed it, and since it was printed twice in my copy,I got to enjoy it double! ;)

Luta Wolf

I have a love hate relationship with this author. I completely utterly love her this time. I really needed this Hot Chocolate read and was utterly surprised that it was a Hot Chocolate read. I kept putting it off because usually this author goes with angst but not this time and oh it was so good. The characters were amazing and interesting and imperfect. You fell into the plot like watching a hallmark made for tv movie. It really got me through a rough patch, thank you.

JenMcJ

Two great stories in one book. What more do you need?

Kristin Sullivan

These are two really fun, well written, intelligent stories. You can always depend on this writing duo to provide a story that pulls you into another world and makes you laugh along the way.

Amanda

This book consists of two very cute m/m homosexual love stories. It was a nice breather from all the other crap I've been reading.

Victoria

I liked both stories. Though the second story was slightly contrived, it was still cute :)

Mindy Reader

Under Contract

Loved these two together. Lucas was an absolute sweetheart. He was basically a big gruff teddy bear. I loved that, for most of the story, he had his heart wide open to Cooper. They both had their moments of insecurity but it was sweet watching them figure out what they wanted. The sex scenes were pretty steamy as well.

Over the Road

Elliot and Jimmy made a connection while out on the road. The chemistry was not as great as the first book so the sex scenes were just ok. I wanted to see more of these two together which would be difficult since they were both truck drivers.

Both books were difficult to get through simply because of how the pov was written. I would get lost in the middle of a paragraph and not know who was saying what. Overall these novellas were not as good as Caught Running in my opinion.

Bookbee

3.5 Stars

Title	:	Love Ahead: Please Excuse Our Mess
Author	:	Madeleine Urban
Rating	:
ISBN	:	0981737242
ISBN-10	:	9780981737249
Language	:	English
Format Type	:	Paperback
Number of Pages	:	308
Publication	:	First published June 1, 2008

Love Ahead: Please Excuse Our Mess by Madeleine Urban

Love Ahead: Please Excuse Our Mess Reviews

Love Ahead: Please Excuse Our Mess Reviews

Releated on Love Ahead: Please Excuse Our Mess