A Matter of Time: Vol. 1

I loved this volume 1. It was a wonderful mix of humor, sass and relationship drama, and in the center of it all was one man - Jory Keyes. It was amazing to see how everyone, man or woman, cleaved to Jory. He has something about him that attracts everyone's attention and affection. He is so irreverent it's adorable. His enthusiasm is contagious and inner monologue is very amusing. I loved him. He knew who he was and was unapologetic. This book was suspenseful, action-packed, full of hilarity and had only one POV, Jory's. I would consider 3 relationships as the focal point of these 2 books.

1. Dane Harcourt and Jory Keyes. These two men are so different but they work so well together. Jory just gets Dane with all his quirks and sharp angles, he loves him for who he is. And Dane is such a character - half the time I was amused, the other half I was mildly irritated. But in the end the moments they had were touching and very heart-felt. They created a family of their own as brothers.

2. Jory and the world. There are so many side characters that zip through Jory's life - it's almost a revolving door. I loved that he didn't have any hang-ups about somebody being different or rich, he just accepted them and was always so affectionate. I loved his simple views on things, his forgiveness and his fearlessness that could at some point have been considered naivete or even luck.

3 Jory and Sam Kage. This is interesting. Many would consider Sam a complete a$$wipe, and I agree that he did have those moments. But the most amazing fact was that Jory loved him as is - possessive, domineering, bossy and aggressive. He got off on it, he felt cared and loved while both Dane, his brother, and Sam, his lover, told him what to do and generally ordered him around. And it suited Jory just fine. Even though the relationship was on and off, I loved them when they were together. Sam on his own was rough around the edges but with Jory he came into his own and became gentle, and he was more amenable and a better man.

The ending was a bit odd, but I guess it takes a lot of courage to come out and not be scared. And for all of his tough exterior Sam is just a man with all of the ingrained social norms that he grew up with that he now must challenge in order to be the man he wants to be. I think what he needs is time. So we will see how long it takes him in the next book. Can't wait to read it! I loved this story and highly recommend it!

Have you ever had a character speak to you so much that you just knew if they were real you would be BFF's forever? Well that was Jory for me! This guy is so well written that you just can't help but love him, he is one of a kind that's for sure!
Jory is a witness to a murder, and he is saved by Sam Kage, but refuses to go into witness protection, he has a job he loves, and a life to live. You can see the chemistry between the two from the beginning, and even though Sam is straight you can bet he won't be for to much longer!
Sam is out of his mind dealing with Jory, the guy is so frustrating, but oh so sexy! Sam isn't ready to admit his attraction for a guy,so how will he and Jory be together, and what about the scads of guys with undying love for Jory (believe me he has the admirers folks), will they take no for an answer?
Jory doesn't want to run and hide, he just wants to live, and he wants to do it with Sam, but that isn't possible, is it? This book will take you on a roller coaster of emotions,( and the way it ends, man you better have Vol. 2 ready friends, jus sayin ;p ), don't miss it, and if you have already read it, isn't it time to visit old friends again?
I love how Mary Calmes gives you a cast of characters you both love and love to hate, you will be wondering who is good and who is bad, and characters you love (Dane) you beg them to be on the up and up! Thank you Mary for a series so good it makes me admit I should have listened to my friend and read it ages ago!

This book is literally a roller coaster ride. Jory and Sam's journey is full of ups and downs ...
The love and the fear to move forward and save Jory has Sam paralyze ... Wanting to do what he thinks is best but hurting each other at the same time.
Jory loves him purely ... He will need all his strength and the love of his own family to survive.
Looking forward to the next part of the story.

Part #1
To be completely honest at the start of this, I will admit that I re-read this series prior to writing the reviews. The reason? The first time I read these books I was in love, lust, and awe over them and there was no possible way I could have formulated a coherent review. Heck, I'm not sure now I'm going to be coherent! I can honestly say that the 'A Matter of Time' series by Mary Calmes is absolutely one of my favorites of all time. Jory and Sam are on my list of favorite couples and the fabulous supporting characters make these books shine even more.
Jory Keyes has the supreme bad luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. When his friend asks him to go back to her home and get her dog for her, he never imagines that he'll witness a murder and destroy a two-year undercover operation. Of course, it just sort of seems to be Jory's inherent, ADHD bad luck. His bad luck continues as one of the detectives he meets is Sam Kage, a huge pain in Jory's butt. Jory refuses any type of witness protection and Sam is completely frustrated trying to deal with him. In return, Jory is disgusted by having to deal with Sam who is straight as an arrow and not exactly politically correct in his speech.
I fell madly in love with Jory from the first minute. I think because I could really empathize with the way his brain worked and it made me laugh out loud a lot! His relationship with his boss, Dane, is magnificent and provided a lot of laughs. Jory is not hung up on having a relationship and, in fact, the longest one he's ever had was six months. Jory enjoys one-night stands and at some point he wants to find someone who loves him and wants a life with him. There's just something completely enchanting about Jory and I fell hard.
Now, Sam is a different story. It took a while before I was willing to give Sam a chance. Granted, he was amazingly tender, sweet and loving in the beginning but Sam has a whole lot of phobic issues to deal with and he doesn't handle them well. I'll just say at the end I wasn't feeling the love for Sam.
I can truly say that this was an amazing beginning to the series. There is angst and drama but it is nicely spaced with great humor and laughs. I cannot wait to see what else the author has in store for me.
Part #2
Once again I will reiterate that I waited to write this review until I had re-read this story and series. I loved the fact that this second book in the series started out immediately following the end of book one. Not to mention that Jory and his boss' relationship is so incredibly sweet and touching. They both need family and it took them a while to realize that was what they had together.
Jory and Sam are really struggling in this book. They are on and then off again with Sam not willing to give up his dreams of having a wife and kids. Unfortunately, every time they have problems, Jory runs away from dealing with them. So, basically, both of them keep running away from the realities of their lives and their choices. It made for some very frustrating moments! Jory has testified against the murderer but it turns out someone else was there that night and is out to kill Jory. It seems everyone else involved, even those in protective custody, have been killed leaving only Jory as the witness.
This book dealt a lot with relationships, friends, family, lovers, partners, and all of the mess that can entail when we surround ourselves with these relationships. I loved it. I hated how it ended but only because I'm crazy about Jory and I hated seeing him hurt. Sam still has a lot to learn about compromise and how it takes two to make a relationship and that each person has a say in the decisions affecting both. It was devastating to watch and I really hope the author redeems herself in the next book!

This series quickly became one of my all time favorites and since finding it I have gone on to read many other works by Mary Calmes. The books are so well written and she has a way of just dragging you into the story and really making you care about her characters. Once you pick up one of her books there's no putting it down, and by the end you're left begging for more! This series is definitely a must read!!!!!