Review: Second Hand by Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton

Title: Second Hand (Tucker Springs)
Series: Tucker Springs, #2
Authors: Heidi Cullinan, Marie Sexton
Published: September 10, 2012
Pages: 194
Genre: M/M romance
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Riptide
Rating: B
Reviewed by: Marq

Favorite quote: "Have you tried porn, honey? I hear the Internet is full of it and that the gay stuff is really top notch."

summary from Goodreads
Paul Hannon moved to Tucker Springs for his girlfriend, but she’s left him with a house he can’t afford and a pantry full of useless gadgets. All Paul wants is to get back to normal, even if he's not sure what that is anymore. When he wanders into Tucker Pawn for a gift to win her back, he meets El Rozal, pawn shop owner and all-around cynic.

El Rozal doesn’t do relationships, especially not with clueless straight boys still pining for their ex. El may make his living dealing in castoffs, but that doesn't apply to men. Still, when Paul starts clearing out his old life, pawning kitchen equipment he never wanted in the first place, El is drawn to Paul in spite of himself.

Paul and El have nothing in common except a past full of disappointments. There's no reason to believe the two of them could fit, but in El’s line of work, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. When it comes to love, El and Paul may learn that secondhand doesn't mean second best.

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Marq's thoughts:
Second Hand is book two of the Tucker Springs series but can be read alone. Paul moved to Tucker Springs for his girlfriend.  She eventually dumps him for another man and Paul is trying to woo her back. It's her birthday so Paul figures the best way to a girl's heart is with jewelry. Paul walks into a pawn store owned by El. Paul likes El and they become fast friends. El isn't a fan of relationships but there's something about Paul that he's drawn to. He knows that Paul is straight but he can't seem to stay away from him. Paul and El become fast friends and El is the shoulder that Paul can lean on. Soon El's attraction to Paul grows and Paul finds himself being drawn to El in more than just a friendly way.

I thought that Paul was all kinds of cute. Thanks to his cheating girlfriend, Paul is very insecure about himself. He doesn't understand why his girlfriend would cheat on him. Paul's insecurity could have been annoying but it wasn't too much where I wanted to slap him. It actually made him so endearing that you just want to give him a hug. El is a very interesting character. He owns his own business, takes care of his family and his friends. He has a lot to offer. I loved his flirting with a clueless Paul and I liked that he wasn't aggressive in his pursuit. He let Paul figure things out in his own time (although he did get Paul drunk a few times knowing that Paul is a light-weight). 

I enjoyed the characters and the setting. The families of both characters were well written and supportive. I hope that El's friend, Denver, will have his own book. He's hilarious and I loved that he nicknamed Paul "Strawberry". Second Hand is a great story that I truly enjoyed. I look forward to reading more books in this series.