Review: Catching Heir by Julia Talbot

Is he in love with an old hotel—or its new owner?

Professional snowboarder Cullen Patrick is successful and kinda famous. So when he inherits an old Colorado hotel from an unknown relative, he really should leave well enough alone.

Matt Nathanson has been managing the Treeline Estates since college. He loved the elderly former owner, and he stands to inherit the place if no one claims it in the next week. Of course, Cullen shows up, and Matt thinks it’s time to move on. He doesn’t want to like Cullen, no matter how engaging the guy is, or how hunky.

Cullen has grand ideas for the Treeline, but he doesn’t want to implement them without Matt, and he’s not sure he’s ready to give up snowboarding. Can Matt convince Cullen that putting down roots is worth it… and maybe catch his heir at the same time?


This was a sweet and light read from the Dreamspinner Press House Line that I am head over heels for.

Cullen Patrick is a professional snowboarder who out of the blue, learns his is the owner of the Treeline Estates that was owned by his estranged grandfather, Ben Patrick. Not just estranged, Cullen had never met the man and only heard the non-favorable tales from his late father. When Cullen decides he wants to check out the Colorado historic hotel, we get to meet Matt.

Matthew Nathanson has been the manager of the Treeline since Ben Patrick met him right as he was graduating college and hired him on the spot. Matt and Ben became fast friends and it was Matt who was taking care of Ben in his last years before his passing. Also, as far as Matt knew there were no living relatives and he would become the owner and manager of the Treeline but Cullen shows up smack in the middle of Matt renovation the hotel.

At first meeting, the men don’t really take to one another. There is an edge of indifference from Cullen and a feeling of jealousy and dislike from Matt. They are opposites on the surface, but a few late night kitchen chats, carbs and desserts shared, it leads the men on a path of friendship and more.

This was a fun read as we watch Cullen and Matt become friends and see one another as more than competition. Matt gets that Cullen isn’t just someone who wants to push him out of the job that he loves and Cullen sees Matt as a link to the grandfather he never knew. When a night of treating themselves after errands to renovate the hotel, the men begin their romance and it was sweet but oh so sexy.

Matt was a lovely man to get to know. I adored it when he would go full on Texas not only with his speech but his actions. He wasn’t stodgy at all and had his own moments of pure UNF and swoon right along with his partner, Cullen. The men really were fun and the whole deal with Ben’s old apartment was a blast to watch it transform.

The bits with Cullen’s friends coming out and the ex that showed up were a bit dramatic but fitting for the story. I loved how Matt handled it all and how Cullen dealt with Tony. Watching the men deal with the issue of an ex and not going all “I know what’s best for you” or some level of miscommunication was lovely to read. Matt and Cullen dealt with every problem or issue as adults in a committed relationship.

I liked that the story was light on the angst and the only true angst I felt was when they would say those three words to one another. I loved that Cullen found his home with Matt and at the hotel and went forward to make this historic location friendlier for what he loves to do, shred. Cullen was adorable when it came to food and I loved his enthusiasm for all things involving Matt. The romance was a joy to watch blossom and see how the men not only work together but plan their life together.



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