Brief Encounters

Title: Someone Like You
Author: L.M. Brown
Length: 15,536 words
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Genre: m/m Contemporary Romance
Rating: B-

Blurb:
When Todd Hunter went to university he left behind his boyfriend, Deacon Jones. Todd knows Deacon is the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with, but for some reason Deacon has stopped returning his calls and is ignoring all his letters.

Now Todd is home for the holidays, and he wants to spend them with Deacon. It might not be so easy though. Neither Todd’s family nor Deacon’s are happy about their relationship and while Todd knows if they stand together they can make it work, convincing Deacon may be the greatest challenge of all.

Review:
This is the first of this year’s Christmas stories for me . It tells of Todd who comes from a wealthy family and has gone off to university. He’s worried because his boyfriend, Deacon, who comes from a poor and disadvantaged background, has cut off all contact with Todd and now that it’s the Christmas break Todd is determined to find out why.

The story begins well with lots of great emotion behind Todd’s feeling of betrayal and Deacon’s reasons as to why he’s cut himself off from Todd. What could have been an annoying forced separation is instead handled with a deft touch as both men fight for each other and against those who would separate them. In particular I liked the role that Deacon’s boss and landlord plays in being the voice of reason and experience. It was nicely done in that he trod the line between being an advisor for Deacon, but with enough push to get him into action without being interfering.

Another part which worked well was the way that class plays a part in the story, making it a sort love across the tracks type of romance – Deacon’s dodgy family, in particular, are well drawn. The love that Todd and Deacon have for each other is shown well, with lots of references to their committed relationship and, apart from a few hiccups, how their feelings for each other will affect their future together. I liked both men and was pleased that they were sensible enough to seek to resolve their differences and problems by talking.

What didn’t work as well was the character of Todd’s father. Whilst the rest of Todd’s family are shown with a good mix of drama and humour – especially in Todd’s relationships with his siblings, Todd’s father just tipped the balance into being a little too over the top for my liking. I would have liked to see more of a balance in his personality which would make him less of an overbearing monster.

However, that was just a slight niggle in what was an enjoyable story of love overcoming the obstacles of class, money and family and I would recommend it to those looking for a Christmas story which will leave you feeling all warm inside.