Title: Love Over Gold
Author: Glyn Soitiño
Length: 14,100 words
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m contemporary romance
Grade: B
Blurb:
Chris and Paul are about to register their Civil Partnership, the closest thing you can have to a same-sex marriage in England. The registrar has been booked, the reception is all laid on, and the invitations are ready to go out. Now, only two weeks away from the ceremony, all that remains is for them to break the news to Chris’ parents. But that shouldn’t be too much of a problem — everybody loves a wedding, right?
Right — unless the father of one of the bridegrooms cannot accept the fact that his son is marrying another man. Chris, an only child, is heir to both the family name and fortune. Clinging to the misguided conviction that Chris’ homosexuality is merely a transient phase, Roger resolves to do whatever is necessary to secure his family’s future. But stubbornness runs in the family — like father, like son — and when things come to a head, well, who knows what might happen?
Review:
Paul and Chris are in love and ready to tie the knot by registering their Civil Partnership. Both are excited about the event, but want to keep things low key. Paul has never met Chris’ parents, mainly because Chris knows his father won’t approve as he’s still clinging onto the hopes that Chris is going through a phase and will soon snap put of it, settle down and marry and nice girl. Chris is also worried about a jinx, where whenever he introduces his parents to a boyfriend, they break up almost immediately afterwards but Paul assures him that love will win out, no matter what happens.
This was a rather lovely story about two men in love. The beginning firmly establishes the relationship and one of the best parts of this story was seeing how well the gel as a couple and how they talk through any problems. The pair have only been together a few months but there’s a sense of rightness between them that made it seem believable that they should take the big step of a civil partnership so soon.
The story is about families, Chris’ in particular and although we find out some detail about Paul – his job for example – the focus is mainly on Chris and his parents. Chris’ father is boorish and rather unpleasant, used to getting his way and so utterly frustrated that Chris is gay. This was offset by Chris’ Mum whose lively personality helped save the book from too much nastiness. The twist in the story was one I saw coming but I liked the way Paul dealt with it.
Despite the theme of parental expectation and disappointment, this was actually quite a light read, mainly because of the deft touch with the narrative and Chris’ Mum. Things begin to escalate, and at one point stretched incredulity a little for me, but that soon passed. I also liked the way that the author played a little with convention – the angry dash out in the rain, the crashed car – but turned it on its head so that things were not as they may seem.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this story. A British setting is always a plus for me and I liked the characters. If you’re looking for something light and sparkly with a happy ending that will leave you smiling, then I’d recommend this one.








