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Posts Tagged ‘Shawn Lane’

Admiring Jesse by Shawn Lane

Posted in Authors: J-L, C+, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on March 13, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

17344196Title: Admiring Jesse
Author: Shawn Lane
Length: 19 pdf pages
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: C+

Blurb:

Jesse is used to Valentine’s Day passing without finding his own sweetheart. But suddenly he starts receiving gifts from a secret admirer.

With encouragement from his too-sexy roommate, Gilbert, Jesse opens himself to the idea that someone is actually interested in him. Though he has doubts, Jesse can’t help but wonder if his admirer could finally be the man of his dreams.

Review:

This is a very sweet oblivious friends-to-lovers Valentine’s short.  Jesse and Gilbert have been roommates for some time since Jesse’s cousin moved out. Valentine’s is approaching when a variety of anonymous gifts start arriving for Jesse. He’s short and slight and not the kind of guy to attract secret admirers, however they do seem to know him quite well. His friends suggest maybe his roommate, but he’s seen the kind of guys that Gilbert dates, and they don’t look like Jesse. Even if Jesse has been crushing on him for years.

Finally, a note arrives asking him to meet the admirer at a restaurant on Valentine’s Day. Now of course, any romance reader worth their salt knows exactly who the secret admirer is, but I thought Jesse’s reaction was cute. His first instinct was that it was a joke, or that the chocolates he received must have been poisoned. Sort of the typical reaction when you think about scary stalkers. So I enjoyed watching his mystification at having and admirer, and being torn between a secret thrill and a fear that it’s was a psycho, or a mean prank.

There is a very sweet last chapter that explains their life a year later. As I said, it’s a pretty typical story, not particularly original, but it was a sweet read and the author always manages to write characters that are kind of everyday guys you want to find love. So if you are in the mood for short, cute and angst free, it certainly fits the bill.

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There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays by Shawn Lane

Posted in Authors: J-L, C, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on December 20, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

NoPlaceLikeHomeTitle: There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays
Author: Shawn Lane
Length: 9,000 words
Publisher: MLR Press
Genre: m/m contemporary romance
Rating: C

Blurb:
For the first time in years, Mac is going home for the holidays with his best friend Connor in tow, but he certainly doesn’t expect the magic of Christmas to give him the love of a lifetime.

Fashion designer, Mackenzie Grayson, has no intention of going home for Christmas…until his sister calls and uses guilt to talk him into spending two weeks over the holidays at his family’s home in California. With his best friend, Connor, in tow, Mac returns to California, a place he has mostly avoided after a bad breakup. Mac no longer does serious relationships, but maybe some time spent with Connor under the mistletoe will make this a more magical Christmas than either of them would have dreamed of.

Review:
Mac is a busy fashion designer who gets strong armed into returning home for Christmas. His best friend Connor, after breaking with his boyfriend, comes along with him. Mac has always had a soft spot for Connor but doesn’t want to hurt him by taking advantage, because Mac just doesn’t do anything but short term.

Whilst I enjoyed this story on the whole, the set up and execution wasn’t anything that I haven’t read before. This author always writes well and I liked the slightly flamboyant character of Mac where everything seemed to be a big deal. He’s got a kind heart though and is a good friend to Connor, who wasn’t quite as well rounded as Mac. Mac’s past hurts mean that he refuses to commit now and I found myself a little disappointed about the use of this old chestnut of a plot device – how many times have I read this in an m/m romance? Being with Connor, allows him to see, in a too short space of time, that he’s wrong not to commit. Mac’s sudden about-face on this issue surprises even Connor, and I think if I had been him, I would have been rather more suspicious of Mac’s sudden change of heart.

Maybe I’m turning into the Christmas Grinch, but whilst the writing was good and the characters fairly solid, this story failed to fully engage. I finished the story feeling happy for the characters but found when I came to write this review, I had forgotten what the story was about, despite having read it less than a day ago. If you’re looking for a romance which is sweet and touching with a slightly shameless character in Mac, then this one could be for you. I found it an OK read, but ultimately not one to stick in my mind.

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Finally His by Shawn Lane

Posted in Authors: J-L, B-, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on March 12, 2012 | 6 Comments »

Title: Finally His (His #6)
Author: Shawn Lane
Length: 19,000 words (77 pdf pages)
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: B-

Blurb:

Jay Anderson lives next door to the ruggedly handsome man of his dreams, detective Drake Hanover. He wishes their friendship could turn into more, but there’s a problem—Drake’s ex-boyfriend, who has a habit of calling Drake after his breakups. After Drake once again caters to the whims of his ex, Jay about gives up hope that Drake will ever see him as anything but the sweet, young twink next door.

Drake, however, does notice the sexy Jay—who wouldn’t?—but the decade age difference between them and his needy ex keep him from thinking he could ever be more than Jay’s friend.

When his ex’s behavior gets to be too much, and the selfish man manages to hurt Jay, Drake realizes his feelings for Jay go far beyond friendship. Now if he could just convince Jay before the young man becomes his ex-neighbor.

Review:

This is a case where the blurb fairly spells out the story. Jay and his older police detective neighbour Drake have become friends. Jay would like it to be more, but Drake has made it fairly clear that twinky flamboyant Jay is not his type. As well, Drake has a complicated relationship with his ex. Every time his ex has a fight with his current boyfriend, Drake ends up in bed with him, convinced he still loves him from their time dating in college, however it’s usually the next day or two that Ross tosses him back to the curb to reunite with his current squeeze.

However just when Jay seems committed to moving on and finding a boyfriend, Drake does something that leads Jay to believe their might be a future, but then Drake promptly turns around and basically tells Jay there is no way, he’s too young, not his type, gee sorry. It takes him finally realizing that he’s about to lose the best thing he has going for him, for Drake to get his head out of his ass.

My only niggle was that when Drake decides he does want Jay, Jay just rolls over and welcomes him back with open arms. The entire romantic relationship was in Drake’s hands. He said yay or nay and Jay just seems to wait for any crumbs tossed his way. I would have liked to see him stand up for himself a bit more and tell Drake that it was either yes or no, none of this maybe, no, yes, no, thing. But that was a small factor in the overall story.

While this is #6 in the series, the only outside characters in this story are Drake’s ex and Jay’s female coworker so you don’t have to have read any of the other books in the series to enjoy this one. The author has an easy-reading style and this is a quick enjoyable mostly angst-free story that when  you’re in the mood for something light might just fit the bill.

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Can’t Be His by Shawn Lane

Posted in Authors: J-L, C, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on September 27, 2011 | 6 Comments »

Can't Be His coverTitle: Can’t Be His
Author: Shawn Lane
Length:  25 pdf pages,  6000 words.
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: C

Blurb:
Exterminator Lonnie “Roach” Raines and ice skater Alexi Summerville have been friends and roommates for years, but they’ve never taken their relationship to the next level.

When Alexi’s coach wants him to train for the World Championship in another state, however, Roach is forced to examine his feelings before he loses Alexi, possibly for good…

Review:
A fairly sweet and straightforward romance, yet it failed to grab me. It’s the third story in the author’s His series, but you don’t seem to need to read them in any order and it stands perfectly well on its own.

I chose this one to review because I was interested by the pairing of a rough and ready exterminator and a figure skater, and this was one aspect of the story I found pleasing. Roach’s tattoos, piercings and lifestyle of casual hook-ups in local bars provided a great contrast to the disciplined life of pretty boy Alexi. They share an apartment and have been friends for years, yet as we find out in each of their point of view sections, they’ve always fancied each other but have never been single at the same time… up until now.

So, the set-up was interesting, but the story just wasn’t really long enough to explore it fully. I’d have liked to see more interaction between Roach and Alexi, but for much of the story they’re talking to other people about their feelings for each other. When they were together the story was much more interesting, however, and the brief sex scene at the end was sweet and hot. Don’t be put off or overexcited by the reference to “BDSM (light)” over on the Amber Allure website, though. I’m not convinced a couple of smacks to the backside really count as BDSM, but it was nice to see that the two guys had a compatible kink, at any rate.

Another aspect I’d like to have seen explored more was the very different jobs the two leads had. We get a scene of Alexi talking to his coach, and another of him talking to his mother (his parents were prize-winning figure skaters too), but no scene of him actually skating, which I found rather disappointing. We are also introduced to Roach after he’s been stung by a swarm of wasps while working, but we miss out on the excitement of that episode. I felt like opportunities had been missed, and that the story would have benefitted from a few extra thousand words to round out the characters and their respective worlds a little more fully.

Unfortunately I don’t have much more to offer on this one. There was nothing really wrong with it and the writing is solid, but it didn’t go deep enough into the characters and situation to make it memorable. Still, it’s a pleasant enough way to while away a half hour, should you find the set-up appealing.

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Lost Between by Shawn Lane

Posted in Authors: J-L, B-, Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance, tagged , on July 27, 2011 | 4 Comments »

Title: Lost Between
Author: Shawn Lane
Length: 16,000 words (72 pdf pages)
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: m/m contemporary paranormal
Rating: B-

Blurb:

Famous horror author Curtis Macintyre has recently rented an apartment in an historical building in San Francisco. But the apartment comes with more than just old charm. It also comes with the spirit of Aaron Carmichael, a man murdered five years before.

After Curtis visits a medium, Aaron’s spirit comes to him and asks for his help in finding peace since he’s lost between two worlds, the living and the afterlife. When Curtis decides to visit Aaron’s boyfriend, Robbie Henley, a beautiful hairdresser, Aaron comes along…inside Curtis.

Now with Robbie’s help, it’s up to Curtis to find out what happened to Aaron so he can finally have peace. And maybe, together, Curtis and Robbie can find their own happily ever after…

Review:

There are two stories going here, the solving of the five-year old murder of Aaron – which is in essence solved easily once Curtis puts his mind to it - and the eventual romance between Aaron’s ex Robbie, and Curtis, who now lives in Aaron’s old apartment. Aaron is at first freaked that there is a ghost in his apartment. His family already thinks he’s a bit “off” for writing such gruesome fiction, and maybe he’s crazy like they think. However after a trip to a medium, which appears to be a bust, Aaron materializes in his living room, but he is unable to remember what happened to him. He believes if he can solve the murder, he can be released to the next world, and that Robbie may be able to help Curtis figure it out. In order to leave the apartment, Aaron “possesses” Curtis so they both exist simultaneously in Curtis’  body.

This leads to a bit of awkwardness because of course Robbie thinks Curtis is nuts, but eventually he believes and Aaron, wait, no Curtis, no Aaron? Can’t keep his hands off Robbie. Aaron’s family accepted he was gay, as long as he didn’t have a boyfriend and were not fans of hair stylist Robbie, but Aaron’s younger brother agrees to meet with Curtis – in the guise of writing a book – to help solve the crime. The crime is solved within about 30 minutes and I can’t believe the police didn’t figure it out, but that’s not the primary reason for the book, it’s a romance first and foremost so I let it go.

This is one of those plot devices that I have issues with. The whole “in my body while I’m making love” thing kind of freaks me out. Who is it who’s feeling, touching, acting out. Did Curtis really find Robbie attractive or was that Aaron’s feelings and to know that you are having sex with a man’s ex and he’s experiencing it at the same time? That just weirds me out.

I really liked Aaron and to be honest I may have sniffled a bit when he was trying to find answers, and he was so unhappy just existing with no frame of existence. He was sweet and loving and Curtis and Robbie were both nice guys too, so it wasn’t the writing which is very typical of the author and I find enjoyable, it was the device which makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. However those who don’t mind the possession theme will likely not have the same feelings about it that I do.

For fans of the author, it holds many of her hallmarks, and before they were joined, or when I didn’t think about it much, it was better for me. So this is one of those personal issues that does not reflect the quality of the book which is what I based the grade on, not my own feelings about a particular trope.

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Becoming His by Shawn Lane

Posted in Authors: J-L, C+, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on June 29, 2011 | 4 Comments »

Title: Becoming His
Author: Shawn Lane
Length: 18,000 words
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: C+

Blurb:
For months, Toby Sherwood, a stripper in a gay club, has been a fan of bisexual actor Lucas Cartwright and his cable detective show, Harrow’s Eyes. So when Toby’s invited to a taping of the show, he can hardly wait. Too bad the hunky actor has a girlfriend.

Lucas was charmed by Toby when he originally met the man at the hospital during his brother’s accident. When he breaks up with his girlfriend shortly after Toby visits the set of his show, Lucas begins to romance him.

With concerns over Lucas’s career and Toby’s dancing for other men, can the hot actor and the sexy stripper find happiness in each other’s arms?

Review:
Becoming His is the sequel to Accidentally His which was reviewed here by Tam. I also liked that first book and was keen to read this sequel which combines Elijah’s TV star brother, Lucas, with Kirk’s stripper friend, Toby. Their meeting in the first book looked promising but the sparks just weren’t there in this story which was a little disappointing.

The story follows on a short way from the previous book. Lucas has given Toby permission to come and watch him film his cable TV series. On the day Toby is nervous about looking too out of place and therefore embarrassing Lucas so he tones down his usual exuberant looks. The downside to this is that Lucas doesn’t recognise him. After this less than satisfying start, the two start seeing each other but there’s a few barriers to their happy ever after.

The main barrier to their relationship was a bit of a biggie. Lucas is an up-and-coming TV star and whilst he’s comfortable in his bisexuality, having a boyfriend may not be good for his TV show’s ratings. Added to that is the fact that Toby is a stripper and doesn’t intend changing his job. He likes stripping. Part of the conflict in the story is that many of Toby’s boyfriends have wanted him to stop stripping for various reasons and Lucas says he won’t do that to Toby. However, Lucas is also deadly serious about his job and ambitious for more than a cable TV show. In the end, I just couldn’t see how it was going to work. No matter how much Lucas tells Toby he doesn’t want to change him, and how much Toby stays as the same sweet guy who just likes stripping, Lucas’s public image is going to suffer as a result of their relationship and that’s surely going to drive a wedge between them. This is something that is pointed out to both of the heroes by Kirk and Elijah, and actually I agreed. For me I couldn’t see a future for them unless that problem was properly addressed, which I didn’t feel it was in the story. Maybe there’s scope here for a sequel.

Having said that, the story was still pretty good. I liked Toby and Lucas and wanted them to work as a couple. Toby’s love of his job was clear, but also some of the dangers involved. The scenes with Elijah and Kirk showed us a nice, welcome slice of their HEA.

So overall, this was a decent read with likeable characters with my only niggle being that they rather swept their problems under the carpet than deal with them properly.

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Accidentally His by Shawn Lane

Posted in Authors: J-L, B-, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on April 12, 2011 | 9 Comments »

Title: Accidentally His
Author: Shawn Lane
Length: 14,000 words (60 pdf pages)
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: B-

Blurb:

Kirk Matheson rides the bus to work several times a week, intrigued by the attractive and quiet bespectacled man he typically sits behind. One day when the bus crashes during a storm, Kirk finally meets the shy stranger, Elijah Cartwright, and stays with the seriously injured man until the rescuers arrive.

After Elijah’s recovery, Kirk makes a date with him. Though an unfortunate event brought the men together, can they find their way to happiness?

Review:

This author often writes characters who are everyday guys. They aren’t independently wealthy playboys, nor homeless waifs, just normal guys making a living and that is the case here, and it allows me to connect with the characters in a way that can be difficult with those outside your plane of existence. Kirk and Elijah are just regular guys brought together by irregular circumstance. When their bus crashes in a rain storm, it’s finally the chance Kirk has to talk to the guy he refers to as “My Nerd”. He stays with Elijah until he’s rescued making that connection. He’s mistakenly told that Elijah died in the crash but when he discovers him alive makes a promise that they’ll go out soon.

Elijah is a nerd and has not had much luck with relationships. It doesn’t help that his brother is a famous actor and he’s been used a time or two to get closer to his brother. He really doesn’t expect Kirk to call but when he does he can’t quite believe his luck. Neither character is perfect, I found Elijah’s constant questioning of Kirk’s motives and his expectation of the worst at every turn to be a bit trying, however you still want him to get his man. Kirk comes across as a bit pushy and oblivious. He pushes Elijah quite a bit in the relationship and causes a small misunderstanding, not because he was necessarily meaning to be callous, I got the impression it just never occurred to him that the situation could be construed as questionable. But still, he was a nice guy with a good heart, and you could forgive him foibles.

I understand this may turn into a series of sorts as there were a couple of characters including Elijah’s bisexual actor brother and Kirk’s best friend who would make interesting stories. I’ll definitely follow-up on more stories as I find the author’s style very easy to read and you come away satisfied when it’s over.

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The Impersonator by Shawn Lane

Posted in Authors: J-L, B-, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on March 8, 2011 | 8 Comments »

Title: The Impersonator
Author: Shawn Lane
Length: 18, 000 words
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: B-

Blurb:
After being dumped by his boyfriend, Benjamin Pomeroy has hot club sex with a gorgeous new employee at the same Las Vegas hotel where Ben works as an Elvis impersonator. And shortly thereafter, Ben abruptly loses his job when the new CEO, Maxwell Orton, decides that Elvis no longer fits the hotel’s image.

Facing the grueling prospect of locating a steady job, Ben needs extra cash to tide himself over. To help the situation, Ben’s brother Phillip, also employed at the hotel, offers him a paying proposition—swap identities with Phillip at a masquerade ball being given by Maxwell Orton for the hotel’s higher echelon employees. Attendance is mandatory, but Phillip has made other important plans that he refuses to cancel. To Ben, the idea of switching places with his brother seems preposterous, yet harmless enough. Besides, it’s easy money, right? And after all, he’ll be wearing a mask the entire time, so no one will learn of the deception.

But the masquerade doesn’t go as planned when Ben discovers, to his complete shock, that Maxwell is actually the sexy hotel employee whom he entertained privately at the local gay club…

Review
This was an interesting short for me, mainly because the characters are so flawed in many ways and yet I still liked them a great deal. The story involves Elvis impersonator Ben whose brother manages to persuade him to attend a masked ball in his stead. I can’t say too much about this because I don’t want to give away spoilers, but needless to say none of the characters, especially Ben’s brother, Phillip, come across as decent men at the beginning of the story. Ben is a bit of a slut who thinks too much with his dick, and is easily persuaded against his better judgement by the lure of money to do something he knows is wrong. The same can be said for Trey, who also allows his dick to rule over his good sense. And yet….I still liked Ben a great deal, and Trey too to a certain extent, although I didn’t get enough of his character to form a solid opinion of him.

Ben is the third person narrator and is a very engaging man. He’s a guy who’s drifted a little in life and I liked that one of the ways he grows in the book is through the realisation that circumstances have now allowed him the means to become more focused. He makes some bad choices in the book, but he is generally a good man, and at least by the end he is able to face up to that.

My only niggles with the story were that I wished Trey had been a bit better rounded. The relationship is very sex based with a number of very hot sex scenes between Trey and Ben, meaning only limited time for meaningful dialogue. This left me with a number of questions about Trey, especially to do with his job.

Overall though, this was a nice sexy story about making the wrong choices and living up to the consequences of that. The writing, as with all Shawn Lane books, is clear and descriptive and she effectively drew me into Ben’s problems with a light, deft touch.

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Pulling Apart by Shawn Lane

Posted in Authors: J-L, C+, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on January 31, 2011 | 7 Comments »

Title: Pulling Apart
Author: Shawn Lane
Length: 8,000 words
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: C+

Blurb:
Sequel to the Amber Allure best-seller Pulling Away…

Noah Riggins thought his troubles were over and he’d live happily ever after with Charlie Banks, but lately their domestic bliss has been anything but blissful. Charlie’s shutting down and shutting out Noah, refusing to even consider getting help.

When Charlie suggests a separation, Noah wonders if this will be the end and he’ll be left with a broken heart, or whether he can reconnect with the man he loves before it’s too late…

Review:
This story follows on from Pulling Away which I reviewed here. It’s taken a few months after the last story. Noah and Charlie have enjoyed strengthening their relationship and falling more in love when Charlie starts to sink once again into depression. Noah can’t seem to reach him at all as he completely withdraws into himself. The final straw is when Charlie asks Noah for a period of separation.

I really liked Pulling Away and I was keen to read more about the two engaging men from the first book. Although this story had the same great written style, I found myself a little concerned about the actions of Noah in the face of Charlie’s depression. When Charlie asks Noah to leave, he does and then has no contact with Charlie for two weeks. To me this rang a false note into what was a loving relationship, especially as Charlie was barely functioning or eating when Noah leaves him. When I tried to put myself in Noah’s shoes, I found I couldn’t possibly have left a ill, depressed man on his own without checking to see if he was OK. He could have killed himself and Noah would never have known, and certainly Charlie was low enough for that to be a consideration. This part of the story really bugged me and left me thinking that Noah was acting just as selfishly as Charlie by accepting the separation and not fighting for the relationship. Things obviously don’t go so badly, but Noah’s actions still coloured my perception of him and meant that I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I had the previous story or like Noah as much as a character.

Having said that, it was still gratifying to see Charlie begin to pull himself around and it was ironic that the arrival of an uninvited guest was enough to get Charlie to consider the implications of his actions. I wasn’t happy with the pervasive idea that Charlie was acting selfishly, mainly because that’s a symptom of depression and Charlie only acted in that waybecause he was ill, but I thought the reconciliation between the men was still satisfying.

My last niggle was about the end of the story. Yes, it’s happy but I was still concerned that Charlie’s illness was only held at bay, not cured entirely. If his depression should start again, I can’t see how Noah has learned anything about the illness to prevent the same problems. It looks like there might be another story in the pipeline, perhaps dealing with the men and Charlie’s uninvited guest, so I shall reserve judgement on their relationship until then.

Overall, this was still an interesting read, and judging by my reactions to the way the characters behave, I was certainly invested in their relationship. Those who enjoyed the first story will want to read this too, and I do recommend that you read Pulling Away first.

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Pulling Away by Shawn Lane

Posted in Authors: J-L, B, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on January 28, 2011 | 8 Comments »

Title: Pulling Away
Author: Shawn Lane
Length: 9,000 words
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: B

Blurb:
Noah and Charlie grew up in the same neighborhood. They’d always been friends, though never close. When Charlie is left alone after the death of his family, however, Noah is the only friend that sticks around after Charlie practically becomes a hermit.

Determined to get through to Charlie, Noah invents a fake identity on the computer to talk with him. And while Charlie still keeps Noah at arm’s length, he opens up to his new computer buddy.

Finally, Noah’s dream comes true when his friendship with Charlie changes to include sex, but each time they are together, Charlie pulls away afterward. Every time Noah tries to get through to him, Charlie grows even more distant. Then Charlie tells Noah’s disguised internet persona that he doesn’t have a boyfriend, merely a neighbor with whom he has sex.

Crushed, and in order to protect himself from further heartache, Noah begins to live a life separate from Charlie. But Charlie realizes soon enough that he misses Noah in his life, that he must get past his grief and go after the man he has come to love.

But is it already too late?

Review:
This short starts as our hero, Noah, is standing on the door step of his friend Charlie. They’ve known each other for years but have only recently got close after the sudden death of Charlie’s parents. A few nights previously, Charlie and Noah had sex for the first time and now Noah is hoping that this will become something more for them. Charlie’s cold behaviour confuses Noah though and makes him wonder whether he’s fallen too quickly for a guy who’s going to break his heart.

The alternating third person narrative worked well within the story, especially I think with Charlie. At the beginning, Charlie comes across as a bit of an unfeeling dickhead. We know that Noah really likes Charlie and has done for some time, but Charlie’s subsequent behaviour towards Noah left him with little sympathy in my eyes. However, as the story progressed, I thought the author did a very good job of letting the reader see the reasons why Charlie acts as he does. By the end of the story I felt that Charlie had shifted enough in his attitude to deserve Noah and so I was happy with the way the story concluded.

Noah was a sweet guy and although he wasn’t perhaps as well rounded as Charlie, it wasn’t difficult to like him or feel sorry for him when Charlie messes him about. He’s a little overshadowed by his flamboyant friend Kevin, who added a nice touch of humour to what was quite an emotional story. I did like that Noah developed a bit of backbone part way through the story because I feared that he was going to play the doormat. Fortunately that wasn’t the case.

I was a little worried about the sub-plot based around the internet persona of Noah because I generally dislike it when one character is lying to another in this way. In the end this wasn’t such a big issue.  I thought it was going to lead to a falling out and the dreaded forced separation but it didn’t happen that way and that aspect of the story was only important as a way to make Noah face up to some realities.

Overall, this was a nicely written and entertaining story. The themes could have become quite maudlin but were saved from that by a light, deft touch to the writing and two engaging heroes. There’s a sequel out to this story which I’m looking forward to reading very soon.

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