Release Day Review ~ I Love You More Than Pierogi by K.A. Merikan

Release Day Review ~ I Love You More Than Pierogi by K.A. Merikan

Title: I Love You More Than Pierogi

Author: K.A. Merikan

Release Date: January 4, 2017

Category: Contemporary, World of Love

Pages: 101

Dreamspinner  Goodreads

Marek and Adrian dated in high school, but a bitter breakup led them to choose different paths. Adrian is out and proud while Marek is in the closet. Adrian embraces his eccentricity while Marek clings to a conservative image. And while Marek worked hard to build a successful life and financial stability by climbing the corporate ladder, Adrian threw caution to the wind and has spent the last five years backpacking across the world.

Now Adrian is back in Warsaw, Poland, but while Marek thinks they will have a hookup and have a blast from the past, Adrian is just looking for a place to crash. Worse still, Adrian turns up at Marek’s advertising agency for help with his outrageous new business venture, and if Marek wants to get promoted, he might have to work with the guy who broke his heart.

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4 Stars! 

Nice tale that had the hallmarks of a Xmas tale, without being Xmassy. Made me want to try Polish food!!

OK, so the title of the review might sound nonsensical, but what I mean is that I read this book in the holiday season, and as it comes out on Jan 4th, 2017, it kind of classes as a tale for the season, and it's a feelgood tale of guys who'd been parted finding themselves again, and me finding out that what seemed to be one mooching off the other, was in fact a carefully orchestrated plan to get the guy of his dreams back. 

This tale is short, but it works as there's unfinished business between Marek and Adrian, and I liked that Adrian, who on the face of it had been off on an extended jolly and had no cares in the world, had actually been missing Marek all this time, and had compared every other guy who'd come into his life to his former lover. And, him turning back up in Marek's life, wanting a room to bunk in, was, I'm sure, part of his cunning plan to get his guy back.

I liked that Marek hadn't spent time sitting around with regrets, but at the same time, I was a little sad that his life had been the opposite to Adrian's, with him working his butt off and getting not a lot in return. I know that sometimes the Merikans write real-life stuff they've experienced into their tales, but I really, really hope that neither of them worked for a boss who was anything like Marek's - that guy needs to go on so many remedial courses, he'd never make it back into the office.

I liked that both guys were mature enough to talk openly, sometimes painfully, sometimes with regret and a lot of the time with anger coming out, but that was healthy, as it brought their true feelings to the fore and allowed Marek to find the courage in himself to finally stand up for himself, to be himself, to accept and be proud of himself.

The tale ends two years after it started, with the leads living their HEA. Normally in a HEA, I want all things sweet and pink and rosy, but whilst I got a more IRL feel here, it was in keeping with the tale and I was happy with this.

Oh, and the Polish food stuff was an added bonus. I've tried supermarket pierogi in the UK, but the real stuff sounds like it needs to be checked out, as do the puddings and other foods that are described, though they sound like the naughty, 'a minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips' kind of food.

ARC courtesy of Dreamspinner Press and Bayou Book Junkie, for my reading pleasure.