Length: 51,000 words
Cover: Kanaxa
Blurb
Ben Lethbridge doesn’t have many vices left. He lost his youth to raising his little sister to adulthood, then made up for lost time with reckless abandon. Two years of constant partying—and ignoring his diabetes—has left him tied to a home dialysis regimen.
He can work from home, fortunately, but most of life’s little luxuries are forbidden. Except for watching porn… and fantasising over Ollie, the gorgeous purple-haired skateboarder who delivers his discreetly packaged DVDs.
Their doorstep banter is the highlight of Ben’s solitary day, but his paranoia over his illness-ravaged body prevents him from seeing their flirting for what it really is. He knows Ollie is far too young for him anyway, but he figures there’s no harm in sprucing himself up a bit.
Then one day, a package accidentally splits open, revealing Ben’s dirty little secret. But instead of Ollie being repelled they make an unexpected connection that has Ben wondering if he’s been reading the situation wrong all this time. The only way to find out if they have a chance at love is to risk showing Ollie every last scar. And that could take more courage than Ben owns.
Warning: Contains superhero porn comics and a pint-sized, accident-prone delivery guy with colour-changing hair. Readers may experience coffee cravings, an unexpected liking for bad mullets, and the urge to wrap Ollie up and take him home.
4 Stars
Ben has been on home dialysis for some time now, after his partying and ignoring his diabetes for 2 years left him with kidney failure. He works from home and he barely interacts with anyone but his sister. The highlights of his days are watching porn and fantasizing over the guy who delivers his packaged DVDs.
Ollie flirts with Ben, but he's far too young and anyway, Ben's insecurities make him certain Ollie isn't interested in him or is he?
I loved Ollie, he was so adorable and sweet and I just wanted to cuddle him and make it all better, especially once his story came to light.
I wasn't too sure about Ben at first. He seemed a bit immature for his years, although I guess if you spend a great part of your life taking care of your younger sister and then have a midlife crisis when she's finally able to take care of herself that ends up with him on dialysis and on a transplant list, I can't truly blame him for his insecurities. I did warm up to him eventually and really, even if he was a jerk sometimes, Ollie tended to overreact, too.
While there was a big age gap between Ben and Ollie, and their circumstances couldn't have been more different, they fit well together and had great chemistry. Ben gave Ollie the respect that had been lacking in his previous relationship and Ollie showed Ben what it was to be with someone that didn't judge him for his insecurities and his scars.
I also liked Zoe, Ben's sister, a lot, at least once Ben made her see that Ollie wasn't a threat to their older brother (quasi-father)/younger sister relationship. I also liked that Ollie had some protective friends that were looking out for him and that talked some sense into Ben. Really, the man could be quite clueless. Hahaha!
Overall, this was a really good read! It was fun, hot and sweet and slightly angsty, with the British humor that characterizes Josephine Myles. Very recommendable!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
Author Bio
English through and through, Josephine Myles is addicted to tea and busy cultivating a reputation for eccentricity. She writes gay erotica and romance, but finds the erotica keeps cuddling up to the romance, and the romance keeps corrupting the erotica. Jo blames her rebellious muse but he never listens to her anyway, no matter how much she threatens him with a big stick. She’s beginning to suspect he enjoys it.
Jo’s novel Stuff won the 2014 Rainbow Award for Best Bisexual Romance, and her novella Merry Gentlemen won the 2014 Rainbow Award for Best Gay Romantic Comedy. She loves to be busy, and is currently having fun trying to work out how she is going to fit in her love of writing, dressmaking and attending cabaret shows in fabulous clothing around the demands of a preteen with special needs and an incessantly curious toddler.
Website and blog: josephinemyles.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/josephine.myles.author
Twitter: @JosephineMyles
Newsletter: eepurl.com/hrQ4s
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