Review Tour ~ How The Other Half Lives by Clare London ~ (Review + Giveaway)
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Dreamspinner
Length: 20,000 words
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover: Tibbs Design
Blurb
Compulsively neat freak meets chaotic slob: can their living space survive the conflict?
Martin Harrison keeps himself to himself and his Central London flat as neat as a new pin. Maybe he should loosen up and enjoy more of a social life, but in his mind, that’s tantamount to opening the floodgates to emotional chaos. He agrees, however, to join the flat-sitting scheme in his building and look after another tenant’s flat in exchange for a similar watch over his when he’s travelling for his work.
A floor away in the same building, Russ McNeely is happy with his life as a freelance cook and a self-confessed domestic slob. He also joins the flat-sitting scheme, both to be neighbourly and to help keep his flat in order, as Russ also travels for his work.
For a while, the very dissimilar men never meet. Martin is horrified at the mess at Russ’s flat, while Russ finds Martin’s minimalist style creepy. But in a spirit of generosity, each of them starts to help the other out by rearranging things in their own inimitable way.
Until the day a hiccup in the schedule brings them face-to-face at last.
Martin Harrison keeps himself to himself and his Central London flat as neat as a new pin. Maybe he should loosen up and enjoy more of a social life, but in his mind, that’s tantamount to opening the floodgates to emotional chaos. He agrees, however, to join the flat-sitting scheme in his building and look after another tenant’s flat in exchange for a similar watch over his when he’s travelling for his work.
A floor away in the same building, Russ McNeely is happy with his life as a freelance cook and a self-confessed domestic slob. He also joins the flat-sitting scheme, both to be neighbourly and to help keep his flat in order, as Russ also travels for his work.
For a while, the very dissimilar men never meet. Martin is horrified at the mess at Russ’s flat, while Russ finds Martin’s minimalist style creepy. But in a spirit of generosity, each of them starts to help the other out by rearranging things in their own inimitable way.
Until the day a hiccup in the schedule brings them face-to-face at last.
4 Stars!
This was such a cute, original story. I loved the idea of Martin and Russ flat-sitting for each other, especially with them being almost complete opposites and how they began learning from each other, even when they hadn't met, and then how it progressed so naturally once they actually did meet. It was a slow-burn, which was a feat considering the length of the book, but that worked great for these two lovely men. Very recommendable fast-read!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
4 Stars!
Witty and really well-written. Loved this, but needed that little bit more to make it a 5 Star read. Would love to read more of this series.
As an intro to an author, this is nicely done. It has a cool, 'less is more' vibe and I liked how the author wrote it, and that the leads learned about each other without meeting each other until around 60% or so had gone.
I liked how the leads were so different, how they connected, became friends and dated quite innocently by some standards - another refreshing thing - before getting together. I liked the ending, that they'd found more stuff in common and that for both, they seemed to have found something lasting. However, because the tale was so short and the leads had very little actual time together, I wanted an epilogue and to see them living their lives as a full-on couple.
ARC courtesy of SignalBoostPromotions and Bayou Book Junkie, for my reading pleasure.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
As an intro to an author, this is nicely done. It has a cool, 'less is more' vibe and I liked how the author wrote it, and that the leads learned about each other without meeting each other until around 60% or so had gone.
I liked how the leads were so different, how they connected, became friends and dated quite innocently by some standards - another refreshing thing - before getting together. I liked the ending, that they'd found more stuff in common and that for both, they seemed to have found something lasting. However, because the tale was so short and the leads had very little actual time together, I wanted an epilogue and to see them living their lives as a full-on couple.
ARC courtesy of SignalBoostPromotions and Bayou Book Junkie, for my reading pleasure.
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Author Bio
Clare took the pen name London from the city where she lives, loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home, she juggles her writing with the weekly wash, waiting for the far distant day when she can afford to give up her day job as an accountant. She’s written in many genres and across many settings, with novels and short stories published both online and in print. She says she likes variety in her writing while friends say she’s just fickle, but as long as both theories spawn good fiction, she’s happy. Most of her work features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong, sympathetic and sexy characters.
Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter 3 stage and plenty of other projects in mind . . . she just has to find out where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home.
All the details and free fiction are available at her website. Visit her today and say hello!
Website: http://www.clarelondon.com
Blog: http://clarelondon.livejournal.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/clarelondon
Facebook chat: https://www.facebook.com/groups/clarelondoncalling/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/clare_london
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/clarelondon
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/clarelondon
Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter 3 stage and plenty of other projects in mind . . . she just has to find out where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home.
All the details and free fiction are available at her website. Visit her today and say hello!
Website: http://www.clarelondon.com
Blog: http://clarelondon.livejournal.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/clarelondon
Facebook chat: https://www.facebook.com/groups/clarelondoncalling/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/clare_london
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/clarelondon
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/clarelondon
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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