Kathleen Lee

3.5 Stars

Sweet, hot, very romantic.

A jaded barkeeper met the man of his dreams.

The story is well written without tackiness, and the author has a knack for outline the setting but doesn't happen the same thing with the background and personality of the characters. More precisely I felt that the reluctance of Gary is a little bit exaggerated without greater basics, there is no reference to disenchantments when trying any relation in the past, while his parent's rejection would find itself in part balanced with what it seems to have been her grandfather's acceptance, although also there are not enough details. And Brock is somewhat too perfect for my taste.… (más)

This story starts as a humorous tale. Gary describes his first few encounters with "Trouble", the nickname he gives to a man who keeps sitting in Gary's bar and staring at him, clearly interested. Gradually it evolves into a love story with details of the characters emerging as they get to know each other. And with that increased knowledge, the tone of the story changes to thoughtful, even angsty, and finally tumultuously emotional. What a ride!

Gary owns a bar in a town he has fond memories of, and while you'd expect it to be a social place where he can make friends, he actually hides behind all the activity. He has been hurt one too many times and is determined never again to fall for an alluring man. "Trouble" is the first one to tempt him in years, and he fights that temptation with all he is. But as Gary opens up to the guy, eventually and much against his will, I got to know the real Gary layer by unfolding layer. As is often the case with deeply wounded people, Gary hides his real self out of fear of being hurt again. The snarky humor is a shield, and he uses it to great effect. Or so he thinks…

Trouble, aka Brock, however, will not be deterred. He keeps going to the bar, invites Gary to dinner, and generally pursues him over the next few weeks. He is so determined to prove to Gary that he can be trusted as Gary is to prove to Brock that he will eventually break Gary's heart. Lucky for Gary, Brock is even more stubborn than his nickname suggests.

If you like stories with a humorous tone and quite some snarkiness from the main character/narrator, if you enjoy reading about men who fight their attraction with all they have – only to eventually cave, and if you're looking for a short, fun, and very entertaining read with a lot of heart, you will probably enjoy this short story.


NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
… (más)

This was a really good book! I liked the characters, the emotions, the sex and the feelings! This book was a short, contemporary, m/m book which brings the "coming out" to an entirely differently level. What I had trouble hanging on to was the bi-sexual bit of the book and how easily Greg found himself as only a "gay" man. I have known bi-sexual people in the past and they need to have a little bit of both and do not go easily with giving up on one side of the pole. I think that Kathleen Lee has a great start and with a little bit more plot and characterization she would have had at least a 4 or 5 star book from me!… (más)