What a great story. Sweet, uplifting, with cute characters and a very cute lion. It begins with the first, somewhat awkward stages of Quinn, who is the "lion tamer" and pretty self-confident, meeting someone new. Charlie is shy, a talented artist, and can’t believe Quinn is interested in him. Not that he'll protest too loudly – just in case Quinn changes his mind. Both men are lonely, for different reasons, but once they meet, their story changes into a wonderful fairy tale. When Charlie has a surprise for Quinn, not to be outdone, Quinn surprises him right back, and that made me smile!

Quinn is a zoologist who runs a big cat sanctuary in Wyoming. He loves the outdoors, adores working with the many different species of cats. And no, not one of them is a house cat. When he brings Aseem, a one-year-old lion who was rescued from cruel people, into an animation studio so the artist can study him, he doesn’t expect to meet anyone special. His key interest is in helping the artists understand Aseem, and to maybe create some interest for the sanctuary. Seeing Charlie, who is too shy to even look at him at first, is unexpected, but Quinn makes his move the second he detects the interest is mutual. The joint rituals they develop are cute, and Quinn is even involving Charlie in taking care of Aseem, the cruelly declawed lion who grows up as the story develops and ends up being truly huge.

Charlie loves drawing, but he hates working for his current employer. The sterile white offices don't really suit him. He lives with his divorced sister and her two daughters, whom he adores, but he doesn’t seem to have a lot of friends. He can’t believe Quinn is interested in him, but doesn’t hesitate to say yes to a weekend visit to the sanctuary when it is offered. The rest, as they say, is history.

If you like love at first sight and whirlwind romances as well as finding out what happens after they meet and get over the first part of their relationship, if you enjoy stories about two men who are just perfect for each other, and if you're looking for a sweet, hot read, you will probably like this novella.
( )