Story: 7.5
Presentation: 9
Total: 16.5
Publisher: GA Hauser Collection
Contemporary m/m
Blurb: Pride and ego make a very unlikely combination for finding true love. Unless you discover another who is your mirror image.
Twenty-five year old Phil Andrews left his family in Eastern Washington to escape the small town attitudes of his siblings and the locals to be free to be himself in the liberal area of West Hollywood. But without an education or work experience to fall back on, Phil uses his good looks and physique to make ends meet, working as a go-go boy at night, and a gay porn star on the weekends.
Intelligent, out of the closet, Dr. Christopher Love was thirty-three years old and a success in everything but his relationships. He knew his life was lacking something, a partner to share it with. Trying to find the kind of man he found attractive sexually and one who was also was willing to bend to his demands was an impossible task. Until he met Phil Andrews.
Two men, two opposite worlds. One educated at the finest schools, an asset to the community, a philanthropist and a surgeon, the other, a high-school drop-out, former drug addict with a criminal record, meet during a stormy night while the lights are blacked out. The physical attraction bonds them instantly, but soon their differences bring to the surface that deadly pride.
Review: GA Hauser writes characters with depth, emotions, flaws, and courage. I could picture the opening scene so clearly in my mind. It was as comical as it was hot. Throughout the story, I sympathized more with Chris and didn’t always understand where Phil was coming from. He makes such horrible decisions in his life. But although he’s frustrating and you’ll want to slam the book on him because he can’t see a good thing standing right in front of him, that’s what makes this book such an enjoyable read. I don’t want to read easy. He was conflicted, and knows he’s screwed up his life. He tries for easy fixes but nothing comes without consequence. The ending leaves you as conflicted as you’ll feel reading the whole book. There is just enough left up to me, the reader, to surmise what the future held for Phil and Chris. This is a good story, worth reading. A book you don’t want to put down.
Story: 8.5
