Review: Enjoyable m/m romance novella
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 30, 2012
I hadn't read Frat Boy and Toppy, the first book in this series, but this follow-up novella seemed pretty self-contained, and it was. I'm sure you would get more out of it if you've read FBAT, but overall I thought this was a nice enjoyable read, even on its own.The story focuses on Paul, a graduate student who is reunited with his high school baseball player lover after a nine-year break, a break that was preceded by a betrayal that for Paul, was unforgivable and colored all his future interactions with anyone remotely athletic.Paul's pithy, acerbic voice was fun to read, and it was easy to sympathize with him once you had a better idea of why he was so bitter. I also appreciated Trevor's remorseful hopefulness, a feeling that you can see came from both age and loss. As a reader, I felt hope for both of them, and I liked their reigniting chemistry.My main beef with the story is that it's pretty short, at about 100 pages. I wouldn't have minded more time with Trevor and Paul. (They were fun to read together.) That, and after a big conflict, Paul rehashes his feelings and tries to figure out what to do with three different friends before we get to the end-run. This part probably felt the most meaningful to those who read the first book since some characters from that pop up here. I understood the back-story, and the importance of revisiting it, especially for closing a loop from book 1, but I think it slowed the pacing down a little, and felt a bit repetitive and drawn-out over that whole section.One thing that I really liked though, and thought was clever, was Paul's inner thoughts in the beginning, discussing what kinds of kids he usually tutors--either the miscreants who party too much, or morons who have a mental block with specific subjects. Once that sank in, I knew Paul was in the latter group, no matter how smart he thinks he is. After that, the story was him figuring out how, with the right inspiration and guidance, he can move his block and move on. (Or in this case, return back.)In the end, it was a fun read, and a nice (and needed) chaser after a much heavier book that I had just finished.I wonder if there will be a book #3 (and will it focus on Toby?)