Review: Not What I was Expecting
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 20, 2013
Lauded researcher Steven Campbell is off his game. Way off. Normally as suave and charming with women as he is with research sponsors and financiers, he blames a brutal schedule and work overload for his lack of interest in...well...pretty much everything he normally enjoys - including sex. Or he does until a mental image of Connor, his best friend and research partner, pushes Steven over the edge into an intense climax during a bit of self love.As if the angst about his sexuality at this point of his life isn't enough, Conner certainly isn't available. He's happily committed to someone else. Steven's journey of self discovery is going to be a painfully difficult and lonely one.Then a chance meeting with a male escort changes everything, and Steven learns that it's never too late to find peace and happiness within himself.~*~This wasn't the story I was expecting. It's not what I would consider a romance, first of all, and it's so short that there isn't a lot of room for a satisfying, self-contained story arc. What's there is well written, but it's just not my cuppa for reading entertainment.I hate to say it, but I was not at all fond of Steven in the beginning. He was shallow and self-involved, and didn't have much to recommend him as a decent human being. It's a testament to Grant's writing ability that by the end I was actually sympathizing with him. Not liking him, per se, but definitely feeling for what he was going through.I do consider this short novella quality M/M fiction, and a short but solid evolution of a flawed character into self awareness and acceptance. It may not have been to my personal taste - I seriously disliked the male escort element and there was no romance in the read to speak of - but the writing was strong, and I admire the author's talent.Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Riptide Publishing via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.~*~*~*~Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.