Review: Low key, winsome, thoughtful...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 4, 2013
Hoarding seems a strange background subject for a romance novel, but Jo Myles makes it work.Jasper and Lewis seem so different, and yet each has been aware of the other since whatever middle school is in Bristol, England.  Where Miles masters the narrative is in her subtlety...the gentle, slow reveal of the root of Jasper's hoarding; Lewis's own imperfections; the quiet simmer of the two men's emotional connection; the carefully drawn background characters (Carroll, Mas, Yusef, the Wildes) who add both comic relief and emotional dimension to the story of these two guys.Seems to me, the best things in this large, strange world of m/m romance fiction are the books that really look at the nature of what "falling in love" means.  Sexual attraction is part of the kick we all look for - but it is the more complex dance of emotional and intellectual attraction that tends to get shunted aside in the quest for the HEA.  Myles avoids all of those pitfalls, and offers us a satisfying, thoughtful, and intelligent read.  I admired all of the characters - admired them, not just liked them. Even Mas, who could be merely a decorative adjunct to the narrative, manages to become a complex, interesting person, whose relationship to Jasper gives us much deeper understanding of that character.  As another reviewer suggested, Mas could be the subject of a spin-off sequel (just saying).This came recommended to me from friends on Goodreads - and I pass on that recommendation to any and all.