Review: "I was a little bit bothered by some of Drew's actions, but I liked him enough as a character to cut him some slack."
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 27, 2011
Drew Lawson arrives at a small museum expecting to be allowed to examine and authenticate their resident mummy, but instead he gets a surprise. The curator of the museum apparently gave permission for a paranormal television show to film the mummy on the same night, meaning Drew's out of luck. He's upset, given that he fought with his boyfriend over traveling to the museum in the first place. When the TV show's host, Fraser Fortune, offers to let Drew examine the mummy if he does it on camera, Drew angrily refuses. He later reconsiders, and Fortune agrees to let him look at the mummy. What should have been a simple exam and authentication soon grows complicated, complete with curses, unexpected and unwanted attractions, stalker mummies, breakups, and hookups. Will Drew and Fraser solve the mystery of the mummy's curse?Mummy Dearest is a fast-paced, funny little tale of what happens when a skeptic and an open-minded person find themselves in a very strange situation together. Drew is a college professor. He's serious, academic, somewhat uptight, and under a lot more pressure than usual. His boyfriend, who happens to be his department chair at the college, and others, have insinuated that Drew needs to "publish or perish" in order to obtain tenure. His plan is to write a paper about the mummy. Having his plans dashed by the appearance of a film crew makes him mad, especially once he meets the sexy Fraser Fortune. Drew sees Fraser's show as ridiculous, so he's insulted by Fraser's offer to be on the show. Once he realizes he has no other choice, however, he takes the man up on his offer. As a fan of uptight characters who have to learn to loosen up, I liked reading the story from Drew's point of view.Working with Fraser shows Drew that the man is not only sexy, but also genuinely nice. As Drew's hopes for the mummy begin to unravel, along with his personal life, and things start to get really weird all around them, Drew finds himself more and more drawn to Fraser Fortune. Readers who get upset about characters cheating will probably not be crazy about some of Drew's actions. Josh Lanyon walks a fine line with Drew and Fraser. I was a little bit bothered by some of Drew's actions, but I liked him enough as a character to cut him some slack. I also liked go-with-the-flow, always curious Fraser. He seemed like a good match for Drew--someone who would help him loosen up rather than hem him in further. The book takes place in a condensed period of time when both characters are in an unusual situation, but it provides a good, hopeful foundation for them in the future. Don't expect a serious paranormal tale or mystery in Mummy Dearest. It's more of a madcap, humorous type of story than a serious one. I enjoyed the light tone and the opposites-attract storyline. I'm really looking forward to seeing what sort of possibly paranormal and probably weird situation Drew and Fraser get into next. Perhaps Mr. Lanyon will write the next one from Fraser's point of view, as I would love to get his perspective on the events in Mummy Dearest.CassieFor Joyfully Reviewed