Review: Great Novella
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 16, 2012
I recently read and reviewed the first book in the Men of Smithfield series and knew that I'd continue to visit Smithfield as long as the books kept coming. This book especially intrigued me because Finn (Michael Finnegan) is a high school teacher at a prep school and he also happens to be gay. I'm always curious about books of this nature since one of my favorite high school teachers was gay at a time when it wasn't accepted by society and as we found not at all by the school's administration and school board. I'd like to think we've come a long way since the 70′s and in some respects we have, but books like this make me reminisce about those days and wish things would have been different for him and also for one of my best high school friends who was also gay.I loved this book from the first chapter, Finn is a great character and the love he has for his job and the dedication to his students is more than admirable. He is a little impulsive but I think that comes from working with teenagers. He is without a doubt to trusting and way too forgiving.Max Douglas is a former Marine and now runs a security company. He is tough, dominate, and emotionally wounded. From the way he treats Finn in the first chapter I wanted to hate him, I truly did, but we begin to see a different side of Max as the story progresses. We learn some about his past which explains why he reacts the way he does, and most of all we see his tough shell begin to crumble.Following their first encounter, they don't see each other for awhile but then a threat to a student in Finn's school puts Max squarely back in Finn's life and he's unable to resist him. I won't lie to you, these two have some very hot and steamy sex and it's a while before it becomes evident it's any more than that.For a very short book, the plot was pretty well developed and honestly I was surprised by the ending. I'm usually pretty good and figuring out who the "bad guy" is but for once I had no clue which was kind of nice. Being set at a prep school, it was amusing to watch the interactions of the kids with each other and with Finn and Max. I also loved the email messages that were prevalent throughout the book. I think it really shows how email, texting, Twitter, and Facebook have become the new "norm" for communication. Men of Smithville: Max & Finn is a well rounded story with a great cast, an exciting plot, and a happily ever after we can all enjoy.Review copy provided for an honest review.