Review: Pleasantly Surprised--Must Read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 9, 2012
4.5 Stars.This was the first book that I can ever remember reading in two days.  Granted, the lenght was just under two hundred pages, but reading it felt much longer and the characters plus the storyline kept me enthralled.  This was seriously one of those "I know I have other, more pertinant things to do but I can't book this down because it will literally pain me" kind of reading.  Very early on I was interested in what was going to happen next and I devoured every word that was written.Perhaps what I like best about this book is the characters.  They were very distinct, genuine, and three-dimensional; each had their own voice and personality.  I loved Keith's flamboyant, flippant, spontaneous, "I'm a rockstar and I can do whatever I want" attitude and especially Adam's (his boyfriend) ultra-caring, ultra-loving, ultra-supportive tenderness he showed towards Keith--he really made my heart melt!  Even Sebastian was sympathetic and relatable, and the struggles he faced as the story progressed (between what he wanted and what he thought was best for him) were handled so that you could feel his tumult and frustration as he tried to decide which path to take.  And I really loved the darker, moody side of Keith and the problems he faced as a result; the reason behind this added to his character's depth.The plot was also handled very well.  The idea of two renowned superstars meeting your average undergrad nobody and inviting him to be their third in a steamy, one-night menage-a-trois seems farfetched and fantasy-like.  However, the author pulls this together seamlessly and the events seem very realistic.  In fact, the way Adam and Keith were written (how real and down to earth they were) almost made me forget they were famous idols; they were simply people and they remained that way throughout.There were a couple of things I didn't like and that's what made me subtract half a star.  ***THIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS BUT I'LL TRY TO KEEP IT MINIMAL***.  First, after one of Adam's, Keith's, and Sebastian's trysts, Keith is having one of his downswings and feels a twinge of jealousy as he sees Adam and Sebastian cuddled together.  I liked this tension and wanted the author to explore it more.  However, it is never mentioned again; rather, Keith flips all the way around and decides he loves Sebastian and can't be without him.  This may have something to do with his "issues" but I felt the initial jealousy was undermined and his new infatuation was slightly over the top.  That leads me to the next thing I didn't like.  I suppose at heart I am a girl who wants her two main characters to be together; that is, I don't mind if they play "lovegames" with others but I ultimately want the relationship to be two equal partners and no more.  Obviously, this being a menage story, the author wanted to explore a third partner, with equal footing as the original couple.  While this was not the major premise of the story--the idea emerged about halfway through and was only introduced as a possibility Adam and Keith wanted to try--I still wish the author kept them in their original state--as a couple who brough others to their bed for fun.  Finally, there was a scene between Adam and one of his costars that was rushed and felt artificial.  I believe it was added to help construct what was going on with Keith, but it felt contrived and unbelievable and almost as if it was thrown in as an afterthought with minimal development; the character's actions and motives did not match up with the character we were introduced to.Overall, this is a must-read.  The sex scenes are steamy, the love Adam and Keith have for one another his heart-melting, and the storyline (as well as the writing) is an intriguing page-turner.  I'm very glad I decided to read this and highly reccommend it to anyone looking for an m/m romance with substance.