Review: Good Reading
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 11, 2014
After falling from a step ladder while helping his elderly neighbor, Chase Williams bangs up his wrist and ends up in the ER for treatment.  Following hours of waiting, he’s finally led through and a nurse takes his vitals. Moments later, trying to ignore the pain in his sprained wrist, Chase hears her teasing another nurse – Matt – about how hot Chase is and how they’d be perfect together. Despite a bad break up, Chase can’t help his attraction to Matt and soon the chemistry is sizzling between them.I really enjoyed this story. Chase is a sweet guy, a little nerdy but with a shy heart of gold shining through. Matt has a dry, snarky sense of humour and the instant attraction between them sizzles on the page. Despite this attraction I was a little surprised Matt turned down Chase’s initial advances. It was clear to me they were both really interested in each other, but after his own messy break up and being outed at work, Matt has a rule against dating people he meets at his job in the hospital.I found this to be one of those rare books where the characters don’t do precisely what you expect them to. Small jokes, sizzling chemistry and little surprises kept me turning the pages, laughing and wondering what would happen next. The only thing that slowed the pace for me was more than half the book is the lead up to Matt and Chase getting together. For a short story I usually like the pace faster, so the resolution (not just the sex, but the mechanisms of the relationship and seeing the two main characters be together as a couple) doesn’t feel like a footnote at the end. It’s a delicate balance between a book feeling rushed and moving too slowly and this one felt a bit too much of the latter for me. I ended up skimming some of their interactions to cut the chase – so to speak – and that was a little sad, since the storyline, characters and their interactions are worthy of relishing and really enjoying each moment.With amazing, complex and intricate characters, I found this story to be brimming with heart, laughter and excellent writing. I was invested almost immediately with both Chase and Matt, and really rooting for them to get together. The sex was deliciously spicy and incredibly erotic, well worth the wait. Not too campy, but still strongly emotional, I believe this is an excellent entrance into the world of M/M and a good book to recommend those who aren’t sure of this growing genre or like their romance spicy but not pushing the envelope. An emotional, character driven story that I greatly enjoyed. Recommended.Originally posted at Long and Short Reviews