AnnaLund2011

This story started out in a shy way, and maybe that was intentional, as the MC is a shy and tortured young man. It quickly developed into a beautiful show of how depression, childhood trauma, and adult life can blend into a toxic mix of insecurity and pain.

The MC, Philippe, was quite convincing to me, his inner monologue rang true, and the telling of his story soon found me rooting for him, hard. His vulnerability was what struck me the most. I so adore a character who stands there and learns how to say what he feels in his heart.

The first person POV is not my favorite, but at least it wasn’t in present tense, and I felt that it did bring me closer to Philippe and his demons.

The backdrop of dancing, ballet, traditional, modern, and contemporary, felt well researched, if a bit full of itself, with a lot of techniques and posh school-name dropping happening. But Dario? He was a gem, a total, utter gem.

The setting of building your own family was beautiful. Dario needed that, and it’s nice to see when the two main characters both need things, so that it isn’t just the one helping the other to become whole.

Both were searching, and both found. Power of family. 

The language could have benefited from one last editing run through, but was overall quite good.

What bugs me is that each and every book these days have to have a main character that loses it and runs away. It’s getting a bit lame. (Time to start a new trend? The MC that chatters in a million pieces. But stays).

Now, why did I want to read this book? Because of the cover, of course, I am exactly that shallow. But, unfortunately, Philippe looks completely different from the man in the cover, and so does Dario. So, it’s just another pretty body—at least it isn’t a torso with his head cut off that m/m is so fond of.

And by god, that beard should have come off, as a symbol of new beginnings, a clean, fresh, and new start. I was so sure it would. Mightily disappointed it didn't. 

This book will appeal to the younger segment of readers, young adults, college students, twenty-somethings, as the voice is quite young. Sexy-times are soft and full of heart, and blissfully devoid of too many bits and pieces. It was a little tamer than I expected, but a good read.

***

I was given a free copy of this book by the publisher, Dreamspinner Press, and a positive review wasn’t promised in return.