The Club: Ace, Book 2 of The Club Series, Jenna Elliot

The Club: Ace, Book 2 of The Club Series, Jenna Elliot
Genre:  New Adult, Romance.
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
I love the drama that comes with New Adult books,and this had it in spades. Emme, she’s had a knock back when she caught her ex cheating on her, but picked up threads of her old life, pre the ex, and re-joined a sex club. She was a level one, now she’s applied for level two in Ace’s club. He oversees her training for the first day, and there’s something about her that has him rearranging things so he can have the next three Fridays with her, training alone…..
He’s hot, seriously hot, but Emme tells herself its his job, and she’s just out for fun. She really is someone who’s full of the joie de vivre of life, sees the upside of everything, and she’s a real pleasure for someone jaded about life like Ace. He’s used to women throwing themselves at him, and though it’s all supposed to be fun for him it gets boring. He’s a real cynic, life is just for fun, serious relationships just drag people down,and he’s not interested in one. He doesn’t date, doesn’t need to with all the sex he wants at the clubs…he spends his year traveling round the world, seeking out hedonistic please all the while. There’s something about Emme though….
Somehow they end up very quickly in more personal sessions, with the second one taking place in one of his flats, the one above the club,  and the third on his yacht, after his colleague and Emme’s best friend get married there. Its clear to everyone they are kidding themselves when they say its just sex, nothing personal. Then something happens and bam – poor Emme is in danger, distraught and fleeing for her life. She’s  hiding from everyone for safety, but its a tough few weeks for her watching her back all the while, and very lonely with no contact with anyone. She’s frightened though, and its the best way she can think of until whoever is threatening her, who trashed her car and home is found. . Its time for decisions all round. That part worked really well for me, not one of those over in two pages moments, but one that’s treated as a major part of the story and given full length to play out.
Stars: Five, I thought this was going to just be a quick, erotic read, but in fact it is that – and so much more. The drama gives it a real feeling of danger, of suspense and makes it more than just the hot, sexy read it first appears.
ARC provided by Netgalley and publishers

Broken Chords,Love in London 2, Carrie Elks

Broken Chords,Love in London 2, Carrie Elks
Genre:  Contemporary romance, women’s fiction
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Knickers!! Thank goodness a book where the ladies wear Knickers – not the horribly twee, coy, cringe-worthy panties… I hate that term, but its seems ubiquitous in romance fiction – and one of the reasons I love British authors is to read British terms, wear ladies wear knickers and men wear trousers…not pants – that’s just another name for knickers and just sounds so wrong to me. I can just about live with men that wear Slacks though they’re unsexy, and bring up reminders of the nylon/crimpeline, elastic waist old people standbys The language divide brings up some strange thoughts – as for that dance Shag “do you want to shag?” a character asked, at a dance in a book I was reading – and.. well…here in the uk shag is a slightly politer way of saying f –ck….
Anyway – on to the book. I love Carrie’s writing, adored the first in this series where we briefly met Alex and Lara, and was so pleased they’ve got their own book.
Poor Lara, life changes massively when you have a family, I don’t think anyone envisages how much, and for her its a huge change, from a busy worker to a stay at home mum on maternity leave. Of course that makes money tight which means Alex has to work in construction during the day and is out with his band at night – means he doesn’t get to see much of baby Max and simply isn’t there to help. Lara feels she’s the only one whose life has changed, and Alex is still out and about same as before. I really felt for her, she was struggling to cope, didn’t know what to do, and Alex seemed unsympathetic. In his eyes she wanted a family, they have one so to him what’s the problem? He’s still living much of his life as before, and though its clear he loves Lara deeply, simply adores her and she him, little cracks begin to appear. She says things that make her feel like his mother not his wife and lover, like not smoking weed…he doesn’t smoke much, but before and after a gig it relaxes him and he sees her as nagging him.
Then he gets the chance of a lifetime, supporting a band on tour for three months. But its in the US, and he won’t be able to come home. Max is only six months old, Lara thinks Alex will miss so much of him growing and changing, and she’s not keen on him going, but feels if she says so he’ll resent her later for a missed opportunity. Of course though she trusts him she knows just how the groupies throw themselves at bands, and Alex is drop dead gorgeous….so that’s a worry too. What really upsets her though is how he jumped at the chance without even talking to her, and so the cracks get wider….
Its a read so full of love, and emotion and shows how clearly all that love just isn’t enough on its own. a marriage needs two people working for it, working together and Alex and Lara seems to be growing further apart, though that’s not what either of them want. I just couldn’t see how they could come back, and then something really devastating happens and she Needs Alex back right now – but he won’t even speak to her! That’s the last straw for her and the beginning of a real struggle, a time of such sadness for all of them – and as readers of my reviews will know – I love to wallow in this kind of sadness, its so uplifting when all comes right and here its just perfect for me. Carrie really makes the story feel real, draws out the drama, throws in things to makes us ( and them) think about what’s important in life. Its a terrific read, one to savour and read over and over.
Stars: five, a great story full of love and drama.
ARC provided by Netgalley and publishers.

Playing Dirty, Kelly Jamieson

Playing Dirty, Kelly Jamieson
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre: Romance
This is book three in the series, and I found it was fine that I hadn’t read the earlier ones, though of course as they are each complete books but connected I’d have understood the connections better if I had…
I loved Paige right from the start, she pulled herself up out of an abusive relationship and put her all into starting her business and being independent. That’s tough, its easy to just wallow, sit back and worry and feel sad – doing what Paige has done takes courage, its a risk opening a new business but she wanted a complete change even down to the city she lived in.
Its all going well, and then looking over new premises to expand into she meets Raff. He’s a lovely man, a real gentleman and yet he’s pushy, like a steamroller. I really liked him but… that cut off speech so often found in romance books sounds wrong to me, you know when they speak in part sentences, saying “want you/need you Babe” and missing out the “I”. I hate Babe/Baby too…personal thing though I can just about deal with Babe without rolling my eyes!!  Anyway, back on track -he goes all out to get what he wants, and what he wants is Paige. Her ex was like that though – been there done that, and she’s not taking a return journey. Slowly though Raff wears her down, and somehow the one date she agreed to becomes more, with him sneakily doing things like  bringing lunch for her and her assistant Tenise, then carefully sliding further into her life by way of her friends. Tenise thinks he’s great and encourages her to just have a quick fling ad a bit of fun, but that’s not the way Paige is. Somehow though she quickly finds herself in Raff’s bed and his life more and more.
Then of course just when its all going right something happens that shatters her confidence, and makes her doubt her judgement and it all goes wrong. She’s unhappy, Raff’s unhappy but is there a way back – it doesn’t look like it? Its  fun read, peppered with some hot and erotic sex scenes, enough to spice up the story but not dominate the beautiful romance that’s developing. I love the conundrum of independence versus being too stubborn to accept help. When is it right to accept help – can it compromise principles of self reliance, and does it always have a cost attached, hidden or otherwise? Then there’s the difference between being out of control angry, dangerous to those around, unable to weigh up decisions though temper problems, against controlled anger, where one is standing up for oneself or someone else in the only way the other person respects. Can violence ever be right? Can it be controlled so as to work only when the user wants it, or does the turning to violence simply mean lack of control and danger. Its an interesting puzzle and made me thing hard about things. I tend to be independent and find help hard to accept graciously and yet sometimes as a wheelchair user that’s just what I have to do. The other person can get lots of pleasure from helping, and if we do it for others what’s wrong in accepting it when its in the spirit of a no strings gift, just something done because the person can do it. .
Stars: Five, a romance I really enjoyed
ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers

Mark of Cain, Kate Sherwood

Mark of Cain, Kate Sherwood
Genre: GLBT, Romance.
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Well, Kate’s a prolific author, and yet this is the first book by her I’ve read. It certainly won’t be the last as it’s a great novel, a solid romance wrapped up in a thought provoking story! I love romance, but it has to have something more than just a meets b and they live happily ever after. One of the reasons I love the GLBT genre is the way its so subject to problems that create the angst I love. Its a very real feeling, and something that in real life is terribly sad but makes for a terrific fiction read.
Mark, what a problem for him. The Church, his passion and his profession, counsels tolerance and that he should help Lucas, and that’s what he’d do if it was any other man. Try to help him move forward, to be a better person in future and be sorry for what he did – a reformed character. This time though its too close to home, it was his little brother that was killed in the fight and its left his family distraught, so to see Lucas out and about, getting on with life, enjoying all the things his brother can no longer have is like a red flag. I can understand that – he’s a very devout man but he’s also human….and of course he’s only seeing one side of Lucas, the side that he wants to see.
Lucas isn’t like that though, he’s always regretted that moment of madness that took a man’s life. He wants to change, doesn’t want to go back to that old life but his friends aren’t happy about that, and he’s forced one night to make a decision that leaves him homeless and jobless – both violations of is parole terms. His parole officer gets him into the halfway house Mark’s church runs which has done such good in the past.
Marks is gay and is sort of accepted, some of the congregation are ok with it but others not so and make it clear. He gets into trouble after helping a young boy who’s struggling with being gay…we can see what a great job he’s done, how depressed Alex was and how close he was to suicide, and yet his father is furious and accuses Mark of grooming him. It throws the Church into a defensive position, threatens Mark’s job and shows just what I feel about this whole issue and the Church’s position – Marks acceptance by the church only goes so far, he can be gay so long as he keeps his lover hidden, no one knows a kind of DADT policy, and he has to be someone the Church approve of, certainly not an ex convict. Premarital sex is frowned upon by the church, but as gay people aren’t allowed to marry the church accepts this as a “compromise”. To me its just hypocritical. It shows Mark just how head in the sand he’s been, thinking he could change the church from within, he’s already been passed over for a role that he would have been perfect for in favour of someone not gay, but who’s so far not done anything for the position….It makes him question what brought him so much peace about the church, which is a shame as its been all he wanted since he was a teen.
As Lucas and Mark get thrown together more and more over circumstances, he sees another side to Lucas, and sees he’s not the man he’d assumed, and how much he’s saddened, regrets what happened, and how the guilt burdens him. There’s some really sad parts, some real thought provoking issues, and its so much like real life where things are never as black or white as they seem. Lucas can’t remember much of the fight having incurred a head injury, but from Marks thoughts about his brother he could well have been a protagonist in the fight, and he was taller and heavier than Lucas. That doesn’t excuse Lucas but makes me ( and I think Mark) wonder if all the blame can be laid at his door.
There are so many issues here, the rehab of prisoners, if someone who’s killed should be accepted once the sentence is done, the church stance on GLBT, and of course how best to help young people who question their sexuality. Bigotry – not just over GLBT issues but over ex offenders too and how some of the police treat them, the parole violations – should they be treated as absolute, because if so Lucas broke several through no fault of his own, and in one case protecting another person. Then there’s the romance, it grows slowly and its hard looking back to see exactly when Mark began to see Lucas as a person and not just as his bothers killer, and then to go from there to attraction…its very cleverly done. There are some great characters too – Elise, the lady who’s younger than her years and runs the animal sanctuary, Alex, the young teen with the bigoted father, Mark’s parents, his boss in the church Father Terry, and the parole officer Darren who had so much vibrancy about him. Its a book I loved, that drew me in and totally engrossed me for hours. Its not a short read and that allows for the multiple story lines to really be explored .
Stars: five, a great challenging story full of love and drama.
ARC provided by Netgalley and publishers.

Playing With Fire, Kat Black

Playing With Fire, Kat Black
Genre:  Contemporary romance
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
I hadn’t read book one, but bought it as it sounded like one I’d enjoy and it was inexpensive…but I really found it hard to like Annabel, and Aiden, although I really liked him I felt he was a bit OTT, and just couldn’t see Annabel letting him get away with the things he said and did. Still if she didn’t there’d be no story!
Book two picks up after the attack on her and her mum,  and where Aiden has just discovered his bid for the huge wreck in Ireland has been successful. He’s busy flying between London and Ireland, trying to make things work with Annabel, and as ever its one step forward and two back for him.  I know she’s had a tough past, but so do many others and they don’t act as Annabel. She’s protecting herself sure, but at the cost of being rude to others, snubbing any kind of friendliness,and very judgemental over things like her mum’s new relationship, and the gambling when Aiden takes her away to stay with rich friends. Its  part of life for them and a bit of fun, but she can’t seem to accept that, and makes her disapproval clear. To me that’s rude, she doesn’t have to like it, doesn’t have to take part ( and she doesn’t, there are others that don’t also) but she’s so contemptuous of them enjoying themselves it grates at me. I’m all for tolerance, they’re not harming anyone and the money could be better used elsewhere of course, but then we could say that about lots of things, such as the spa treatments she enjoys.
Overall there are some hot and sensual moments and Aiden’s a great guy, but I never really took to Annabel, she seems to be so busy “protecting” herself she won’t let anyone in, but doesn’t help anyone else either. She never asks the staff if they’re ok, if they had a good day off, or a pleasant weekend, just stays apart from them looking very supercilious to them. Its no wonder they nick name her for her iciness.  She seems to be a taker where Aiden is concerned, she enjoys what he does for her, has spats and panics sometimes, but never really says thank you or attempts to do something pleasant for him – or anyone. I just couldn’t really engage with her, and that affected how I enjoyed this book. Its a well written, well plotted romance – its just Annabel that was a fail for me.
Stars:Three, a good read but Annabel….
ARC provided by Netgalley and publishers.

More Than Comics, A Chasing the Dream Novel, Elizabeth Briggs

More Than Comics, A Chasing the Dream Novel, Elizabeth Briggs
Genre: Romance, New Adult.
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Well, I really enjoyed the first book, and the prequel one but this one – it was good, but not great. It just didn’t pull me on the same way, didn’t feel the drama of that early one.
Tara, I liked her, and when she first met Hector after working online with him, and chatting for so long it was magic. I really wanted things to go well between them, and at first it did. Then – due to mixed communications, to misunderstandings it all went wrong….
It had a great premise, I recall Hector from the first book, and liked him then. It was easy to see how he felt about Tara, and meeting them at the comic-con was perfect. I loved the way Hector got irritated when people asked questions about the band, and not about the book. He was so protective of Tara and he was very genuine in wanting her to be up there with him, for the focus to be on her writing, and not his recent band fame. He’s felt Jared took over things with the band when there was publicity, and it annoyed him that he seemed to be all the focus, and he was certainly not going to let Tara feel that way. That was so real, and made me understand him and want him and Tara to work. They really were a perfect pairing. Then her ex comes along, wants to try again and …..more problems. That was such a – hair pulling – time, when I was so frustrated with Hector. Poor Tara felt so rejected, was so upset even though she suspected he was acting out of character from the things he said – it didn’t stop it hurting though and I was hurt along with her.
Overall though I knew things would work out – I need to feel there’s a real chance they won’t, and somehow that didn’t happen here. The barriers to them getting together just felt like minor hiccups, simple things easily resolved and I need a bit more. Its a good read, one I enjoyed but not a five star one or more than a one off for me.

Stars: Three and a half. A little too predictable for me.
ARC provided by Netgalley and publishers.

Shadow Study, Maria V. Snyder

Shadow Study, Maria V. Snyder
Review from jeannie zelos book reviews
Well, in the pre kindle days I ordered what I thought was a historical fiction read from amazon and realised I’d made a mistake. It was Poison Study and of course fantasy. That’s a genre I had stayed away from til then, thinking it was all Tolkien, middle earth and star wars type reads,  but once into Poison Study I was hooked, and haven’t looked back since. I now love fantasy and paranormal reads  and have read all in this series so far, so to see more Yelena and Valek was a real treat. Looks like its another trilogy, but the great thing about Maria’s books is that though the story continues she stops at a natural break, not an awful, hated, frustrating cliff-hanger – thanks Maria.
Anyway on to this book. Its been a few years since I read poison study – maybe four or five – and yet the story is still clear in my mind. It was great to be back with them both,. with Kiki and Onyx, and of course with people from Sitia and Ixia. Yelena is on her way to meet Valek for a much needed break for them both, when she’s attacked. Kiki rushes her to Valek and she recovers from the poisoned arrow. Sadly their break is brief though as Valek has to return to Ixia, and Yelena stays another day to recover before returning to Sitia.
After Valek leaves though she’s beset by some kind of odd fever which seems to have taken away or blocked her magic, leaving her incredibly vulnerable. Both she and Valek have numerous enemies, people who want power, who want to use politics for their own ends, and she needs to find out who is behind the attack without letting too many people know just how vulnerable she is. Valek meanwhile is having his own problems, it seems while he’s been away on his latest mission things have changed at the castle, and not for the good. They’re both busy and as usual danger seems to follow Yelena around, but this time she’s not got her magic to protect her.
Its a real puzzle – who’s behind the attack and why, and for Valek, why have things changed so much? How come there are new personnel at the castle, and where is Marin and what assignment had the Commander sent her on that he hasn’t told Valek about? Its the usual well plotted and gripping mystery, trying to work out what’s happening and why, and how they can stop the bad while staying alive. And this time staying alive is so much harder for Yelena, as she’s so used to having her magic to help her.
Its a fabulous read, and I’m so glad Maria decided to bring back Valek and Yelena, ( and of course all the old favourites that share their story) and I’m really looking forward to continuing this series.

Stars: Five, a fantastic  read, full of the old magic ( in all senses) and a real treat for fans of the Ixia and Sitia worlds.
ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers.

The Core, Equilibrium I, Kate Thomas

The Core, Equilibrium I, Kate Thomas
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal , New Adult.
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
This sounded an interesting read – and it was. Its something new in the fantasy/paranormal genre, well at least to me. Its about people with special abilities who are chosen to keep the balance in the world, the mix of good and bad.
I liked the connection between Ellie and David, and his enigmatic way of speaking. Its as if everything he says as an answer is really another question. No wonder poor Ellie was so confused. There are so many secrets, and he takes her on a journey of discovery where she meets others, and needs to make a choice – is there really a way to say no though?
It’s a shortish read and hard to rate I feel, as its really just an intro into what’s coming, a taster of what could develop. We can see already that her background may not be as she’s always thought, and I wonder how she will explain this to her brother and mum, whether they will have any part to play or remain “normal” people? I want to read more – its certainly whetted my appetite, and though David suggests there can be nothing between him and Ellie on a personal level, that its purely professional from now, there’s a definite attraction for both of them and I wonder how that’s going to work out with them needing to work closely together. It promises to be a fun read, something different from the usual and though its not classes as a romance I can’t help hoping one develops!
Stars: Four – I think its going to develop into a five star series but at the moment Its still a clear work in progress and this novel felt a bit incomplete to me. Started books do have a hard job when a series begins.
ARC provided by Netgalley and publishers.

Thoughtful, S. C. Stephens

‘From page one, this book is impossible to put down’
ABBI GLINES, New York Times bestselling author on THOUGHTLESS
‘Wildly addictive, beautifully written, and uniquely captivating’
TRACEY GARVIS-GRAVES, New York Times bestselling author on THOUGHTLESS
Thoughtful
S. C. STEPHENS

Published 24th February 2015
Available as a paperback and eBook

It’s time for Kellan Kyle, the rockstar who captured our hearts in Thoughtless, to tell his side of the story.

The only place Kellan has ever felt at home is on stage. Gripping his guitar in a darkened bar, he can forget his painful past. These days his life revolves around his music and his band mates, and that’s the way he likes it. And then one woman changes everything . . .
Kiera is the kind of girl Kellan has no business wanting – she’s smart, sweet, and dating his best friend. Certain he could never be worthy of her love, he hides his growing attraction . . . until Kiera’s own tormented heart hints that his feelings might not be one-sided. Now, no matter the consequences, Kellan is sure of one thing: he won’t let Kiera go without a fight.
‘What happens when you find your soul mate at the worst possible time, in the least expected place? What if being with that person means doing the most wrong thing you’ve ever done?
[It] leaves you thinking about these questions, the characters and their choices for days if not weeks after reading.’
TAMMARA WEBBER, New York Times bestselling author on THOUGHTLESS

My Review

Genre:NA, Contemporary romance

Thoughtless and the follow ups were among the first NA reads I found, and I loved them. I don’t like cheating, and yet in some books it creates a fabulous drama and we see just how the characters end up in situations they never intended to – they hurt those they love through their actions, and yet somehow we can’t see what else they could do given the circumstances – except not do it of course, and then we’d be lacking a book! So cheating written like this works for me,even though in real life its one of my big No, nos. I’ve read alternate POV books before, some of which worked well and some which have been for me disasters and was curious to how this one would work out.

Kellen, who couldn’t love him, and yet when I read the story from Kiera’s POV I held him much more responsible. Through his eyes though I’ve looked at the story in a totally different way. Even knowing what happens and when it’s still fresh, unique in that I see his actions in a very different way now I know his story and background more fully. My heart ached for him at times, he was just so lonely and alone. I loved the way Matt told him the band was his family – he needed to know that too. Kiera, I saw her in a different light, even though Kellen adores her I was getting annoyed at her swaying between them, not letting him leave when it was so clear staying was hurting him. Somehow in the first book I sympathised more with her, and yet here when I see how her actions are destroying Kellen and taking them so close to the edge I got really annoyed at her selfishness. Then when she just keeps on asking for more time –  I know she loves Denny too and needed it, and yet it was so hard for Kellen to play second place all the while when he already had such low self esteem.

Even though I knew what happened after the big fight it still shocked me, and I understood why Kellen took the decision he did – he needed that certainty. It made for a perfect ending, one still filled with drama and excitement, one where I still kept holding my breath waiting for things to Finally – finally go right for them. I felt for poor Denny all the way through – he was just so so oblivious til the end and then so broken….I’m glad things finally picked up for him too.

This is one of the alternate POV that works – I still prefer them to run concurrently in a novel, but of course this was a readers request after thought so that couldn’t happen. Its great to see though how SC Stephens manages to inject it with fresh material, to keep the reader gripped even knowing the story, and where it goes. I’m one of those readers who love to re read books, finding things I missed first time round knowing the ending, and this book works like that – there are things that I recall on reading and yet missed the relevance first time round. Its a lovely looong novel too at 560 pages ( over 8,000 locations on kindle) and that’s a real treat in this time when it seems books are getting shorter and shorter and divided into sections. A whole story, full of drama, emotion and beautiful romance this shows just how fabulous the NA genre can be when done well – even for people like me who are well past the NA age group!! It could be read and enjoyed IMO even if you’ve not read the first books.

Stars: Five, a fabulous read, one of the few alternate POV reads that not only works for me but is a real gem.
ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers.
S.C. Stephens is a New York Times #1 bestselling author who spends her every free moment creating stories that are packed with emotion and heavy on romance. In addition to writing, she enjoys spending lazy afternoons in the sun reading, listening to music, watching movies,
and spending time with her friends and family. She lives in Washington State with her two children.

Follow her on Twitter @SC_Stephens_
For more information please contact Clara Diaz on
020 7911 8962 | clara.diaz@littlebrown.co.uk | @ClaraHDiaz

Waiting for the Flood, Alexis Hall

Waiting for the Flood, Alexis Hall
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre: Romance
I hadn’t realised this was a short read, just 95 pages, but I enjoyed it anyway. I do prefer longer reads, but shorter ones like this work for me when they’re like a moment of time, a snippet, not trying to cram a whole book full of plots into a short read.
Poor Edwin, I s-s-s-so felt for him. Heartbroken from losing his lover Marius, he’s withdrawn. With his speech problems its not easy to approach people, and after trying a club and seeing Marius there enjoying himself he just seems to have given up. Yet he’s only in his early thirties and so really Marius is so much of his life to try to get past, but he’s too young to waste it alone. His neighbour, the fabulous Mrs P, ( oh I hope if I live that long I’m like her!) tells him as much. She’s been there as a shoulder to cry on as he doesn’t seem to have family or friends that will support him, and she tells him its time to look forwards not backwards. He’s really sweet with her, and it shows just what a caring, protective person he is, and yet his confidence has taken a severe knock, not that he was hugely self confident before. Then Adam enters his life. He’s such a contrast, where Edwin is quite and hides himself Adam seems huge – just seems to fill whatever space he’s in, but in a comfortable way, not a dominating bullying way. He’s so helpful to everyone, yes its his job but he seems to take it on a personal level, and he’s in there heaping sandbags, wading through water, doing the dirty jobs, and he sees Edwin and something in him pings. I love the banter they have, the way he can just wait patiently for Edwin to speak without making him uncomfortable, the sensuality that we can feel between them – its magic when it comes together like it has here. That’s one of the parts I love most in book, that magic moment of realisation – yes he/she does like me…

This book works for me as its like a beginning of a novel, the spark where they first meet and the characters are just so wonderful. they feel real, the dialogue is pithy at times, witty at others and also elements of just mundane everyday things. I loved the little inside murmurings of Edwin that we  saw, where he’s annoyed that a letter which has been fine is suddenly playing tricks with him. Stammering is just such a difficult condition, people automatically want to jump in, rather than wait and it must make the stammerer feel so conscious. Its too often seen as a lack of intelligence too – that must be really irritating to be treated as if you’re thick, have someone talk over you etc. In my old life working I once interviewed a lovely man who had a terrible stammer, really, really bad,  and it was so difficult to get the balance right, to try not to make him feel pressured. Interviews are tough anyway and to have such a difficulty in speaking when you need to show your best side must be really hard. In the usual interview time we’d really only covered the very basics because he was having such difficulty speaking. Sadly I couldn’t give him the job. I knew the other staff – not under my jurisdiction – would make his work difficult, and just not take notice of him as a supervisor – there were better candidates, though I really wished I could have taken him on, he’d tried so hard.
Edwin – I so felt for him, he’s someone who deserves love, who needs another person. Some people can go through life alone but I felt he needed someone, needed to be wanted, and I was so upset when it all seemed to go wrong between him and Adam. I wanted to say “Edwin, what are you doing??” but he was telling himself that anyway…poor man. Thankfully there’s an upside too or I’d have been devastated for him – a book character I know, but good ones feel real to me and I want them to have a HEA!!
Stars: Five, it’s a lovely bittersweet at times story that I really enjoyed, despite my usual dislike of shorts…
ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers.