Tag: A Lucy Recommended Story

A Lucy Review: And the next Thing You Know . . . (Why You? #2) by  Chase Taylor Hackett

Rated 4.5 stars out of 5

Jeffrey Bornic has this vision of his idea partner.  He will be gorgeous, successful, fit, intelligent, socially adept, etc etc etc.   He was dumped by his musician boyfriend, Roger, months ago and he’s still working on the new partner thing.  Maybe because

“Got up in a bad mood. 

Again. 

It had been a stretch of bad moods lately.  Seriously.  Since like October.

I suppose that means since Roger.  Old boyfriend.  Make of that what you will.”

The thing is, Jeffrey is kind of an arrogant jerk.  He’s a lawyer and he puts a lot of time into that. He has one really good friend, Rebecca, who works at the same law firm, and that’s sort of it.  He works all the time and he can be so rude. 

When his apartment is under construction, this elaborate remodel, he turns to Rebecca for a spot on his couch. Problem is, Rebecca’s firebrand little brother, Theo, has already staked a claim on that spot on the couch.  The first time the two meet is a comedy of errors and Jeffrey comes off looking like an idiot.  Theo is a songwriter and is short, red-haired, snarky and homeless right now.  He will not, however, be jobless.  “As long as you’re sleeping on my couch, you’ll have a job.  Or it’s back to the farm.  This is not the Rebecca McPherson Unemployed Songwriters Retreat.”  Where does Rebecca find him a job?  At their law firm of course!  Jeffrey is facing not only the man who makes him crazy but finds out that Roger’s best friend, Tommy, is now working for the firm as well.

The two of them end up having to share the couch for a while and they spend all their time insulting each other, something starts to change.  At least for Jeffrey it does.  Theo has a maybe-boyfriend named Madison who treats him pretty negligently but he’s got harassing Jeffrey to brighten his days.  I admit, there were a couple times, such as blindsiding Jeffrey at the party with Roger, showing up where Jeffrey was having dinner with parents or the aftermath of Hamilton, where I thought, Theo is too much.  He’s out to hurt people.  Maybe it was because Jeffrey seems to be really in love for the first time (Roger W. Prescott Memorial Project notwithstanding) that he appears the more vulnerable one here.  He’s the one doing the sweet things (the shoelaces, omg) and trying hard.  Of course, his past actions of being a douche come back to bite both of them and that was painful.

Thank heaven for Tommy, who befriends Theo at work and is the voice of reason when Theo needs it.   We really, really need Tommy’s book. 

The story is told in alternating first person point of view and we also get Tommy’s thoughts.  I loved being able to connect with everyone like that.  Getting to see Jeffrey grow as a person, become stronger, was a glorious thing.  There were times I wanted to hug him, such as when he shows Theo his under-construction apartment, and times I wanted to hug Theo and times I wanted to shake them both.  They both do some growing up here and it was wonderful.

I have to admit I read this before the first in this series and I am so glad I did.  The Jeffrey Bornic of this book is snarky, obnoxious and arrogant but he isn’t vile as I thought he was in the first book, Where Do I Start?  Had I read the series in order I wouldn’t have bothered with Jeffrey’s book and I’d have missed out.  The Jeffrey of this book was serious.

Completely recommend this book, especially for those who love characters who redeem themselves and those who love the snark. 

The cover art was sort of middle of the road for me.  Headless torso in a long sleeved t-shirt was, I assume, Theo, with Jeffrey’s hands clasped around his middle.  While I liked the idea of the closeness, I was disappointed we didn’t get the red hair that Theo is so known for.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 290 pages
Published February 6th 2018 by Lyrical Press
Original TitleAnd the Next Thing You Know . . .
ASINB071VHV289
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesWhy You? #2

A Lucy Review: Where Do I Start (Why You? #1) by Chase Taylor Hacket

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

 

This is the first book of the Why You? series and I read this after I read the second book.  I wasn’t actually going to read it, considering that Fletcher Andrews, the MC, was such a cheater and broke Roger’s heart.  I don’t read cheating and I was going into this already hating Fletch.  He’s beautiful, languorous, gets what he wants and drops his pants for everyone.  So of course, I hate him.  But this book is about losing something you didn’t realize how much you treasured and what it does to you to try to get it back.

Fletch and Roger were living together, happily and homey, until Roger finds out Fletch has been cheating on him. It devastates Roger and he throws Fletch out.  They don’t see each other for two years until they accidentally meet at the opera.  Fletch is with his sugar daddy, Darwin, and Roger is with his bestie, Tommy.  While Tommy is thrilled to meet costume-designer Darwin, Fletch is more interested in Roger’s reaction.  “Was he impressed? With my six-time Tony-winning date?”  Right there I thought, my god, this guy is clueless.  Luckily, he gets that clue.  “And when Roger looked at me, he saw that I was just today’s eye candy, an expensive accessory like a watch.  The boy du jour.”  That one simple thing made Fletch take a hard look at himself.  “Let’s be honest – if you go on a date and can show profit at the end of the evening, there’s a word for that.  And that’s what Roger saw when he looked at me.”

Fletch also comes to realize that what he wants in life is Roger.  Roger has a boyfriend, Jeffrey, another lawyer but that doesn’t matter to Fletch.  He wants Roger back and he wants to do it right this time.  We get some flashbacks not only into the pain Fletch caused Roger but also the how they met and some good things.  “And although it ended miserably, which spoiled everything, if I could look beyond that – and let’s face it, I hardly ever could – but when I could look beyond that, I could see it had been a fantastic period in my life.  I knew it at the time.  I’d never been happier, and I had thought it would go on like that forever.”  Oh, Roger.

This is told in alternating first person point of view, so we get the full extent of Fletch’s remorse and Roger’s pain.   This is more striking because Roger is dealing with his current boyfriend, the infamous Jeffrey, who often acts like a jerk.  The Jeffrey of book two doesn’t seem to be the same Jeffrey here.  He does two terrible things, one of which I would expect of him but the other shocked me. No wonder Fletch got so angry, “Imagine how I felt, hearting Roger defend this smug, self-righteous, hypocritical little pr**k”. 

Fletch goes to great lengths to win Roger back, and sometimes is dangerously close to being a stalker, but he’s putting Roger first this time, all the way. Roger is trying to fight it because he’s scared.  The effects of infidelity can be long lasting and far reaching.  “Because that’s what it came down to.  Sure, Fletch says he loves me, and maybe he even meant it….But does any of this mean that he isn’t going to pull his boxers down for the next casual acquaintance or total stranger who looks even mildly interested?”  That is the biggest hurdle. 

As in Jeffrey and Theo’s book, there are times I wanted to hug Roger (well, that was really all the time) and times I wanted to hug Fletch.  These guys, they grow on you and make you care what happens.  When the bad things come out, I cringed and wanted it somehow to work out.

We get the history of Fletch, which isn’t pretty and he doesn’t share easily, and we get his dedicated efforts to win Roger back.  There are times when Jeff and Fletch seem like they are about to pee on Roger to stake their claim.  It was funny and ridiculous.   We also get to have Tommy in this and he is completely lovely.  I want his story so badly.  He gives such great advice.  “I don’t know.  Have you ever asked him?” 

One thing that I would have liked was a better reason why Fletch cheated on Roger, constantly and repeatedly, when he himself admitted he was a great boyfriend. Yes, I get it that Fletch didn’t believe in love, didn’t believe in relationships, didn’t believe in anything, but it really made him shallow.  “You could think twice about hurting me horribly, or you could get – whatever- with whomever.  And we can see which was more important to you.”  Even though it’s two years in the past, my heart broke for Roger. 

There is no on-page sex here and that worked for me.  I have a problem with all issues big and small being solved by the magic penis.  It makes me roll my eyes.  Here, they have to work things out the old fashioned way.  While I’m sure people are going to skip this book because of the infidelity, as I was going to, that would be a shame because that isn’t what this is about.  It’s about redemption, forgiveness and understanding what you need.  I would highly recommend this. 

The cover, two men walking a Scottish terrier with only half their heads visible, was pretty spot on for me.  The casual elegant beauty of Fletch and the more buttoned up handsomeness of Roger.  Oddly, throughout the book I kept picturing Roger as older or less attractive.  Maybe I was judgy about his name.  But the depiction on the cover is more how he should be. 

Sales Link:  Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 266 pages
Published October 17th 2017 by Lyrical Press
Original TitleWhere Do I Start?
ASINB01N5S23MN
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesWhy You? #1

A Lucy Review: And The Next Thing You Know by Chase Taylor Hackett

Rated 4.5 stars out of 5

Jeffrey Bornic has this vision of his idea partner.  He will be gorgeous, successful, fit, intelligent, socially adept, etc etc etc.   He was dumped by his musician boyfriend, Roger, months ago and he’s still working on the new partner thing.  Maybe because

“Got up in a bad mood. 

Again. 

It had been a stretch of bad moods lately.  Seriously.  Since like October.

I suppose that means since Roger.  Old boyfriend.  Make of that what you will.”

The thing is, Jeffrey is kind of an arrogant jerk.  He’s a lawyer and he puts a lot of time into that. He has one really good friend, Rebecca, who works at the same law firm, and that’s sort of it.  He works all the time and he can be so rude. 

When his apartment is under construction, this elaborate remodel, he turns to Rebecca for a spot on his couch. Problem is, Rebecca’s firebrand little brother, Theo, has already staked a claim on that spot on the couch.  The first time the two meet is a comedy of errors and Jeffrey comes off looking like an idiot.  Theo is a songwriter and is short, red-haired, snarky and homeless right now.  He will not, however, be jobless.  “As long as you’re sleeping on my couch, you’ll have a job.  Or it’s back to the farm.  This is not the Rebecca McPherson Unemployed Songwriters Retreat.”  Where does Rebecca find him a job?  At their law firm of course!  Jeffrey is facing not only the man who makes him crazy but finds out that Roger’s best friend, Tommy, is now working for the firm as well.

The two of them end up having to share the couch for a while and they spend all their time insulting each other, something starts to change.  At least for Jeffrey it does.  Theo has a maybe-boyfriend named Madison who treats him pretty negligently but he’s got harassing Jeffrey to brighten his days.  I admit, there were a couple times, such as blindsiding Jeffrey at the party with Roger, showing up where Jeffrey was having dinner with parents or the aftermath of Hamilton, where I thought, Theo is too much.  He’s out to hurt people.  Maybe it was because Jeffrey seems to be really in love for the first time (Roger W. Prescott Memorial Project notwithstanding) that he appears the more vulnerable one here.  He’s the one doing the sweet things (the shoelaces, omg) and trying hard.  Of course, his past actions of being a douche come back to bite both of them and that was painful.

Thank heaven for Tommy, who befriends Theo at work and is the voice of reason when Theo needs it.   We really, really need Tommy’s book. 

The story is told in alternating first person point of view and we also get Tommy’s thoughts.  I loved being able to connect with everyone like that.  Getting to see Jeffrey grow as a person, become stronger, was a glorious thing.  There were times I wanted to hug him, such as when he shows Theo his under-construction apartment, and times I wanted to hug Theo and times I wanted to shake them both.  They both do some growing up here and it was wonderful.

I have to admit I read this before the first in this series and I am so glad I did.  The Jeffrey Bornic of this book is snarky, obnoxious and arrogant but he isn’t vile as I thought he was in the first book, Where Do I Start?  Had I read the series in order I wouldn’t have bothered with Jeffrey’s book and I’d have missed out.  The Jeffrey of this book was serious.

Completely recommend this book, especially for those who love characters who redeem themselves and those who love the snark. 

The cover art was sort of middle of the road for me.  Headless torso in a long sleeved t-shirt was, I assume, Theo, with Jeffrey’s hands clasped around his middle.  While I liked the idea of the closeness, I was disappointed we didn’t get the red hair that Theo is so known for.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 290 pages
Published February 6th 2018 by Lyrical Press
Original TitleAnd the Next Thing You Know . . .
ASINB071VHV289
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesWhy You? #2

A Lucy Review: And The Beagle Makes Three by Geoffrey Knight

Rating:  4 Stars out of 5

Stuart was married to Claire, someone he loved very much, and they had a son, Atticus (Atty).  Life was really good until the night Stu had to tell Claire his truth – he is gay.  It didn’t end well and now Stuart carries around so much guilt for what happened.  It’s been eleven months and they are coming up on the last weekend in autumn, a time they traditionally spent at Claire’s sister Bethany’s house at the lake.  Bethany, she raises my blood pressure. Stuart wanted to skip it all.  Bethany isn’t kind at the best of times and this will just be a reminder of who is missing.  But Atty forces the issue and off they go, with their dog, Digby.   The trip is just as awful as Stu was afraid it would be and maybe even a little worse.   Atty, Stuart and meddlesome Bethany (plus family) all have some adjusting and facing facts to do, all while dealing with something so painful.

The book begins with a class presentation by Atty.  His mom had been a videographer and when she died, her 8 mm camera went to Atty.  She had taught him how to edit and how to work with movies, so his presentation was a documentary.  The theme, The Story of My Life So Far, is a typical one for an eight-year-old’s classroom but Atty’s presentation was not typical.  After all, his mother died and he and his father are grieving.  Atty hasn’t cried, but he’s grieving nonetheless.   It shows in his presentation.

Mrs Duckworth, Stuart’s personal assistant.  I don’t even have words for this woman (and I originally gave the book 3.5 stars then had to raise it some just for her).  She is matronly and motherly.  She lectures Stuart about talking with food in his mouth, how he ties his tie and her quirk is ahhhh-mazing.   “I’m talking your ‘lingo’”.  Oh my, how I loved me some Mrs. Duckworth.  She lectures Stuart on being gay and “…made a point of educating myself on all things homosexual.” 

It should be noted that while there is a possible love interest in the person of Cain, this is definitely not a romance.  It is a journey of father and son, and extended family, through grief and being able to move forward.   The romance is very much in the beginning stage and we don’t even meet Cain until halfway through and he doesn’t show up again until nearly the end.  Because that isn’t what this book is about.

There were times when Atty didn’t talk like your average eight-year-old. I teach four to eight-year-olds and I’ve never heard one say “Duly noted.”   Or “perhaps”.  Even, “Thank you for an eventful weekend.”  He didn’t talk that way throughout the book, just at the end, which is probably why I noticed it there.

There are some hard truths that Aunt Bethany has to face as well.  Even after her epiphany, I didn’t like her.  She made some headway at the end but her theory that she was always trying to be perfect doesn’t jibe with the absolute meanness she shows, not only to Stuart and Atty but to her husband and children as well.  Hopefully, she had enough self-realization at the end to make a turnaround.

There was a twist I wasn’t expecting, although it made sense.  This was by turns sad and hopeful.   And when Mrs Duckworth was around, funny.  “Bare throat” indeed.  But mostly it was a hurting father and son sticking together.  And the beagle makes three. 

Cover art by Geoffrey Knight fits the book perfectly.  Stuart, Digby and Atticus, in the car on their road trip to the lake. 

Sales Links:

AMAZON US: https://amzn.to/2GPSbHi

AMAZON UK: https://amzn.to/2EAgBTz

Book Details:

Published April 12th 2018
Original TitleAnd the Beagle Makes Three
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Lucy Review: Coming Out In The Art by J. Sanders

 

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Jacob Carlson is a medical transcriptionist who works at home, pretty much hiding out from the world except for his best friend, Chris, and his cat, Sebastian.  An accident in his senior year caused a fire to burn the right side of his face and body.  The reactions he got from his friends and still gets from uncaring people have turned his view of himself monstrous.   His one link to the outside world is Chris, an amazing and loyal friend from before the accident who works to make sure Jacob is not alone.  It is through Chris that he has a meeting with someone (Tristan) who makes him long.  “It’s just…he sometimes wonders what it would be like to have someone – other than a doctor or nurse – actually touch him.  Because they want to. Because they like him.  Because they want to make him feel good.”  This boy, he grabbed my heart.  He gives people the cold shoulder so they don’t have to deal with his face.  Sigh.

Tristan is on the Council for the Arts and a knows Chris.  It is at a party that Jacob reluctantly attends with Chris that Tristan shows he’s a good person.  He talks to Jacob even when Jacob is being pretty cold. When Jacob shows the scar, “…his ace in the hole”, Tristan just keeps talking about Jacob’s job and math and finally, art.  That’s where Jacob finally joins the conversation and the two of them begin on a journey of getting to know you and maybe getting to like you. 

Let’s put it right out there:  Jacob has scars from a fire.  He is not monstrous.  He is lonely and lovely.  The way the accident happened, the timing of it, just made my heart ache for him. He’s spent ten years hiding himself and it’s very difficult to change that, particularly when rude people react badly.   He’s now not sure how to act when someone might be interested. “The scarring from the accident makes him a freak and it’s ten times easier not to have to explain or deal with the pitying looks he gets.”  Notice, he says “makes him a freak”, not “makes him look like a freak.”  He’s so self-loathing.

When he and Tristan begin to be friends, Jacob opens up a little.  Sharing the how of the fire doesn’t make Tristan eye him with pity, just sympathy.  Their first kiss was perfect.   Tristan’s way of making Jacob feel important and his attitude that only Jacob’s opinion matters about Jacob was so vital to making Jacob feel better.  Not to say Tristan is always serious.  As they begin the “Tristan and Jacob Text Discussions of 2017 ™”, Jacob gets “Horseradish is a very underrated condiment or For some reason  I have always like the smell of gasoline.”

I’m sure somewhere Tristan has some flaws but I didn’t seem them.  Or maybe I did and didn’t care because I liked them both so much.   He sings Afternoon Delight (yes!) and is patient with people and kind.  He is kind when Jacob is so very brave and for the first time, takes his shirt off in front of another man, a man he cares about. “You humble me every time we’re together.  Your strength is so incredible.”  These two, they work.

I knew something was going to happen to mar Jacob’s happiness but when it happened it came from an area I wasn’t expecting and I was pretty pissed about it all.  People can suck.   Despite that, this is very low angst story.   I thoroughly appreciated that the characters, including Chris, were good people and I was pulling for them.  As a former medical transcriptionist, I could empathize with the unintelligible doctor voices too!  I would recommend this book without reservation.

The cover art, by Winterheart Designs, didn’t work wonders for me.  The model wasn’t Jacob, because there is no scar, yet I couldn’t see it being Tristan either.  The model is very brooding, while Tristan is known for “…the smile – wide and open and happy..”  The background is arty and perfect but then the title is difficult to read.  All in all, not really a fan of the cover.

Sales Link:  MLR Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook
Published March 22nd 2018 by MLR Press
ISBN139781370547876