The British slang was so much fun.
5 out of 5 stars
Ebook.
276 pages. Published August 19th 2014
by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Blurb:
You can run from the past…but the past runs faster.
Behind Robert’s cheerfully eccentric exterior lies a young heart battered and bruised by his past. He’s taken a job teaching in a village primary school to make a fresh start, and love isn’t part of his plans. But he’s knocked for six—literally—by a chance encounter with the uncle of two of his pupils.
Sean works in pest control, rides a motorbike, and lives on a council estate. On the face of it, he shouldn’t have anything in common with Robert’s bow-tie, classic-car style and posh family background. Yet Robert is helpless to resist Sean’s roguish grin, and a rocky, excruciatingly embarrassing start doesn’t keep the sparks between them from flaring.
Despite Robert’s increasingly ludicrous attempts to keep his past where it belongs, his past hasn’t read the memo. And soon his secrets could be the very things that drive Sean away for good…
Warning: Contains the alarming misadventures of a pest control technician, a stepsister with a truly unfortunate name, and a young man who may have more bow ties than sense.
Likes:
- Everything.
- The characters. Even the kids.
- The English slang.
- Robert was adorkable and Sean was
great. Especially the motorcycle and leather jacket.
Dislikes:
- Wanted more.
- Wished the situation with Oliver got a more thorough resolution.
This book made me laugh so many times I lost count. Robert was so great, I feel like we’d be best friends if he was real. He was a little awkward and has a unique fashion sense, but he was imminently likeable. So was Sean, especially seeing how much he cared for his nephews.
I will admit that if you don’t
like Robert’s adorkable-ness, you won’t like the book. The story is told from
Robert’s first person perspective, and the reader is given a front row seat to
everything going through his brain. But since I liked Robert a lot, this book
was a fun read.
I honestly had a hard time
coming up with things I disliked about this book. Normally, even with books I like,
there are things about them that I don’t care for. I have no major complaints
about this book. I would have liked to see Sean meet Robert’s parents, but that
was mentioned only briefly in the epilogue.
The situation with Oliver could
have used more resolution. I would have liked to see Oliver set the record
straight publicly. That would have been nice both for Robert and also to make
Oliver, who I do feel a little bit of sympathy for, a more likeable guy.
As for the things I liked, I have
to say the biggest would be the side characters. There were many, including the
children, and they all felt very flushed out and believable. Even the
characters who didn’t play a big part in the story, like Robert’s childhood
friend and his new friend/coworker Rose have such great personalities.
The story does have some
misunderstandings between characters, but I didn’t mind them. They fit the
story. Especially the last one that almost ended the relationship. It was very
believable. Robert had a traumatizing incident in his past that he doesn’t want
anyone to know. So when he tries to avoid telling Sean about it, the whole
thing blows up in his face. It’s expected, and you could see it coming from a
mile away, but it fits with their personalities and the story. Plus, I really liked
that Rose told Robert he wasn’t obligated to tell Sean anything he didn’t feel
comfortable talking about.
The smut was definitely set on low heat, but that didn’t bother me. I will definitely continue with the series, and I’m glad I picked up this book. It’s my first time reading J.L. Merrow and I’m glad I gave this book a shot!
Note: I used the book cover was on the ebook I read. There is a different cover on Goodreads.
Be sure to check out the review for the other three books in the series – Played!, Out!, and Spun! as well as the series review.
Love is Love Reviews 