4.5 out of 5 stars.
Ebook. 227 pages. Published September 3rd 2019 by Dreamspinner Press
Blurb:
The course of true love runs through every neighborhood….
Only one thing stands between Gregory MacPherson II and his dream
revitalization project for the gritty neighborhood of Ball’s End: a rinky-dink,
run-down used bookstore called Hailey’s Comic. But when master negotiator Mac
shows up to make a deal with the owner, he comes face-to-face with quirky,
colorful Hailey—unexpectedly good-humored about Mac’s attempted eviction and,
also unexpectedly, a hot guy.
Hailey won’t give up his lease, no matter how much money Mac offers. When it
comes to consummating their mutual attraction, though, he’s a lot more
flexible. Soon Mac has as hard a time prying himself out of Hailey’s bed as he
does prying Hailey out of the building. But Hailey doubts Mac’s plans serve
Ball’s End’s best interests, and he insists Mac give him a chance to prove his
case. If they’re going to build a happy ever after, one of them will have to be
remade….
Likes:
- Hailey and Mac, separately and together.
- Mac’s evolution.
- Positive female characters.
- Easy to read and understand conversations about complex subjects.
- Men in lingerie being positive.
Dislikes:
- Not much got in the way of the romance.
- The writing could get preachy and heavy handed.
I really enjoyed this book. And, as strange as it feels to say it, a big part of that was because Mac was a typical liberal leaning (but not too liberal) white businessman.
Mac’s views on the world were what actually made me feel like this story was realistic. If you want to know what a white man thinks about the world, this book would be a good place to start. Mac’s not a bad guy. But he doesn’t understand what it’s like not to be the default. And yeah, that did make him unlikeable at times.
“He gave two percent every year to a variety of well-vetted charities, which was a better way to distribute aid than handing out cash to beggars on street corners.”
“His building wasn’t exactly riverfront, but riverfront meant docks and dealers. Speaking of areas ripe for reclaiming…”
“I’m sorry it’s hurting people like Edgar and Elisa and Yolanda, but am I supposed to weigh them against the good this project will do and pick them?”
But because he’s not a bad guy, it gave him room to grow. Maybe not as much as I would have liked, but enough to realize that there was a lot he wasn’t seeing.
“I didn’t know, all right? I knew the numbers and codes and permits, but I didn’t know about the people. I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. It’s impersonal.”
It’s something of a painful process for Mac. Admitting the harm he’s been unintentionally doing conflicts with his positive self-image. I especially like when Mac talked to his sister about whether or not she’d ever been treated badly by rich men because she was a woman. She told him the truth, a truth Mac was completely blind to.
Hailey was the opposite of Mac. Poor, living in the back of his used bookstore, with knowledge of what it’s like to live in different places with different communities and cultures. Hailey is basically Mac’s guide to what life is like for those people whose homes, businesses, and places of worship get “reclaimed”.
Hailey is almost too perfect at times, but he’s a great character. Could he have done something different with his life and had a bigger impact on disenfranchised neighborhoods? Yeah. But he moved to Balls End to find a place to belong. Helping the people he lived and worked with was just a part of his personality.
The insta-lust between Mac and Hailey didn’t bother me at all. I actually liked that they both thought they could indulge in their carnal side without getting attched even though they didn’t agree on anything at first. What did end up surprising me was how little actually got in the way of their romance. Most of the conflict came from Mac’s job and Mac’s feelings about things.
The social, cultural, and economic subjects in this book were handled well, for the most part. The topics were complex, but Chris made them readable. Some parts did feel a little preachy and heavy handed, but my overall impression was positive. I loved that there were likeable female characters and that Hailey’s love of lingerie wasn’t treated as something weird or shameful.
I am definitely going to have to read more from Tanya Chris in the future.
Love is Love Reviews 