At first, Damien feels lucky to land a job at an influential art studio, but it soon becomes obvious that something’s not right. His gorgeous boss, John, is interested, and he’d be the perfect man for Damien–if Damien wasn’t already in a relationship. It isn’t long before Damien is at the center of a love triangle, forced to choose between hot, punk John and his secret affair with his professor, … professor, Levi. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, because something impossible is happening to Damien–and it’s having a drastic effect on his health as well as his perception of reality.
Each time Damien goes to work, things grow more bizarre, starting with Sam–an artist who has been dead for years and now somehow… isn’t. Damien’s unusual circumstances also free him from the restrictions of monogamy–or so he thinks. Levi, who cannot believe Damien’s claims, fears for his sanity. John also has strong doubts when Damien reveals knowledge of a catastrophic event looming in John’s future. Whether the men he loves believe his wild claims or not, neither can deny Damien is languishing, and if they cannot save him, he’ll be lost. More importantly, they must convince Damien to save himself.
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If you don’t . . . you’ll get fired! Damien is in a secret affair with his Professor, Levi. Damien is attracted to his new boss, John at the art studio, where he apparently was hired as a gopher. Damien thinks he has control of his life, but he doesn’t. Damien wonders if Levi is ‘all in’, he thinks he wants commitment. He questions himself when he feels an attraction to John. He is also having visions about future events. Both Levi and John separately fear for Damien’s physical and emotional health. Damien is young and does some emotional growth in the story. Is it enough? Interesting story. I received an ARC from Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
It’s always a gamble when you read a book that might be a bit outside your normal genres, but that wasn’t the case with Lina’s Welcome to Crash. I’ve started reading more in the spec fiction realm, choosing this book based on the cover and a few recommendations from others. I was intrigued by the premise, uncertain how much paranormal, science fiction or fantasy would actually be in it. In the end, that wasn’t the primary point of the story; those elements simply added stronger layers and dimensions to it.
A young guy, Damien, struggles to make a relationship work with his hesitant boyfriend, uncertain if they will end up building something together or splitting apart due to outside circumstances. When he meets a stranger at his job interview, Damien’s thrown off his game, quite smitten, but also confused by John’s style, persona and level of interest. Damien will soon find out as he tries to balance being utterly honest with his boyfriend, Levi, and the growing attraction he has to John.
Just when you think you have it all figured out, the story takes a subtle, then giant, shift away from traditional romance to push you into realizing something different is going on… but readers don’t know at first. Damien suffers from some medical issues, is distant from his family and can’t decide what he wants to do with his life. The book is about his struggle to get through college, become an adult and find love; however, too many forces pull him apart until he has to make a decision about what he really wants for himself and in a potential boyfriend.
This is a psychological book – one where love and desire intermingle with need and reality. Characters are well-drawn; once you know the issues keeping Damien and Levi from truly being together, you recognize why it will be difficult and why Damien looks elsewhere. The writing is direct and clear; dialogue feels realistic and the story keeps you guessing throughout each chapter.
I enjoyed it and will be picking up another of the author’s books to try in the next few weeks.
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews… here’s the scoop: I’m Jay, an author who lives in NYC. My debut novel, Watching Glass Shatter, can be purchased on Amazon @ http://mybook.to/WGS. I write A LOT. I read A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you’ll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I’ve visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.