Eric is an uptight, conservative college professor whose family is falling apart. When his radical leftist office partner, Mike, has a solution to a family issue, Eric brings him home and lets him get close. Can they bridge the gap between them, or are their differences too much to bear?
4 Cranky Stars
This is not the first book I have read by this author. Eric was a professor in a college where he had to share an office with a proud, young gay professor, Mike. Him being gay was not a problem as he was also, but him being so out there was his problem. Eric had come out in his younger day and his mother took it as a phase that he would outgrow. Him in his forties now lives in a very nice condo that he had inherited. His mother turned up one day, where his father had kicked her out to be with one of his floozies. Mike had a very different background where he was sent to Germany to live with his grandparents at the age of 4. At the age of 18 when he came out he was shipped back to US where he was stranded. He did very well for himself with a difficult beginning, but he managed to get his PhD and buy his basement apartment, which he was very proud of. Even though they shared an office the atmosphere between them was very cold. Coming up for Christmas, Eric’s mother started getting out her decorations, she was German and had some traditional items that Eric was not happy with. His mother was not happy and after having a good talk to his mother, Eric decided to invite Mike over for dinner on Sunday. His mother being very excited, him not so sure. The dinner was a success and arrangements were made for the following Sunday. As with this author’s other book I don’t want to spoil your reading experience, but it gets a lot more dramatic in the second half of the book. Another well written M/M book.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Eric isn’t having to best start to the college year. His mum showed up to live with him, and he’s gotta share his office at work with the new guy in the English department. Now his mum wants Eric to immerse himself in all the Christmas traditions that she did as a child. But Eric is not a holiday person, Eric likes order and peace and calm so to appease his mother, and to get to know Mike, he invites Mike to dinner. His mum will be happy, Mike can talk to her in her native German, and Eric will have his peace and calm. So why does it feel like a storm is brewing inside him, one that might break his heart?
Too stinking cute and warm and fuzzies all wrapped up in some 70 odd pages and I rather enjoyed this!
It’s very well told, from both Eric and Mike’s point of view, and they both have distinctive voices, mostly due to their earlier experiences in life. Eric’s life has been handed to him on a platter, but Mike had a difficult childhood. Sending your child across the world because you prefer your drug dealer is bad enough but what happened to Mike as a teenager is truly shocking.
The attraction between Mike and Eric grows steadily and they come together just the once, which is why I gave it the contemporary tag I did but it’s a sexy book!
I’m not usually one for the holiday stories but while this one is set around Christmas, it’s not shoved in your face on every page! I’m a bit of a Scrooge really!
This is only the second book I’ve read of Speyer and they’ve both been on the short side. I’d like to read something longer, something with more bite. She can write a lot into a few pages, so I’m curious what would happen in a longer book.
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**