Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Porker, Fatty, Tons-of-Fun: Crowley Fredericks has heard it all. He’s dropped a lot of weight since his high school days, but he’s still a big guy, and the painful words and bullying follow him. Rejected—again—because of his size, Crowley is starting to think that maybe love just isn’t meant for huskier men.

Averell Lang and his twin are so different they might as well not even be related. So when Rell’s brother brings his roommate home to snowy Susset for the holidays, Rell expects the worst—another uptight, pretentious hipster. What he discovers instead is Crowley. Nerdy, fascinating, attractive, Crowley. Rell never expected to look at a man this way, and what he sees in Crowley Fredericks is something he didn’t even know he was looking for. If both men can overcome their hang-ups, they might unwrap more than presents this holiday season.

 

Book Review

While this ended up being a super cute, very warm Christmas story, it definitely didn’t start well for Crowley, who is told by his mother that he shouldn’t bother coming home for Christmas since nobody is going to pick him up from the airport. I wanted to smack her! And the second main character, Averell (Rell for short), wasn’t very impressed with what he expected to happen. But then, I wasn’t very impressed with his initial attitude, so it went both ways. Luckily, he redeems himself, and the story ended up being a little geeky (which I totally adored), a lot warm, as Crowley and Rell began to understand what was happening between, and very, very happy—a perfect balance as far as I am concerned.

Crowley has a lot of issues. Lack of self-esteem due to still carrying around “an extra layer” after being really overweight is one of them. His geekiness and lack of ability to connect to people is another. His awful mother is a third, but he doesn’t find out the real extent of that until just before Christmas. Thank God his roommate and best friend Tyler has a solution, and drags him to New York to spend Christmas with his family. Crowley, while dreading the experience of meeting total strangers under these circumstances, still does as Tyler tells him for lack of a better solution, and he is in for a surprise. Luckily, it turns out to be a good one, but not before quite a few obstacles keep popping up to make things difficult for him. He has a lot to learn, and one of the most difficult for him is self-acceptance.

Rell may be Tyler’s twin, but he is so different, they might as well be from different families. He is a bit of an adventurer, and very impulsive, and has no idea what he wants to do with his life. The scenes between him and his mother as she tries to make him do extra work to “earn his keep” were hilarious. When Rell is made to accept Crowley staying in his room (everyone else’s has already been taken), then told to pick him up from the train station, Rell has already decided he hates the guy. That changes quite quickly though, as they bond over a taste for eclectic music and gaming. Rell has no idea what to do, since he has never been attracted to a man before. But there is just something about Crowley…

If you like gay-for-you stories with two initially reluctant partners, if you enjoy a bit of humor and lots of snark in your romance, and if you’re looking for a read about a man who learns to accept himself while helping his partner find out what makes life worth living, then you will probably like this novel. I loved the writing, the message, and even the angsty moments the author made me suffer through before the happy ending were great.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook, print and audio
Length	Novel, 214 pages/62719 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	05-December-2014
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle, $19.95 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/bowl-full-of-cherries-by-raine-otierney-5928-b