Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Mike Barrow and his friends are among many boys in Manchester who think the city will be their chance to improve themselves. But for now Mike is living in a damp flat with his friend Callum, and they’re both making ends meet by working the streets. When Mike meets Chris Wildsmith, a late-twenties entrepreneur, he thinks he’s hooked a job that will pay his rent for several weeks—a windfall already.

But his connection with Chris quickly goes beyond what’s normal between rent boy and client. Mike meets Chris’s friends, goes to Chris’s parties with him as his “boyfriend,” and finds himself swept up in a world he’s never known. He’s sure it’s all going to go horribly wrong, and when Chris’s work colleague figures them out and becomes violent, he’s almost proven right. But Mike isn’t the only one who has confused professionalism with something else. The breakup that follows gives Mike the impetus he needs to relaunch himself as somebody else, a man who will hopefully be someone Chris very much wants to be with.

Book Review

AJ Mars is a new-to-me author and I definitely found the description of 'Downpayment' interesting. It made me think of the movie Pretty Woman from way back with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, and since that is still an old go-to favorite, I thought this book might be fun. It's always nice to read about someone down on their luck who unexpectedly finds love and a happy ever after.

Mike was lucky enough to find a couch to sleep on and a mentor in Callum when he got off the train in Manchester. He'd left home because of his stepfather and he'd been starting to wonder if maybe that wasn't the best idea. But then Callum showed him the tricks of the trade, pun intended, and Mike became a whore, not something he's particularly proud of but hasn't got much choice if wants rent money and food. He can't believe his luck when he runs into Chris at a bar and gets bought for a whole night for £1050. Then they negotiate for the rest of the week, Chris hands him his platinum card to go get appropriate outfits for dinners and functions, and then Chris heads to work.

Huh. Apparently, the description wasn't wrong - this is the British M/M version of Pretty Woman.  Since that's an old favorite I decided to give the author a break and just go with it. Chris buys struggling record companies and doesn't seem to enjoy his work. His accountant is a d***head whom he tolerates because they've known each other for a long time. Chris is in town looking to buy Mac No Cheese but the two ladies who own it aren't so sure about this. They aren't fond of the changes he wants to make and even though they gave him his break into the business, Chris is still all about profit. I could continue but if you know the movie then you kind of know what happens.

Once I got over my shock that the author really was following the path of the movie, I enjoyed the story. I liked Mike more than Chris but mostly that was because I couldn't really get a good feel for Chris. Since the story is written in Mike's point of view I could easily understand who he was. If you loved Pretty Woman and you want to see the story set with two men in Manchester, then this definitely the book for you. In my opinion the ending is better in this book than in the movie.

 

 

 

 

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

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 200 pages/59143 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	15-February-2016
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/downpayment-by-aj-mars-3301-b