Book Reviews

Book Blurb

At twenty-three, Dr. Liam McGregor is a well-respected astrophysicist, astrobiologist, and geologist. With no family, few friends, and no romantic prospects, he’s used to being alone. Focusing on his various scientific projects and taking care of his decidedly unusual cat help keep the loneliness at bay.

Jareth Manning is starting life over—new town, new job—after the loss of his husband. The last thing he expects is for the most absentminded, and beautiful, man he’s ever seen to take up residence in his heart. Nor did he expect to find himself a willingly humble slave to Her Imperial Highness, Empress the Cat. But Jareth has learned that love doesn't come around often and to hold on to it when it does. Jareth is willing to be patient if Liam is willing to take a risk after being burned before. They just have to survive Liam’s past returning.

Eight years after Liam and Jareth marry, they want a child. Things don’t go well when they try to adopt, with terrible accusations thrown at Jareth. After recovering, they proceed with a private adoption, bringing home a beautiful little girl, Carinae. Then things get ugly, endangering not only Liam’s life, but Carinae’s.

 

 

NOTE: Previously published as 2 separate stories by Silver Pub;ishing in 2012 and 2013.

 

Book Review

As with the previous incarnations of this story, the book comes in two parts, with a delightful short story added between them as an extra nice surprise.

Part One introduces Liam, an “absent-minded professor” of the highest magnitude, is pitched not only against his own social ineptness, but also against some pretty serious physical scars and emotional wounds stemming from a horrific past. The man he is partnered with has his own emotional crosses to bear, and even though Jareth deals with them in a very different way, they enable him to understand Liam and his needs much better than anyone else ever could.

Liam is probably the most extreme case of absent-mindedness you can imagine. He not only forgets things (even though a set of routines helps him cope – sort of), he is physically so inept that he literally runs into things. Having to deal with people constantly thinking he is abused doesn’t make life easier for him. Luckily, he has very good friends who take care of him, have done so, in fact, since his despicable parents sent him away to university when he was still very young. Although this probably saved his life, it has not helped him become a normal, well-adapted adult.

Jareth is the new head of security at the Research Institute where Liam works, and he falls in love with the ‘professor’ almost as soon as he sets eyes on him. I admired him a lot for holding back and showing the kind of sensitivity that enables Liam to learn to trust him. Jareth is no stranger to emotional (and physical) pain; as an ex-Marine he had to deal with significant injuries before he was able to reclaim a mostly normal life.

Part Two is a great sequel to the first part! The adorably absent-minded and naïve Liam is back, and so is his studly husband, Jareth, an ex-Marine now in charge of security at the think tank where Liam works. Eight years have passed since the tumultuous events of the first volume, and you'd think things have gotten nice and settled around these two very loving men. To my shock nothing could be further from the truth. They have to face yet more attacks from Liam's demented mother, bigoted cops, FBI agents and doctors, and that's just for starters. Be warned: I counted no less than three major crises in this novel, so a relaxing read this is not.

Liam is still as clumsy as ever, except now that he is married, his various accidents get labeled as abuse, and Jareth, as his husband, is accused (multiple times) of beating him up. Having Jareth in his corner has helped Liam deal with things better though, and professionally, everything goes well for him. When Jareth's brother and his wife have their first child though (which turns out to be twins), it sets in motion a chain of events that not only has Liam despairing of ever having a child of his own, but also leads to several hair-raising and life threatening situations. You have been warned!

Jareth is wonderfully supportive and very patient with Liam. He clearly loves him to pieces and all the false accusations really get to him. As does their trouble with being approved by an adoption agency, and when he gets arrested on his way to the hospital because Liam is vomiting blood, he has had it. He becomes increasingly defensive and decreasingly patient with idiots who try to interfere in his and Liam's lives, never mind the people who try to actively do them physical harm. But he is not a man to be messed with where his family's safety is concerned, and the bad guys better watch out!

This book held me in suspense from beginning to end, and I loved both the tense scenes and the small family-centered and erotic interludes equally. If you like reading about ‘wounded’ heroes who struggle emotionally and physically, if a slowly developing relationship is your thing, and if a ‘geeky professor’ with no social skills seems sort of interesting to you, you may like this book. You also need to be up for a thrilling action/adventure with family themes, and be ready to enjoy a novel that is as hot as it is intense. All around, I think this is a wonderful read!

 

 

 

 

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 and print
Length	Novel, 226 pages/78930 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	20-February-2015
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/loving-an-absentminded-astrophysicist-by-tn-tarrant-4828-b