Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Can a pickup line from a stranger completely change the way an ordinary man sees himself?

Adrian wouldn’t have thought so, but after an ugly breakup where his self-esteem took a serious beating, he’s willing to try just about anything to repair the damage… even return to a secluded bar in rural Maryland and the intriguing stranger whose words have been on his mind since they met.

Biker, bouncer, bartender, and tattoo artist, Wyatt is a rolling stone. After fifteen years, he is tired of a life on the run, but he isn’t sure he knows how to do anything else or if he has anything besides a physical relationship to offer.

What’s supposed to be a one-off turns into another and another, and the relationship looks promising until the mob and the FBI come knocking on Adrian’s door.

Book Review

“Not everything is what it seems” and “what you want is not always what you need” could be the two mottos of this novel. It is an adventure and a mystery as much as a character study and a journey of two men who end up in very different places from where they expected. It is deceptively slow to start, but that time is used to set the scene for what follows – and that was well worth the wait.

Adrian is a pretty ordinary guy, but the events that follow his first visit in the improbable gay bar in the middle of the Maryland mountains are so far from “normal” it is scary. Adrian goes from what he thought was a great relationship to a nasty breakup when his lover cheats on him. His self-confidence is so shaken that it takes him quite a while to recover. And when he does, thanks to Wyatt’s help, he begins to notice that Wyatt is very weird in his own way. The evidence keeps piling up and by the time both the mob and the FBI want to talk to Adrian, he is up-to-his-neck in trouble.
 
Wyatt is a mystery for most of the book, and that works well for keeping up the suspense. It was evident to me that he was running from something, but the author only very slowly revealed what that might be. It means I can’t say more without mentioning a spoiler or two, so I will leave it at the comment that I think it was masterfully done.

Both Adrian and Wyatt fascinated me because they change a lot as the story unfolds. Adrian behaves in a certain way mostly because of what others expect of him (or what he thinks they expect), and he has to learn to see himself as he really is and that admitting what he wants and needs is by no means a weakness. Wyatt is running from himself – he is not ready to deal with who he knows he could be, until he learns to deal with his past and face the facts.

If you like stories that start very slowly and lull you into believing it’s safe to relax before turning into thriller territory, if you want to see two men who are both trying to define who they are and what they want figuring things out together, and if you’re looking for a read that is as mysterious and full of secrets as it is suspenseful and hot, then you will probably like this novel.

 

 

 

 

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, 236 pages/84418 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	19-September-2016
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle, $19.95 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/power-bottom-by-rowan-mcallister-7538-b