Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Todd Burton has had enough of small-town Buckman. His abusive stepfather calls him a fag; his friend Austin makes him realize he may be gay, but Todd doesn’t want to admit his stepfather is right; and he dreams of being a chef. Three good reasons to flee his hometown and pursue greener pastures. But when Todd reaches the big city, his luck runs dry. Soon he can’t pay his rent and gets evicted. In the middle of a snowstorm.

Gabe Richards is a wealthy businessman with enough wounds of his own to make him afraid of ever being intimate again. But when he sees Todd outside his building, freezing to death, he takes pity on him and takes him in from the cold.

To their mutual surprise, Todd and Gabe find themselves drawn to each other. “One night” turns into a week. Maybe letting a man in from the cold can melt the ice around Gabe’s heart—and maybe getting evicted will turn Todd’s luck around.

 

Book Review

I can't imagine being alone in a city, with no friends, no luck getting a job, just getting evicted from my apartment, and now there's a blizzard coming and I'm outside freezing with nowhere to go. The unfortunate truth is that this isn't just a scenario created by a talented writer, it's a fact of life for so many young men and women across our country. The majority of them don't get a savior like Gabe, instead, many of them die. Todd is so incredibly grateful for this small-town kindness that he doesn't even know how to respond. This is only my second book by B.G. Thomas but it will not be my last.

Todd was born and raised in a small, conservative, right-wing town where most of his classmates got married at eighteen and they've already started families. He left to get away from his very non-maternal mother and his homophobic, evil stepdad. Of course, any possible thoughts along the gay spectrum were beaten out of him years ago and he, literally, can't be gay. He saved his money and moved to Kansas City because he wants to train to be a chef. Unfortunately, he couldn't get a job, his van was hauled away and he couldn't pay to get it out, and now he's been evicted and the landlord wouldn't even let him back in to get his belongings. That's how he ended up in the lobby of Gabe's building and how Gabe offered him a couch to sleep on for the night. Todd is seriously freaked out that his body is responding to Gabe and he's terrified that maybe his stepdad was right about him all along.

Gabe works too many hours because what's the point of being at home when there's no one there to welcome him. He's not into one-night stands and easy hookups so it's just as easy to hide at work. He has absolutely no idea why he's so attracted to Todd, and Gabe has no clue what to do about it. He's pretty sure Todd is gay, but obviously extremely confused and scared. Gabe may be excellent at reading work clients, but he hasn't had the best of luck with men in his life. Gabe is just, hands down, a kind, gentle, good person who is willing to take in a stray for a few days to help him get back on his feet. Not many people like that around and Todd is overwhelmed at Gabe's generosity.

One night turns into more and Gabe gets the manager to release Todd's belongings into a storage unit. Todd is beginning to remember thoughts and feelings he had about guys when he was younger, the "fooling around" he and his best friend did together, and how not interested he ever was in sex with his girlfriend. Todd realizes he's falling in love with Gabe, but Gabe has made it clear that Todd doesn't owe him anything, certainly not sex. So, how can Todd get Gabe to understand how he feels and that it's not gratitude? How can Gabe believe in this with Todd when Gabe was hurt so badly in a slightly similar situation before?

The title of this book is very apt, in more ways than one. The simplistic view is that Gabe took Todd in during a freezing cold, snowing day. The more introspective, however, is that Gabe and Todd saved each other from a continuing lifetime of living in the cold with no one to love them. This was such a sweet and heartwarming love story and I greatly enjoyed it. Thank you, B.G., for a delightful story.

 

 

 

 

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, 284 pages/79930 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	29-May-2013
Price	$6.99 ebook, $16.99 paperback, $16.99 bundle, $19.95 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/the-boy-who-came-in-from-the-cold-by-bg-thomas-3170-b