Skip thought he had it
all: the fabulous husband, the great apartment, and the teaching job
he’d always wanted. Even the cat was perfect. When his partner of eight
years decides he wants something else—something that doesn’t involve
Skip or the apartment or even the cat—Skip decides it’s time to go home
to the other side of the country.
However, Skip’s hometown doesn’t just hold a loving meddling mother but also the memories of his awkward crush on a boy he met his senior year in high school. A boy he humiliated himself in front of just when it looked as if his fantasies might become reality. Finding out Paul Miller is now working at the same high school where Skip has just been hired flips his world upside down. After a heated night together, Skip is happy being friends with benefits. Paul will have to convince him love is worth the risk.
However, Skip’s hometown doesn’t just hold a loving meddling mother but also the memories of his awkward crush on a boy he met his senior year in high school. A boy he humiliated himself in front of just when it looked as if his fantasies might become reality. Finding out Paul Miller is now working at the same high school where Skip has just been hired flips his world upside down. After a heated night together, Skip is happy being friends with benefits. Paul will have to convince him love is worth the risk.
Quite honestly, the title says it
all. A Simple Romance is just that, a simple romance, just like the kind I used
to read as a girl, albeit this one had a few sex scenes and was between two
men, but still – it had all the qualities of a simple, HEA romance.
Burned by his former partner,
Skip isn’t sure what to do. Moving back home, next thing he knows he’s working
at his old high school and dating a man he knew back in high school – a man he
had made a fool of himself in front of. Paul is fun, friendly, and makes sure
Skip knows he likes him while hiding the depth of his emotions because he can
tell Skip will run for the hills if he knows.
The story is filled with prose so
heartfelt we know the two will end up together. Whenever Skip makes a mistake,
because the story is from his POV, we know why because we hear his thoughts as
to why he pulls back so abruptly. His thoughts also inform us that even if he
tries to deny it, he knows he’s hurting Paul.
Their romance is fun and sweet,
but I have to say, it isn’t just the main characters that are great – the
secondary characters are incredibly memorable. Maggie, Skip’s mother, who has
no trouble discussing butt plugs and condoms with her gay son – much to his
embarrassment. Skip’s sister, who is forward and really wallops on Skip’s ex
for what he did to him. But most of all, I adored Johnny. Johnny is married to
Skip’s high school best friend. He has no filter, is straight, but has no
trouble teasing and flirting with Skip. He also has no trouble being blunt when
Skip screws up.
This was a fantastic read. The
erotic scenes were nice and not overdone and once Paul’s and Skip’s
relationship had been going for a while, they faded to black which was kind of
nice because some stories focus too much on the sex and not enough on the story
– A Simple Romance is the exact opposite. It stands firmly on the feet of its
storyline and characters. The few sex scenes we got were just nice tastes
before the book got back to their romance.
A definite 5 stars for the book
and also for the narration. Nic Russo does a spectacular job. He stumbled a bit
over the Spanish and his female voices always amuse me, but he is wonderful
with our heroes voices and emotions. This audiobook is definitely one I will be
listening to again and again.
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