Blue Days by Mary Calmes

 Falling for a coworker is rarely a good idea, especially for a man getting a last chance at salvaging his career. But from the moment Dwyer Knolls sees the beautiful but socially awkward Takeo Hiroyuki, he seems destined to make bad decisions.

Takeo’s life is a string of failed attempts to please his traditional Japanese father. Unfortunately, succeeding in business turns out to be just as difficult for Takeo as changing from gay to straight. In fact, the only thing Takeo seems to truly excel at is taking notice of Dwyer Knolls.

When Dwyer and Takeo head to Mangrove, Florida on a real estate buying trip, their tentative friendship combusts and becomes much more. Is their sudden connection real enough to bank their futures on, or should they chalk the whole thing up to the daze inspired by the blue ocean breeze?

This Novella, 67 pages, is about Dwyer Knolls, an acquisitions project manager that believes he’s about to be fired with just about everyone else from the company. We start off with Dwyer in fact not being let go but giving a new title and new team. He’s new team partner, Masai Makoto (Mak) just coming over with another team leader, Hiroyuki Takeo.  And together with some other characters over the next three years re-build and redevelop. All the while Mak and Dwyer develop an outwardly friendly kinship. While Dwyer and Takeo and more cautious, inwardly one.

Ok, so my first impression of Mak, was he’s a jerk. Very brass, but as the book developed I liked him ok. Dwyer has an attraction to Takeo, but for 3 yrs they become friends, best of friends. But do not act on what we can only tell is a one sided attraction. Then all the sudden, Dwyer has to go on a business trip and Takeo must go with him. Takeo shows up drunk for the plane ride and proceeds to tell a dark secret that makes Dwyer fall in love w/him? (But I thought that ship had sailed?) And then starts flirting with Dwyer. They get to the bed and breakfast and all bets are off. Two major life changing events happen and the book ends?

The one thing I love about this authors books and that she, ties other characters into the story, so even if you didn’t get the first reference, which I didn’t. It slaps you in the face during the Epilogue.  This clearly is a start to another series. One I will enjoy reading.

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