Author: Alexis Hall
Printed edition, Sourcebooks Casablanca
Meet Luc O’Donnell . Luc is somewhat (albeit reluctantly) famous. His rock star parents split up when he was three, and now his father, with whom he had no contact whatsoever, is making a comeback. This has sort of put Luc back in the spotlight. One unfortunate pic and he’s back in the tabloids. The thing is, Luc works for a non-profit and the donors got antsy with his antics. He needs to clean up his act. To do that, he has to find a nice, normal, preferably understated boyfriend.
Enter Oliver Blackwood. He’s friends with Luc’s best friend Bridge (and she has that notion that she can get the only two gay people she knows together), he is handsome, he is a lawyer, he is an ethical vegetarian and he’s so squeaky clean Luc thinks he’s some fuddy-duddy. In other words, perfect for this scenario, Oliver is also in need of a fake boyfriend to accompany him to functions and to attend his parents anniversary party. So they decide that they can help each other out. Well well well… we all know where we are going with this.
The first thing that comes to mind when talking about this book is its delightful Britishness. It gave me Bridget Jones vibes right from the beginning. You see, Luc is kind of a fuck-up, like Bridget. An extremely annoying one at times, to be honest. I think that the fact that the story is told strictly from Luc’s POV (in first person) and you get to see a lot more of his quirkiness helps in that , but he can drive someone to drink! Seriously!
And I would have loved seeing things through Oliver’s eyes. This book would have been so much more fun if we got to go inside Oliver’s mind a little more. (I had a lil crush on him, I admit.)
It’s also a little movie trope-y at times: c’mon, that trip to Durham is straight out of Notting Hill. And I swear that I keep waiting for Jon Fleming to utter the famous Star Wars quote at anytime: LUC, I AM YOUR FATHER.
This is a fun read. Very mild in the smut department. VERY mild. If you are someone who is prone to clutch pearls at a queer romance, take a shot at this one. This is pretty much a closed door romance. Very sweet too.
The only thing I didn’t like was that it dragged a bit in the last third of the book. There were points in which I kinda rolled my eyes and went WHAT NOW? But don’t dismiss this one. It’s still worth a read.
Possible triggers: homophobia, eating disorder, emotionally abusive parents, child abandonment, workplace discrimination
