I was surprised that this story mirrored Rust Belt by Jessica Freely so closely, just from a different POV. There were a few new elements but not enough that it should be a different book IMO, although it does stop at a much earlier point than Rust Belt. Not what I expected at all and as such, I don't feel right rating it.

3.5 stars

One star taken off for the way-too-fast-paced beginning (jesus, I got whiplash) and half off for the sex (which was so hot, but you can have too much of a good thing and in this case, I'd rather have had more plot and smoother transitions).

I have it on very good authority (thank you, Heidi!) that this is a great series but even without that endorsement, this one intrigued me enough to want to read the rest. ( )

3.5 stars

One star taken off for the way-too-fast-paced beginning (jesus, I got whiplash) and half off for the sex (which was so hot, but you can have too much of a good thing and in this case, I'd rather have had more plot and smoother transitions).

I have it on very good authority (thank you, Heidi!) that this is a great series but even without that endorsement, this one intrigued me enough to want to read the rest. ( )

David is a shy librarian. He has always dreamed of love but never experienced it. He daydreams of heroes and love, and then he goes home alone.

One night he is nearly raped by some skin-heads and Seth, a drifter David helped some days before, rescues him. David can only think one thing: taking Seth home and, at least for one night, giving him a place to stay, warm and safe. But with a clean body and a full-stomach, Seth is a too great temptation to resist, and David feels so much the loneliness, that maybe they can share what little he has.

The story is really romantic, but also very sexy. David is a virgin, don’t know if for choice or lack of chances, but in any case he wants his first time to be special, and a cleaned Seth is the nearest thing to a knight in shining armour he has ever seen..

They shared a night of passion and the following morning, Seth awakes to the wonderful feeling to be comfortable and in bed with a nice guy. He thinks it's only a temporary thing, that when David will awake, Seth will have to return to be a drifter without hope in his life.

I don’t know if David is really a nice guy, or a very naïve one, or maybe desperate lonely, in any case he wants for Seth to remain with him. At the beginning David will take care for both of them and at the same time Seth will adjust his life and will try to regain the self-consciousness and the strength to be again an independent man. But Seth’s story is not so simple, and maybe independency is not an easy thing for him to obtain.

This series was born as a set of short stories, and in each story we learned a little more of Seth, but even if, in the end, we arrive to fully comprehend his past, not either now their novel is complete. There is still a lot to say, a lot to discover, mystery to solve and Seth is still far away to be at ease with his new life.

And Seth is not the only one needing a change; but David is far away from him on that point, and from the shy and scared librarian of the first chapter, he improved in a short but high-tempered man. He has not yet learned how to have an equal relationship, he still treat Seth like a new toy, he is still eager and excited by the novelty. But David has a good heart, and I’m sure that, when they will set down, he will be a wonderful partner for Seth, giving him all the warm and love he desperately needs. In a way, the hero of this story is not so obvious.

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/1106134.html

Here is a short sip that I for sure would be glad to be a little longer.

David is a shy librarian. He has always dreamed of love but never experienced it. He day dreams of hero and love, and then he goes home alone.

But one night he is nearly raped by some skin-heads and Seth, a drifter Davis helped some day before, rescues him. David can only think one thing: take Seth home and at least for one night, give him a place to stay. But a clean and full-stomach Seth is a too great temptation to resist, and David feels so much the loneliness, maybe they can share what little he has.

The story is really romantic, but also very sexy. David is a virgin, and technically at the end of the book he is still virgin... I'd really like to read about his de-virginitation and also how they manage to live together, but in less than 20 pages it's really impossible. Still the author manages to give us a very well developed plot for a such short story.