Publisher:
Riptide
Publishing
Published: May 5th, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-62649-149-6
Genre: Erotic Romance M/M
Book
Format: E-book
Obtained
via: Publisher
Reviewed
by: Helena Stone, helenastone63@gmail.com
Rating:
3.5
“Jonah
Gilchrist lives a double life. On the internet, he’s a fashion-blogging Tumblr
celebrity. In the real world, though, being an awkward gay virgin isn’t as cute
and endearing as it is online—it’s a target on his back. After years of being
bullied, Jonah’s determined to start afresh at college, but it’s hard to remake
yourself when you’re sharing classes with your ill-fated junior high crush.
Sebastian
Rose, with his easy-going manner and great sense of humor, was one of the most
popular guys in junior high. He was also one of Jonah’s only defenders. Too bad
Jonah knows Sebastian’s kindness was only pity.
Bumping into each other after all these years makes
it seem like the universe itself wants Jonah to have a second chance at his
first love. But how can he ever hope to reinvent himself when Sebastian’s
presence pulls him further into his past? Then again, maybe moving forward
doesn’t have to mean leaving the best part of your past behind.”
Online Johan Gilchrist is a name. He’s created both
a reputation and a loyal following for himself with his fashion blog on
Tumbler. Real life is much harder to negotiate though. Having been consistently
bullied through his school years Jonah is insecure and stand-offish. Being both
gay and a virgin at an age when most people have left that status long behind
him doesn’t help his lack of confidence. Going to college is supposed to be a
new start for Jonah, and opportunity to find his place in the real world among
people who know nothing about him.
Things don’t start well when Jonah arrives almost
an hour late to his first class and finds himself under close scrutiny from the
lecturer and all the students. Things appear to go from bad to worse when he
discovers a familiar face among the students. Jonah knows Sebastian Rose from
his horrendous time in junior high school. Sebastian was one of only a few people
not bullying Jonah during those years and used to stand up for him. Jonah had a
huge crush on Sebastian at the time and can’t deny the attraction is still
there despite the fact that Sebastian is as far removed from Jonah’s stylish
and rich universe as he could possibly be. Attraction isn’t enough to silence Jonah’s
doubts about Sebastian’s motives when he insists he wants to spend time with
Jonah though.
Sebastian is persistent. But when Jonah’s
insecurities lead him to stand Sebastian up for what would have been their
first date, the gentle young man has to find a new level of honesty and
determination to convince Jonah to give them a chance.
I
enjoyed this short story. It wasn’t great and didn’t blow me away, but it was a
nice and funny quick read; just what I needed right now.
The
characters were so well established that poor Jonah made me cringe. In fact he constantly seemed to be walking a
fine line between becoming a caricature and being a real person. But then
again, I think that’s exactly what he was meant to be. He’d created that online
persona for himself because he could barely keep himself going in the real
world. While his obsession with fashion and his social media followers made him
at times infuriating it also brought quite a few funny moments.
Sebastian
on the other hand was almost too good to be true. His infinite patience and
willingness to accept Jonah’s awkward and at times rude behaviour stretched my
imagination to its limits. Having said that, it did make him adorably cute and I
couldn’t help feeling that everybody should be lucky enough to have a Sebastian
in their lives.
Thankfully
the author gave both characters enough ‘real’ moments to make the story work.
Sebastian may be intrinsically good and patient; he does have his limits and
insecurities. Jonah on the other hand may pretend to be a prima donna while
really being social inept, he becomes very recognisable the instant he lets go
of his invented persona and just enjoys the moment he’s in while allowing his
feelings to rule him.
This
is a short and enjoyable story in which opposites attract and two apparently
completely unsuited characters connect and take their first steps on what may
well be the road to a beautiful relationship. It would have been nice if the
story had been longer. I imagine Sebastian’s influence would work wonders for
Jonah and that is a journey I would have loved to be part of. Unfortunately
that was not what this story was about. Should the author ever feel the urge to
write the story of Sebastian and Jonah’s developing relationship I will be
among the first to read it though.
This
is a free read on the Riptide Publishing website.
This is an objective review
and not an endorsement of this book.
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