TEST
A story about the love of a father and his son as much as one about romantic love between two men, this is a superb example of Grey’s command of the extraordinary in the everyday ordinary. For readers who wonder what gay romance is all about, this is an excellent place to start reading.
Single father and Pleasanton, Michigan, architect Greg Hampton is particularly proud of his 10-year-old son Davey who’s excelling in Little League baseball, especially since a Greg played ball in college. Greg was even courted to become a pro, so seeing his son engaged in the sport is particularly enjoyable for him. But when Davey’s batting is off and he seems to be having trouble on the field, Greg is heartbroken to learn that his son has a degenerative eye disease and will become blind soon.
As Greg and his supportive group of friends deal with Davey’s situation, Greg starts dating wealthy Tom Spangler, who has a soft spot for the frustrated but plucky Davey. To help Greg, Tom, who runs a charitable organization for his family, researches sports for the blind, coming up with beep baseball.
As Greg and Davey start to adjust to Davey’s blindness, Greg’s former wife, who rejected Davey during the divorce, reenters the picture, demanding visitation rights. While Greg is at first suspicious that she is trying to get more money from him, he’s appalled when she brings a holistic doctor with her when Greg agrees to her visit.
Greg is a wonderful father who is truly devastated by his son’s condition. He runs the gamut of paternal emotions from anger that his son must deal with his blindness after having seen for ten years to over-helpfulness, wanting to wait on the boy hand and foot. Fortunately, Greg has a supportive group of friends and a caring new boyfriend who all want the best for Davey. The children of Greg’s friends are particularly impressive because they continue to treat the boy as they did before his blindness set in.
Davey is a particularly believable little boy who goes through a number of emotions, from anger to acceptance, as his world is totally changed. He’s lucky to have the supportive dad and friends that he has, and he’s bright enough to know that without all of them, he wouldn’t be able to cope. He’s particularly understandable and lovable as a kid who knows his dad is lonely and enjoys watching his father find the perfect boyfriend, deliberately giving them both a hard time as kids will do.
Grey isn’t a splashy writer or given to melodrama, which is refreshing in this story that could have been filled with overwrought angst. Instead, he lays out the story so that readers can see all sides fairly and evenly. Even Greg’s wife, who initially rejected Davey, doesn’t become the villain of the piece, but finds a mother’s compassion when faced with her son’s diagnosis.
Grey is one of the stalwarts in gay romantic fiction, having been writing for many years. His command of the genre shines in this book which is a homage to real love – rather than sex masquerading as love. If you have been wanting to give M/M romance a try, this i an excellent place to start.
Grade: A-
Book Type: Contemporary Romance|Queer Romance
Sensuality: Subtle
Review Date: 31/05/14
Publication Date: 2014/03
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.