She Reads Too Much

Re-read 4/25/14 - 4/26/14

Review written 4/26/14

I first read this in 2012, I was on GR but I wasn't writing reviews. This was pretty early in my M/M reading days and I rated it at 5-stars. If I had rated this today I would have given it 4-stars because I'm not a fan of mystery/suspense in my romance. While I understood its inclusion here, and actually loved the way it impacted John, Ryan and Ryan's son Mark, I just get annoyed with a mystery in my romance.

This book contains my most favorite, favorite, favorite trope of all time - gay for you! Yeah, in real life this is most likely highly unrealistic (true GFY as opposed to out for you) but I adore it in my fiction. Bring on the confusion, the anger, the attraction and arousal. Pair that with the awkwardness of a man being with another man for the first time but wanting it enough to try. Yeah. That's the shit right there!

So what we have here is a double GFY, a physically disabled hero who is starting his life over and a lonely hero who has lost pretty much everything. Put that in a pot, add in physical and emotional attraction and sprinkle a few kids and bitchy ex-wife and you've got The Rebuilding Year.

I enjoyed the emotional interaction of Ryan and John. The layers of emotion really moved the sex from hot as hell to scorching for me. There were times I got downright pissed at John and the way he rolled over and showed his belly nearly every time his ex so much as curled her lip in his direction. Yet at the same time I liked his gentleness and almost submissive attitude towards Ryan, a man who was something like 7 years his junior.

Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely no BDSM or any sort of D/s dynamic here. John is simply the more laid back, non-aggressive of huge pair. Ryan, a former firefighter is a bit more aggressive and emotionally forceful. I'm a Psychology student so exploring human interaction is a source of endless interest to me.


There are people who don't care for kids in their romances but I'm not one of them. I enjoy the complexity of family and their relationships. Especially in the light of a GFY. That's gonna cause a lot if conflict and questions. For me, in any romance (gay or het) the emotions and the relationships are all I really want. That's why I don't like mystery thrown in the mix. It takes away from the relationship that I am invested in.

And...off the soap box. :)

So I really loved this book. Loved the slow burn and pacing of the romance. Loved the family interactions and above all else loved John and Ryan together. The smex was scorching and tender. There was a solid foundation built for their relationship and while I knew there were hurdles ahead I totally believed in their HEA.