Author – J L Merrow
Blurb – The bigger they come, the harder they fall… in love. Cambridge art professor Larry Morton takes one, alcohol-glazed look at the huge, tattooed man looming in a dark alley, and assumes he’s done for. Moments later he finds himself disarmed—literally and figuratively. And, the next morning, he can’t rest until he offers an apology to the man who turned out to be more gentle than giant.
Larry’s intrigued to find there’s more to Al Fletcher than meets the eye; he possesses a natural artistic talent that shines through untutored technique. Unfortunately, no one else seems to see the sensitive soul beneath Al’s imposing, scarred, undeniably sexy exterior. Least of all Larry’s class-conscious family, who would like nothing better than to split up this mismatched pair. Is it physical? Oh, yes, it’s deliciously physical, and so much more—which makes Larry’s next task so daunting. Not just convincing his colleagues, friends and family that their relationship is more than skin deep. It’s convincing Al.
My Review – I thoroughly enjoyed this story of an unlikely romance between two men at opposite ends of both the social and academic spectrum. The author managed to portray the intellectual differences between Al and Larry without being condescending or patronizing to either character. After the first few pages it becomes abundantly clear that Al Fletcher is not your typical M/M protagonist, and because the story is narrated by Al, the reader is instantly catapulted into his world and it’s impossible not to fall in love with him. The writing was refreshing and witty, but also poignant and sad at times. The “opposites attract” premise is nothing new to fiction, but this book is a shining example of the premise done well. To me, this was just as much a character study as it was romantic fiction, and it was as fascinating as it was enjoyable.
