Title: Between a Rock and a Hard Place (London Lads #5)
Author: Clare London
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press – 2nd Edition
Publication Date: August 30, 2017
Genre: Contemporary, M/M Romance
Format: eBook
Length: 61 pages / ~19,600 words
Rating: 3 Stars
synopsis
Garry’s at the end of his tether. He’s waiting at Glasgow Airport to meet his friend Will, on their way to a holiday in a Scottish Highlands hotel. Now there’s a ten-hour delay to incoming flights, the seat in the lounge is more like an instrument of torture, and he’s beyond tired of airport food.
He’s also dreading having to apologise for the pass he recently made at Will, his colleague at a London bank, under the influence of too many beers and a long-held crush. Now Will’s been offered a new job offer on a continent thousands of miles away, Garry realises it may be the end of their close friendship—let alone anything more.
To add to Garry’s stress, he’s treated to the company of Emily and Max, two young people who think he needs educating in the ways of the world. Struggling with their well-meaning help and the startling mess from spilled ketchup and noxious-smelling sweets, he’s encouraged to re-examine how he feels about Will and to decide what kind of journey he’d really like them to take together.
♦ Personal Thought ♦
Review for the 2nd Edition
The blurb pretty much say it all. Garry anxiously waiting for his friend’s flight and dreading meeting him at the same time. The whole waiting period spent with him either flash back to his time with Will or engages with a pair of children who sit next to him at the airport lounge.
Between the flashbacks and present time, I enjoy the later where the bewildered Garry have to deal with Max and Emily. The character’s awkward conversation with the children is often hilarious – especially Emily’s awful pronouncement and Gary’s confusion. At the same time, these kids unwittingly help Garry comes to term with his feeling and how to deal with it.
I don’t particularly sympathize with Garry; he struck me as a worrywart. At the same time, I can relate to what he feels on the matter of dealing with children. The appeal of this novella for me lay on the seemingly innocent observations and perceptions from the children. Even that was slightly suspicious given the (predictable) revelation later in the story. But all in all, it’s quite a cute and charming novella. And it could be read as standalone, even if you haven’t read the other entries to Clare London‘s “London Lads” series before.
Advanced copy of this book is kindly provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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