sliceoflife narrative the characters are so authentic and believable in their normal, everyday quirks, worries, enjoyments, and awkward moments, Such a warmhearted story! And its a real plus to have a window onto the challenges of a gay man struggling with Crohns as well as diffidence due to his specific sexual limits.
The writing was as good as usual, It was just boring. I really struggled to finish it, I kept ignoring it for other things, This book starts out great with promise, I enjoyed the beginning, with Thom meeting Dean at a pride parade when they find a cat in need of medical help, It just so happens Dean is a vet,
The two hit it off and when Thom decides to keep the cat, it's enough reason to give Dean his phone number and an excuse for Dean to use it.
Under the pretense of following up with the cat, they get together again and decide to give a relationship a go,
Dean is bi, but he's been married to a woman until they divorced a year ago, Thom is his first boyfriend, but Thom has some reservations about being
Dean's first man, Dean has Chrone's Disease and is a side, No questions. Will that be enough for Dean
As I said, this book started off with promise, I enjoyed the introduction of both Thom and Dean and thought they were well suited, Once I made it/of the way through I was getting bored, It seemed like each encounter was painfully documented, including each of Thom'scats and the noises they made while being fed,
Obviously the author knew her stuff when it came to veterinary medicine, but it was a lot of unimportant information to go into in multiple scenes over the entire story.
I mean, one guy is a vet and the other hascats, We get that they like animals, I didn't need pages of history offeedings a day and how many times a day the cat litters were changed, I think quite a bit could be removed and make the story flow better,
The main conflict seemed like a recurring theme for Thom and I did appreciate how it was addressed and resolved, but there were points in the story that I found their relationship to be lacking.
The fact that they were pretty far gone and Thom doesn't let him know that something has happened to him I found that odd,
Overall, it was an entertaining read, but I thought it may have read better if it was shortened a bit, Harper writes well and isn't afraid of nonstandard heroes, here Thom suffers with Chroms disease, unpleasant but part of his life not your average romantic subplot, So respect for that inclusion, but overall this is a slow read,
The men feel real, both mature there's insecurities, societal pressure, some good supportive friends and a positive exwife character, There's also cats. Lots of cats, Lots of cats with lots of litter trays, In fact I think we learnt more about their litter trays than their personalities, there were a lot of them and they were often underfoot or overhead! I like cats, have my favourite furry dictator perched on my feet as I type this.
But it was too much, they kind of took over from the bonding,
While I liked both characters and enjoyed the slowpace of their relationship this book felt slow, It was by no means dramallama but there was a lot going on and sometimes it felt there was a step missed to move on to the next story point.
I wanted more of them together sans cats, maybe interacting as a couple with more people, far less in their own heads, Didn't feel any joy at them being together at the end, by then it was more about resolving each issue than any romance and the humour fell mostly flat.
And the dog needed more love Perhaps I'm too much a dog person to fully enjoy this,
Conclusion Must love cats, I really like the author but I've got to say that this one is not one of my favourites of hers, I daresay that people with pets will enjoy it more than I did, I could have done with a little less talk of litterboxes and pet feeding,
Also, the relationship didn't really work for me, mostly because Thom was really quite prickly, That's realistic for somebody who has been burnt and who has to cope with a disease that really impacts his everyday life but it's also a little exhausting to read.
He is a little too much trapped in his own head for my taste, I guess I would have preferred a little more external forces to drive the plot and a few less cats, I needed a quiet, simple story in my life, and this one fit the bill, Thom and Dean are both older, have seen things in life, and experienced some more, Thom struggles with Chrons Disease and Dean is just out of marriage and free to explore his bisexuality, Both of them were kind, caring people that just wanted to share their lives with the right person, Both acted like the adults they were with no manufactured angst, which I always appreciate,
I love where they are left at the end of the story, Round up to.stars.
Blurb sums up the plot nicely so I wont rehash,
I enjoyed this latest selection by Ms, Harper. It had furry felines, hot guys one a veterinarian and some appreciated realism,
I also have a few caveats, because, this is a review so I need a few, Mostly these are my quirks, so take with grain of salt or two,
The Female TellAll Bestie/Protector, Im so not a fan of this particular trope, Thom has that nosey, needs to know all, female friend who encourages him to get out and live on one hand, then becomes all protective when he does finally meet someone.
I am also not thrilled with one character deciding whats best relationshipwise for another character, Im purposely being a bit vague here, That particular trait just rubs me the wrong way and I get all bristly like Thoms cat Onyx, I will admit, Harper did resolve this in a very satisfactory way, but it still makes me irritated,
Thom is a selfcentered git where it comes to people, My main example not texting Dean that he was in the hospital/had been sick and then the female bestie gets all defensive that Dean isnt good enough for Thom because he “wasnt there for him”.
I was finding more detractions in Thoms character than attractions,
In adding some positivity to the review, I want to applaud the ages! It was so nice to read something where our characters are settled into that/year old range.
It can be hit or miss when an author attempts to shine a light on a specific issue: Crohns Disease in this case, I appreciated how the author showed the reader through Toms actions what someone might have to cope with and I completely understand every situation and body is different.
I didnt come away feeling like I was being lectured, which I appreciated,
Kitties! Oh so many kitties! And sweet Tig
Ultimately this is a feelgood read, A good book to curl up with in the evening to unwind or chill out with on a lazy Sunday afternoon, If you have a fourlegged furry buddy, snuggle a bit with them too,
cross posted at sitelinkGay Book s
A copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you! Two middleaged men, a lot of animals especially cats, and the very realistic writing style of Kaje Harper had me loving this book from the getgo.
One of my favorite things about this author is her willingness to go where many authors might hesitate, She writes about the true realities of life and what it means to be human with foibles, She takes topics such as Thoms struggle with his Crohns disease and lays it right out there which I find refreshing and truetolife, Love and Lint Rollers is a wonderful read and I enjoyed it immensely,
Thom is fiftyone years old, has six cats whom he is in perpetual slavery to as anyone with a cat will understand, is a software engineer working from home with his struggling startup, and suffers from Crohns disease.
I have a close family member with this disease and I can guarantee you that it is difficult, painful, and can overtake your world which is what has been happening to Thom for longer than he cares to remember.
It makes dating and sex extremely tough as most people dont want to deal with all that it entails, Thom doesnt want to get his hopes up when he meets Dean at Pride when they both try to save a cat whose head is stuck inside a metal can.
Please find my full review at sitelinkRainbow Book s,