Title: Prove Me Wrong
Author: Bethany Clark
Length: 18,682 words (89 pdf pages)
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Genre: m/m contemporary paranormal
Rating: C
Blurb:
Coping with a genius is never easy and Tennyson Mycroft takes it to a whole new level with his quirky attitude and all-too-accurate ‘psychic’ abilities. He’s never let anyone get close to him. and thinks he’s perfectly happy as a solitary professor. Then Kristian Dawlish arrives on campus and suddenly everything is in uproar.
The pair engage in a battle of wits as Kristian tries to prove Tennyson is a fraud. A bet is made in a moment of lust, but soon Tennyson longs for more. Will Tennyson come to terms with the fact he is as susceptible to emotions as everyone else, and finally drop his walls? Even if he does, is Kristian willing to take the risk? Follow them on their journey filled with laughs, nosy students, and a discovery that uncertainty isn’t always a bad thing.
Review:
The paranormal aspect of this story is very light, however your enjoyment will depend on how much you like, or dislike Tennyson. He’s an anthropology professor who takes great delight in freaking out his colleagues with his “psychic” abilities. At first you aren’t sure he has any, since he takes great pride in twisting things to his advantage and he’s not above using information he found in more traditional manners such as eavesdropping, and then attributing it to his psychic abilities. However he does have a certain level of natural ability.
When Kristian shows up as a new professor, it doesn’t take them long to start a competition. Kristian is determined to prove that Tennyson is a fraud, however Tennyson soon turns the tables by giving Kristian ten chances to prove him a fraud, however each time he fails, Tennyson claims a kiss. At first Tennyson just does it to be an annoying ass, but soon he realizes he actually likes Kristian and they are if not more, at least good friends. I did not care for Tennyson all that much. He really does believe he is superior to everyone and that they barely merit his acknowledgment. However, I did appreciate that his feelings for Kristian threw him off kilter. But he still came across as an arrogant jerk, so I was never completely on his side.
I also found it hard to believe that two seemingly healthy men in their prime would do no more than kiss or hold hands for 8+ months. You only find out at the end that Kristian was married to a woman, but the details of that are never revealed and I wasn’t sure if he was gay or bisexual. Was his relationship with Tennyson a first? When they finally sleep together it doesn’t appear to be. I also found the ending a bit abrupt. Kristian demands the truth, but is not prepared for the answer, although Tennyson seems to prove it in record time. The end. HEA.
So if you like a slow-moving relationship story, with rather quirky characters, this might be right up your alley, but Tennyson was just a bit too quirky for me to get completely behind the relationship. Still, I found the writing smooth enough and I’d check out future works by the author, this one just didn’t quite hit the right notes for me.