Title: Seasons of Change
Author: Allison Cassatta
Length: 19,256 words
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Genre: m/m contemporary romance
Rating: C
Blurb:
When Presley Howard loses his job and his lover of five years, control of his life is gone. His daily routine is thrown into disarray, bringing him close to a nervous breakdown.
On the advice–or rather, the insistent prodding–of his twin sister, he takes a vacation in Pensacola, Florida to relax and reconnect with parents he hasn’t seen in years. What he finds is a sense of hope and the only man who can rein him back in and save his broken heart, hunky pediatric surgeon, Dr Camden Brooks.
Together, they conquer Presley’s fears and temper his need to control everything around him, and their blossoming love gives Dr Brooks something new and beautiful to look forward to.
Review:
I’ve read and enjoyed a number of short stories by this author so I was looking forward to reading this one. It tells of Presley, who when he suddenly loses his job is dumped by his long term lover. Presley is one of those people who needs routine and order in their lives, and so when the structure of his job is removed he begins to unravel. On the advice of his sister, Presley goes to visit his parents in Florida where he meets a neighbour, Camden.
One of the things that worked for me in the story is the way that Presley’s illness is shown. He has a form of OCD, which leads to fears about the sea and a lack of focus. He acts in a way which I found a little irritating at first, almost selfish in the way he looks at things which leads to him not really being able to see things from another’s point of view. However, as the story progressed, I began to realise that Presley had some form of mental condition which meant that he not only found it difficult to be cut adrift, but he also acted thoughtlessly without realising. I could understand then why he couldn’t see that his previous lover only wanted him for his money, or why he came to Florida to see his parents but then decided that he didn’t really want to talk to them and disappeared all night without telling them where he was going.
Whilst Presley was an interesting character in the story, I wasn’t too happy about the way his relationship with Camden develops. It was too fast, and given Presley’s mental state I felt it seemed more like Presley had attached himself out of a need for closeness than anything else. The whole thing seemed rushed and I was left feeling uncomfortable rather than happy for them.
That, coupled with a few inconsistencies such as Camden being a pediatric surgeon and yet only now losing his first patient – after years of training and a job as a surgeon, I found this hard to believe – and also that Presley tells Camden that he could never move away from his sister, yet happily does at the end of the story, to name but a couple of examples, meant that I didn’t enjoy the story as much as I might have done. However, if you are interested in a story with different kind of hero, then this one may work for you.