Title: Admiring Jesse
Author: Shawn Lane
Length: 19 pdf pages
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: C+
Blurb:
Jesse is used to Valentine’s Day passing without finding his own sweetheart. But suddenly he starts receiving gifts from a secret admirer.
With encouragement from his too-sexy roommate, Gilbert, Jesse opens himself to the idea that someone is actually interested in him. Though he has doubts, Jesse can’t help but wonder if his admirer could finally be the man of his dreams.
Review:
This is a very sweet oblivious friends-to-lovers Valentine’s short. Jesse and Gilbert have been roommates for some time since Jesse’s cousin moved out. Valentine’s is approaching when a variety of anonymous gifts start arriving for Jesse. He’s short and slight and not the kind of guy to attract secret admirers, however they do seem to know him quite well. His friends suggest maybe his roommate, but he’s seen the kind of guys that Gilbert dates, and they don’t look like Jesse. Even if Jesse has been crushing on him for years.
Finally, a note arrives asking him to meet the admirer at a restaurant on Valentine’s Day. Now of course, any romance reader worth their salt knows exactly who the secret admirer is, but I thought Jesse’s reaction was cute. His first instinct was that it was a joke, or that the chocolates he received must have been poisoned. Sort of the typical reaction when you think about scary stalkers. So I enjoyed watching his mystification at having and admirer, and being torn between a secret thrill and a fear that it’s was a psycho, or a mean prank.
There is a very sweet last chapter that explains their life a year later. As I said, it’s a pretty typical story, not particularly original, but it was a sweet read and the author always manages to write characters that are kind of everyday guys you want to find love. So if you are in the mood for short, cute and angst free, it certainly fits the bill.
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