On sale now from Dreamspinner Press for $3.99!
This title is part of Dreamspinner’s 2009 June Daily Dose To Have and To Hold, which can be purchased all together or part and parcel – and I’ll be reviewing a lot of these this month.
This was different from what I was expecting, in a totally good way.
Our heroes Nathan and Andy are high school buddies whose friendship spans the course of more than a decade. Through college, career failures and successes, and a plethora of relationships, Nathan and Andy always find strength and comfort in their friendship. The two find themselves in an interesting position at a family wedding and that’s when things get interesting.
What I liked: I love the nerd/jock, best friends thing. It never fails to make the fangirl in me jump up and down happily. So, from the word go, I was completely on board. This one deviated from the standard, though, in that our main character Nathan was snarkier than normal – imagine a sexy, milder male version of Janeane Garofalo (attitude-wise, at least). There were a couple of times when I just laughed out loud, which is very, very good. I liked the realistic reactions that the characters had to each other and the changes in their relationship.
There was some great, uniquely written prose and descriptive language used in this one. Patric is very good at putting you into the character’s head and showing you the world from their perspective. Very good.
Oh yeah – and I think Catt Ford did the cover!
What I didn’t like: There were a couple of points where I wanted to shake Nathan. He remained determinedly clueless for the bulk of the book, which was all part of his characterization and emotional development. So, yes, I understood it completely, but I still wanted to give him a good shake.
Andy worked my last good nerve towards the end – even while I continued to love and root for him – when he struggled with his actions. Still this is what made the book unique in comparison to others, though, so it was a good thing. I mean, it makes it all the more fulfilling when the characters don’t simply fall into bed together and everything is la-de-da wonderful, but actually do some emotional work for their happily ever after. It just, you know, did what it was supposed to do and riled me up.
Overall: Very good and I believe this is Patric’s first book, so get out there and buy it! We want him to stretch himself and write more.
Jaya Grade: B+
Jaya Reads 