Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Maxim finally took the leap and came to California from Russia. His arrival is not at all what he envisioned, as his ride doesn’t show up and then his bag gets stolen from the bar where he winds up. The bar’s owner, Ellen, feels terrible and she offers Maxim a place to stay with her brother, Derek, for the night. Maxim is easily attracted to Derek, but what would a good looking, successful American man see in Maxim?
It was only supposed to be for the one night, but when the apartment Maxim had rented doesn’t quite work out, Derek offers him his guest room for two weeks. Derek also enjoys Maxim’s company and feels protective of him, yet he knows he has to continue to keep control of the side of him that is desperately attracted to Maxim.
Derek has never dated a man before, he can barely let himself think about it, but his relationships with women haven’t had the spark to make them successful. When the chemistry between the two men cannot be contained, they act on their attraction, which only leaves Derek further denying everything. Derek tells himself he has to stay away from Maxim, but they find themselves drawn to each other time and again. But if Derek can’t finally admit the truth, Maxim will have no choice but to walk away.
Both of the authors of this book were new to me and the storyline and the cover all caught my attention to add to this week’s New To Me Author challenge.
Maxim is an easy character to like from the first page. He sets off alone from Russia to California with dreams of writing screenplays and making a better life for himself. He has a rough start to begin with, but perhaps it’s fate that he winds up in the path of Ellen so he can find Derek. Maxim is immediately attracted to Derek. It’s his looks at first, but he soon realizes that Derek is a kind, successful man that takes pride in his home and his life. The issue is that Derek will not accept the fact that he is attracted to men.
Derek has a certain vision of his life. He wants nothing more than to find a woman to marry and have a family. He tries, but the women he dates knows there is something missing and Derek is a little depressed and a little angry that he’s not where he wants to be in regards to a family. A lot of this stems from his father and his upbringing as Derek knows his parents will never accept it if he likes men. Derek’s parents are off page and only referred to, but they shape the way Derek views himself.
Whether this book will be successful for you hinges on whether you like Derek or not. Derek is so in denial of his attraction to men and when he and Maxim get together, Derek loathes that he can’t control his feelings. He doesn’t want to be attracted to men, but Maxim becomes everything to him and Derek experiences true passion and intimacy for the first time. The authors do a great job of getting to the heart of Derek’s inner turmoil, but from his view, everything is about him and he could come off as selfish. He’s so deep into his own feelings he doesn’t see how his actions affect Maxim as Derek first denies his feelings and then wants to keep Maxim a secret. Maxim is incredibly patient with Derek for a while, but then stands up for himself leading Derek to finally make some hard won changes to his life.
The conclusion adds another romantic layer to their story as Derek and Maxim get their happy ever after. This was a solid read for me from two new to me authors that I would look for again in the future.
This review is part of our Reading Challenge Month for New to Me Author Week! Leave a relevant comment below and you will be entered to win a fabulous prize from Riptide Publishing. One winner will win a set of Advanced Review Copies before the books are released (or if it is a non-U.S. winner, an electronic copy of the books upon release). Commenters will also be entered to win our amazing grand prize sponsored by Dreamspinner Press (a loaded Kindle fire filled with DSP books!). You can get more information on our Challenge Month here, and more details on New to Me Author Week here. And be sure to check out our prize post for more details about the awesome prizes!
I’m so greedy for fairly well-written stories involving immigrants lately. This one goes on my TBR!
Oooh this works then. Maxim is a scene stealer kind of character.
Oh this sounds good. It looks like the main characters have to work for their HEA and i like that it makes it that much sweeter 😉 Thank you for your review.
Thanks for checking in.
I liked this book and I agree with the reviewer about Maxim and Derek. Maxim was a great character, but I could have used a little less denial in Derek.
Thanks Jennifer.
>> Whether this book will be successful for you hinges on whether you like Derek or not <<
Oh, I know the feeling. I've experienced how my reading enjoyment derails because I despise the main character. In fact I think I spent all my time updating my status on GR on how much I hated the guy! So I'll take this review with consideration if I approach this book. Thanks so much for the review.
Thanks for your comment.
Thanks for a thoughtful review, Michelle. I appreciate your statement “Whether this book will be successful for you hinges on whether you like Derek or not.” I’ll try a sample and see what my feelings are. I’m glad you enjoyed your new author(s) selection.
Thanks Kareni.
Thanks for your thoughts. I’ll give this one a pass since I’m not a fan of MCs with internalized homophobia.
Definitely understandable.
I don’t usually have a problem with characters like Derek…I mean, this is a romance, so even if I don’t like him for a while, by the end (usually) everybody’s happy. I’m pretty sure I’m going to give these guys a try. 🙂
These guys do get the romantic sweeping gesture ending! Thanks Barbra.
I feel like this might be a difficult/frustrating read because of Derek’s denial. Thanks for the review.
I love the cover, I have ever since I’ve seen it. however, it has never been quite the books for me, at least not right now. I’m over the whole denial thing, even though I know why they are needed it’s just that I seem all i did was read them last year. saying this, I’m interested in the idea of if I’d like one of the MC’s or not. that part intrigues me more than anything 😀
Sounds like a rewarding story, if I can be patient with Derek…
Everyone thinks they know what they want out of life and out of a relationship, right up until they are responsible for themselves and they actually have a few relationships. Part of learning to be a good partner is learning to admit what you like/want, learning how to communicate that, and learning how to adapt to someone else–how to not be stubborn and selfish. I can be patient with book Derek because I don’t have to be patient with real Derek.
I like the fact that although Maxim is from Russia, it’s Mr. California who has the problem dealing with his attraction. I would question the authors’ ability to tell the story the other way without knowing them at all. (I think we all have built up trust with our favorite authors, knowing what they do well and to me, knowing their honesty and integrity with their characters and storytelling.) I don’t think I’d have a problem with Derek because I don’t mind seeing people be foolish/annoying when they’re struggling. It feels very real when it’s handled well.
Thank you for the review, Michelle. I’m not sure about this one, though. I’ve been reading several books with closeted main characters, and I’m a bit tired of anguish and denial… I’ll add it to my TBR to be considered for later on!
Thanks for the review! I’ll have to find a sample and check it out and see if I like Derek or not.
Thanks for the review. At first I thought not for me – pretty convenient bad luck, g4u and guy way in closet. But I read on. I saw a little of myself in Derek. And I liked how you dug deep to get past Derek’s surface behavior to understand psychologically what might be going on. Makes it sound realistically portrayed, which appeals to me.
This was a great start for both authors into the mm genre. I hope they write more soon, I loved this book.
This sounds like a book I might like. I will add it on my wishlist. Thank you for a very interesting review!