The Romanceaholic

Expected Release Date: November 1, 2011 (Available Now!)
Publisher: Manifold Press
Imprint: N/A
Author’s Website: http://juliebozza.com/
My Source for This Book: Gift from the Publisher
Part of a Series: No
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Warm – Steamy

Official Blurb:

Joshua Delaney and Carmine Angelo Trezini, cop and low-level mobster, should have absolutely nothing in common; yet, accidentally brought together, they rapidly became both lovers and allies against important crime figure Matthew Picano. Of course, taking down a man like that was never going to be easy – but Josh has no idea of of the scale of the sacrifice he will eventually be called upon to make.

What Worked For Me:

• This book quite literally sucked me in and wouldn’t let me go.  While some of the scene transitions were a bit abrupt, and the love scenes were skimmed over and contained a lot of the shame, embarrassment, and confusion that Josh felt about his relationship, I admit it was those first few chapters hooked me in and I couldn’t put it down.
• This is the first Gay For Him book I’ve read in a long time, and I’d forgotten how enjoyable they could be.  Josh is “as straight as it gets”, and yet he can’t resist being attracted to Carmine — his natural vivacity, his unrepentant affection for Josh, and his wiry body, so unlike the other lovers Josh had had in the past.
• I also enjoyed the parts of the story that took place in the courtroom as well. I’m a huge fan of shows like Law & Order (and all its spin-offs), so I always enjoy a good courtroom drama.
• The ending.  You may notice that this one also falls under “What Didn’t Work For Me”.  While my feelings on the ending were not truly positive, I realized after giving myself time to mull over things that this book simply could not have ended any other way.

What Didn’t Work For Me:

• I was disappointed that Carmine fell in love, or at least declared his feelings, so very quickly after having met Josh.  Love at first sight just isn’t really my thing, so I was taken a bit aback when Carmine was so quick  with his affections.
• OMFG the ending. I can’t say more without it being a spoiler, but it was certainly not the ending I’d expected or even hoped for.

This one started off so good. I was literally shooing Mr. Romanceaholic away while he was trying to talk to me so that I wouldn’t have to put it down, and then all of a sudden, Carmine was announcing that he was “in love” with Josh. My heart sank. I don’t really mind a “whirlwind romance”, because hey, they happen.  However, “love at first sight” just doesn’t do it for me unless it’s a paranormal romance involving shape shifters and/or fated mates or somesuch.  So when, after having met Josh twice, albeit in stressful situations, Carmine informed his mother that he was falling in love with Josh, despite having never even discussed Josh’s sexual preference or even his relationship statuses, it just didn’t fly for me.    I think it would have been so much more satisfying, and perhaps more importantly, more believable, had he merely been intensely attracted to Josh, and love had come a little later in the novel.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the story ever fully recovered for me because of this.

The angst and tension caused by Carmine’s double crossing his boss/best friend was wonderful, and the courtroom drama a delight.  The romance that was developing between Josh and Carmine was intense and angst-ridden due not only to the stress of the undercover operation, but because Josh had previously considered himself to be heterosexual, and as such was struggling with embarrassment, confusion, shame, anger, lust, guilt, developing emotional feelings and fear for Carmine’s life.

Fans of steamy romance should note that this novel ranks somewhere between my “Warm” and “Steamy” ratings — while lovemaking isn’t completely fade-to-black or behind closed doors, it’s still relatively chaste compared to most non-YA contemporary romances.

This book started off so strongly, with a distinctive author’s voice, interesting characters, and intriguing plot that I never quite got over my disappointment with the speed at which Carmine fell for Josh.   It was almost as though it stumbled but instead of recovering  and making me happy with the progression of both their relationship and the overall story arc, it seemed to continue with a bit of a limp. Add to that the lack of what I would consider to be a HEA, and unfortunately this one just didn’t rock me as I’d anticipated it would from the first few chapters.

3/5 Stars

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