Title: Owner of a Lonely Heart
Author Name & Publisher:Mel Bossa (Less Than Three Press)
Publication Date: November 11, 2015
Declan spends most of his life trying to forget his violent past, but now that his brother Valens is out of jail his efforts at a quiet existence are about to be turned upside down. On top of that, his best friend Rhys is leaving for Poland—right as Declan was ready to confess his feelings.
Overwhelmed, he turns to his friend Felix for support, only to find himself falling for Felix while still being in love with Rhys—who also happens to have feelings for Felix, leaving Declan with a present at least as complicated as his past, and a highly uncertain future.
Content note: This story is really intense and emotional, and it contains some situations which might be triggering for some people. There’s nothing graphic, but there are scenes involving the aftermath of various kinds of violence, including family and intimate partner violence.
I am consistently impressed with this author, particularly how she writes about bisexuality. In this story, I really liked Declan. He had a clear sense of himself, and I loved how his identity informed so many of his choices indirectly because it was such a part of who he is. I loved how he stood his ground with both Rhys and Felix against their assumptions about him.
There is a lot of heavy emotion in this, but it never felt overdone or simply played up to create drama. These men are three very broken people trying to put their lives into some kind of order. That they are able to do it together shows how incredibly strong they all are.
There is absolutely no descriptive sex in this book, though there are a number of fade-to-black scenes and one in which there’s implied “off-screen” sex (we don’t see it, but another character is aware of it). And yet, those parts of the story are incredibly sensual despite not seeing them in detail. Some readers may find this disappointing; I loved it. I think it fit with the tone of the book, and I don’t believe it was necessary—it would have distracted from the much more significant relational aspect.
I wanted to love this book, the blurb grabbed me. There are sensitive issues that are dealt with in the book. You see how the characters have chemistry even when they are driving you nuts with all the arguing and going back and forth. I know in life we all argue and bicker and it isn’t all happiness but sometimes when reading the constant back and forth I get bored or frustrated. I also didn’t like the fact that there were no sex scenes (descriptive and in the moment, it was all left to your imagination), I believe those help make a connection with the characters. You knew the characters had a connection I just think those scenes would have intensified them. Overall for me it was just ok but I am sure others will love it.
Angie
I’m on GR as a reader first. I’m here because I’m not on any other social media and because I think as flawed as GR is, it’s also a big part of my life. I love to see what other people are reading, I spend a lot of time on here, and though I don’t comment much and can seem a little standoffish, it’s just me being timid and generally awkward. Please keep in mind that though I read a lot of non-fiction, history, philosophy, and classics, I’m just trying to educate myself because I always dreamed of pursuing a university degree, but life had other plans for me.
Don’t be intimidated by the nerdy shit. I’m down to earth and don’t judge people by what they read. Because, hey, as long as people read, I might actually make a living some day.
