Title: Of Love
Author Name & Publisher: Sean Michael — Dreamspinner Press
Publication Date & Length: June 24, 2015 — 136 pages
Free-spirited computer programmer Kent McMann loves life, candy, his family, and his job designing apps. With his go-getter attitude, he succeeds at anything he tackles. So having a child with a surrogate mother is the perfect start to the family he’s always wanted, even though he still hasn’t found his longed-for Mr. Right.
Then, into Kent’s life comes triathlete Dex Lochland, who also happens to be a successful app designer, and the two of them hit it off. They soon begin a relationship full of fun, sex, laughter, and love. But when Kent learns his attempt at fatherhood with the surrogate has succeeded, Dex is shocked. Unknown to Kent until that moment, Dex has never wanted children.
Kent’s decision before he met Dex might cost him the man of his dreams.
I’ll admit, I was hesitant at first. The beginning didn’t draw me in right away. The reason Dex and Kent meet is because of Dex’s pushy friend. I got a little nervous that it might be all about Dex’s failure to commit and having his nosy friend in the way. I was also a bit worried it was going to focus on Dex’s fitness. Fortunately, neither of those things is true, so readers who don’t like those elements should really just push past the first chapter.
This is pretty much an angst-free, charming, sexy story. It’s not about overcoming some big obstacle or facing the past or emotional drama. It’s about two people who grow to love each other and have no problem admitting just how much in every way possible. Both Kent and Dex are likable and charming, and they both grow as people. Dex’s transformation is more obvious, but there are some subtle changes in Kent, too.
All in all, this is a delicious slice-of-life story, perfect for a beach read or a lazy weekend afternoon
Amy
I love this story. Kent is a fabulous main character and Kent and Dex together are just about perfect.
An independently affluent computer programmer, Kent is ready to be a parent. He may not have a partner, but he does have a surrogate, an IVF clinic and an incredibly supportive family. Dex has never wanted a family. The triathlete trains hard and lives for his sport.
But from the moment they meet, Dex and Kent are inseparable. The entirely convincing hook-up turns friends-with-benefits turns something-more is so sweet and so natural that it is actually amazingly romantic.
Only someone independently wealthy working from home could deal with Dex’s rigid training routine, and only someone with rigid self-discipline could manage the wonderfully erratic Kent. The men aren’t perfect, but they are perfectly matched.
I usually avoid books involving pregnancy and small children, but Kent and Dex’s reactions to the pregnancy were brilliant. There were a few soppy moments, but the baby parts of the book were managed with humour and some very realistic scenes of panic and sheer terror. I’m not sure I want to read about the ‘happy family’ next stage of their lives, but I actually enjoyed the pregnancy story.
I’ve awarded four stars because this is a little too saccharine and a little too cozily domestic for me. I personally prefer Sean Michael when he is writing about more alternative lifestyles, but I know that many readers love their romance sweet and their lifestyles traditional. I’m sure those readers will absolutely love this book.
~Sarah
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Often referred to as “Space Cowboy” and “Gangsta of Love” while still striving for the moniker of “Maurice,” Sean Michael spends his days surfing, smutting, organizing his immense gourd collection and fantasizing about one day retiring on a small secluded island peopled entirely by horseshoe crabs. While collecting vast amounts of vintage gay pulp novels and mood rings, Sean whiles away the hours between dropping the f-bomb and persuing the kama sutra by channeling the long lost spirit of John Wayne and singing along with the soundtrack to “Chicago.”
A long-time writer of complicated haiku, currently Sean is attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate spinning and soap carving sex toys.
Barring any of that? He’ll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark.
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