Title: Finding Home (Quinn Security #1)
Author: Cameron Dane
Publisher: loose-id.com
Buy Link: Amazon.com
Genre: Contemporary M/M
Length: Novella
Adam Reyes picks pockets and steals cars to get money to survive since he has been kicked out of his home by his father. His current beat is Chicago’s O’Hare airport and he feels very confident when he spots his next mark, but he makes a huge mistake. Security expert Rhone Quinn is taken aback at the expertise of the pickpocket who almost succeeds in lifting his cell phone and he is torn between handing over the culprit to the cops or offering him a job, but he takes a chance on Adam and this decision changes both their lives.
The incident that transformed Adam’s and Rhone’s lives happened in 1999, and over the next several years their relationship evolves from mentor and student to peers. Adam lives with Adam in his apartment, initially because he could not afford his own, but over time neither wants to change the arrangement because it suits them both.
What I loved best about this book is the pacing. It moves quickly though the years as Adam grows up and his character develops during his transition from teenager to adult and he turns out to be invaluable to Rhone’s business, becoming his best friend and business partner. But Adam is hiding a secret. He is in love with his friend who he knows is straight, and he is forced to listen to him having sex with various women over the years through the thin walls of his bedroom as he masturbates and imagines what it would be like to have Rhone make love to him instead. Eventually when he finds it unbearable to love Rhone, knowing that he has no chance of being loved back Adam moves out; Rhone is devastated as he tries to live without his best friend.
Adam’s and Rhone’s characters are very appealing and well developed and the author does a good job on the supporting cast who add depth to the story. The sex is great but you have to read the book to find out who is doing what to whom. The only difficulty I have with this book is the dialogue which I found to be somewhat stilted at times during the sex when the author uses clinical, anatomically correct terms to describe various intimate body parts in addition to the act itself, and avoids using common everyday adult sexual expressions. This was a bit disconcerting and I felt perhaps something was lost in the translation but despite this I found the book a surprisingly good read.
Finding Home is delightful in concept and execution. I liked the pacing and terrific characters and I think that Cameron Dane’s characterizations are what made this book so good. The story kept my interest from the beginning as I became invested and wanted to find out what was going to happen next. When Rhone discovers that Adam is gay and has had the ‘hots’ for him all this time, will this bring them even closer together or tear them apart?
This is the first book I have read by this author and I’m looking forward to reading other stories. Fans and new readers alike will get caught up in the story and will want to continue reading to find out how it ends.
Previously reviewed for Rites of Romance Reviews
Great review. I enjoyed this book as well, and I agree with the “clinical” observation. I, however, didn’t care for the pacing of this book. I didn’t think the timeline was all that believable, and I thought the end was a bit too easy. All in all, though, a very entertaining read. Sexy, for sure.
Hi Jenb
I’m glad you enjoyed the book which is what most of us ask for when we put our money down for what we hope will be an enjoyable experience in a world created by the author.
As you know being a reviewer yourself, books and movies are probably some of the experiences where personal opinion varies the most about a product.
I understand your comment about the time line and the pacing and that “the end was …too easy”. However, given that this was a very short book in which the author covered about 8 years in the characters’ lives, in a compressed format, I don’t think that there’s much about the plot that can be changed, especially if we all want a HEA. Sometimes I, too, feel cheated at the end of a book that the wrap-up was too easy so I can empathize.
I think that’s what frustrates me the most about e-books. Authors aren’t allotted enough word count to truly develop a story. I guess that’s why so many turn into series.
Have you read anything else by Cameron Dane? I don’t think I have.
Blogger is eating all my comments today. They will probably show up tomorrow so all my comments will be doubled. You’re right about the word count – I think they have to go from 20K (novella) to 50K (novel) at some pubs. No this is the first book I have read from this author but one of my colleagues gave ReneCade and Demon Moon 4.5 stars. Don’t know what Falling received.