The Book and The Rose by A.J. Llewellyn

Title: The Book and The Rose
Author: A.J. Llewellyn
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Length: Novel (207 pages)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

A guest review by Lily

Review Summary

The story of two men trying to make a relationship work despite some major differences between them.

BLURB

Hollywood show runner Evans McCoy’s hit TV show has just been yanked off the air thanks to its star Nora North’s spectacular drug bust. Desperate to find work to qualify for Writer’s Guild health insurance, Evans finds every door closed due to the problems associated with his show. His recent fling with mysterious and sexy Spanish businessman Mio-Alejo Cortez is heating up, however, and it’s hard to resist the lure of Mio’s invitation to visit him in Barcelona.

The city’s most romantic holiday, Dia de Sant Jordi—St. George’s Day—is approaching. Mio wants Evans there for the big day when lovers traditionally exchange a book and a rose. With the memory of their scorching rendezvous and constant hot faxes from Mio teasing him, Evans is unable to turn down the invitation and lands in Barcelona, full of expectations.

Evans soon learns that Mio is a man of many, many secrets and a dangerous double life. Barcelona and Mio are seductive conquerors, but when Mio’s truth emerges, Evans must decide—should he cut bait and run? With his career seemingly in tatters and Mio’s secret now his to share, Evans takes a gamble. He plunges headfirst into Mio’s world of high-class, high-stakes sex.

But will Evans lose it all? Or can their relationship survive beyond the book and the rose?

REVIEW

Evans McCoy is a Hollywood show runner down on his luck due to the drug addicted star of his show. The fact that the star is also his recently discovered sister makes things even more complicated and painful for Evans. Unable to find work he’s getting desperate for something to turn his luck around. When he gets an invitation from super sexy Mio, his new lover that he met on a business trip, to join him in Barcelona Evans accepts despite all his problems. The men have been hot and heavy for a while now, meeting in exotic locations and steaming up cell and fax lines, and slowly falling in love.

When Evans arrives in Barcelona he’s met by Mio and a few surprises. Soon Evans is wondering just who his lover really is and as the answers come out he’ll have to decide if the real Mio is someone he wants to be with. Despite some reservations Evans takes a chance on Mio and soon joins in Mio’s fast-paced and sex-filled double life. But in the long run will Evans be able to deal with the real Mio or will he lose the love of his life?

Evans and Mio are interesting characters. Evans is a nice man in a profession filled with not so nice people. A family oriented man, he’s thrilled when he meets his biological family but saddened at the pain it causes his adoptive parents. When he meets Mio on a business trip he falls hard for the super sexy Spaniard and each time they meet he falls even harder. Disillusioned with the state of his life he agrees to meet up with Mio to celebrate a romantic holiday in Barcelona and soon he finds himself immersed in a way of life he barely comprehends.

Mio on the other hand is not so easy to understand. He’s at once a sophisticated business man and a loving family man. A sexual creature who at times exhibits an almost childlike joy in life. His double life has never bothered him until he falls in love with Evans. But despite his feelings he’s unwilling to give up his secret life and when he convinces his lover to join him Mio thinks he’ll have the best of both worlds. Soon however both men have difficult choices to make and when push comes to shove Mio may find himself watching his lover walk away.

There are also several interesting supporting characters in this story, most notably Evan’s sister, his assistant Michael and Mio’s family. At the beginning of the story we get a look at the cutthroat world of Hollywood’s power players and later on see the totally different life that Mio leads.

What I liked…

For the most part the characters in this story are interesting and well drawn and Evans and Mio’s relationship drew me in and despite a few reservations I enjoyed their story. I also really liked the wonderful descriptions of Barcelona and the other locations in the story. Something else that I found particularly well done was the use of the Spanish phrases in the story. Often when I read a book that contains Spanish I end up finding errors, whether in spelling or incorrect use of  words, but in this story a lot of attention was obviously given to ensuring that didn’t happen. It may seem like a small thing but I appreciated not being thrown out of the story when Mio spoke Spanish, whether in conversation or whispering sexy and naughty things to his Guapo. I also enjoyed reading about the romantic “La Diada de Sant Jordi” holiday.

What I didn’t like…

By the time it was revealed it wasn’t a surprise but still I didn’t like what Mio really does for a living. Even so I would have been okay with it if he’d been willing to let it go. But despite being in love with Evans and knowing how difficult it all was for the other man he still insisted he didn’t want to end it. I also didn’t enjoy some of the scenes that resulted from Evan’s decision to become a part of Mio’s life. Even though Mio tries to ensure that the sex he participates in is as safe as he can make it I found the fact that he did at times have sex without condoms a problem for me. This is a purely personal matter for me and the author makes sure to show that Mio is careful to get test results beforehand but still for me it was a bit of a turnoff. In general though the sex scenes are well written and very hot and the connection between Mio and Evans is very evident.

Overall…

The Book and The Rose is an entertaining story that deals well with the theme of two very different men falling in love and trying to mesh their lives together. I really like A.J. Llewellyn‘s writing style and despite some reservations I enjoyed reading this fun, fast-paced and super hot story. Recommended.