The Heart To Help by Jamie Craig

Title: The Heart To Help
Author: Jamie Craig
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Length: Novel (241 PDF pages)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

A guest review by Lily

Review Summary

A well-written and entertaining story about two men who appear to have nothing in common and slowly discover that sometimes being a bit different can be really good.

BLURB

From the moment Colin Braugher meets millionaire Grady James, he has the other man’s number—spoiled, obnoxious, and worst of all, fake. Every word out of Grady’s mouth is cheesy and insincere to Colin’s ears, which is just as well, since Colin has reason to dislike the other man before he even arrives in Chicago. After years of being ignored by James Foundation, Grady is arriving to take over the small Heart to Help charity where Colin volunteers. Colin sees nothing but unwanted changes and self-aggrandizement in his beloved charity’s future.

For his part, Grady wants only the best for his grandmother’s favorite charity. Confused by his cold reception, alone in a strange city, and fascinated by a man who seems to want nothing to do with him, Grady is at loose ends. Until Colin gives an inch, and Grady knows he can have so much more than that if Colin would only see the man he truly is…

REVIEW

Grady James moves to Chicago to take over the running of his late grandmother’s favorite charity foundation, Heart To Help. He’s excited at the prospect of a fresh start away from his controlling father but is disappointed with the reception he gets from some of his new coworkers, especially Colin, a foundation volunteer. Colin thinks Grady is nothing more than a spoiled, rich guy looking to take over the foundation on a whim but despite this neither man can deny for long the attraction they feel for each other. After spending some time together Colin is starting to think maybe Grady’s not as bad as he first thought when a decision Grady makes brings them into conflict.

After getting through that set back Grady and Colin begin to slowly work towards a relationship of sorts. It’s not always easy as Colin has to adjust to being with someone so different from what he’s used to. Just as things are beginning to look up for them allegations of past misconduct begin to surface. Will they find a way to clear up the lies before they lose the foundation and each other?

I really enjoyed reading The Heart To Help. It’s a well written and entertaining story with well-drawn and likable characters. At first it doesn’t appear that Grady and Colin have enough in common to form any type of relationship especially given Colin’s impressions of Grady. However as the story develops, and they grow closer, their strong feelings and the chemistry between them shines through and I found myself really enjoying their story. The author’s writing style is very engaging, whether it’s a humorous, too many tequila shots drunken kiss scene, a fun-filled family evening playing Rock Band or the super hot sex scenes.

When the tone turns serious towards the end of the story the author’s did so in an interesting and believable way. The dynamics of Grady and Colin’s relationship shifts and that was presented quite well. This leads to an emotional ending that is equal parts loss and pain as well as the start of a happy future. The Heart To Heal has a traditional romance feel to it which I enjoyed. The office romance, the pairing of a rich sophisticated man with an inexperienced younger man and the fact that once they start a relationship there is plenty of give and take on both sides. Neither man is completely dominant throughout and that worked quite well given their personalities.

Overall this latest offering from Jamie Craig is an entertaining and engaging story. I really liked both Grady and Colin and my only complaint was that I would have liked to have seen a bit more of them after the false allegations are cleared up. The ending scene is sweet and clearly shows a nice HEA for Grady and Colin. Recommended.