Lauderdale Hearts

Title: Lauderdale Hearts
Author: Johnny Miles
Publisher: Loose ID
Buy Link: Lauderdale Hearts Genre: contemporary m/m romance
Length: Novel (140 pdf pages)
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

A Guest Review by Feliz

Summary Review: An interesting plot and an angled approach at the familiar theme of learning to cherish what really counts in life.

The Blurb: Blake Hudson has everything. The perfect job, a penthouse apartment, and killer abs. But when he suffers a heart attack at 39, he realizes something is missing from his life and wonders if being career-oriented was just another way of saying workaholic.
When his doctor suggests he take time off from work, Blake puts it off. He’s got too much work as a new partner in New York City’s hottest advertising agency and he’s about to land a multi-million dollar account. But his employer pulls rank and surprises him with the keys to his own house in Fort Lauderdale, the Venice of America.
With Ricky Sanchez, a smoldering Latin hunk, Blake discovers there truly is more to life than working 24/7 and making money. There are places to visit, things to do, and steamy sex to be had anywhere their imagination will let them. But all vacations must come to an end. What will Blake choose when the agency calls him back to babysit his coveted multi-million dollar account?

The Review: Even though Blake just survived a heart attack and doesn’t feel completely fighting fit yet, his business partners practically have to force him to take a vacation. Once he gives in, though, he finds himself enjoying Fort Lauderdale a lot more than he expected. Particularly after he meets Ricky Sanchez, a college student fifteen years his junior who does house calls as a masseur for a living.
Blake is immediately taken by Ricky. The feeling seems to be mutual; Ricky makes it very clear that he can’t think of anything better than getting Blake into bed. Of course Ricky is granted his wish not long after their first handshake, but unfortunately, Blake  experiences something that very much resembles his heart attack right in the middle of the best fun, and their encounter ends in a hospital. To Blakes nameless joy, Ricky isn’t put off by the heart issue, and their relationship continues and deepens very fast over the course of the next few days.
Yet, the dread of Blake having to leave Lauderdale hovers above their heads like the sword of Damocles, and Ricky has problems of his own, like his school and an abusive ex-boyfriend to deal with. Right when Ricky seems ready to take things a step further, Blake is called back to New York on an emergency. Ricky takes the news badly and breaks up with him.
Back in New York, Blake can’t stop thinking of Ricky. He has to face a tough decision: should he deceive himself it wouldn’t have worked out anyway and live on as he had before – alone – or taking the leap of faith and go back to Lauderdale, to try and change Ricky’s mind?

The moment Blake first lays eyes on Ricky, he has visions of a life together. Later that day, they share a telephone call that indicates a level of intimacy which was a bit far – fetched for two people who had only just met and exchanged a few bantering words. Still I think the insta-love element was handled better here than in most other cases. For one, Blake had been thinking very hard of finding a life partner lately, spurred by the harsh warning of his own mortality the heart attack put him through.  Blake’s characterization added plausibility; once he’s made up his mind about something, Blake is a man who tends to throw himself fully at the matter at hand, be it his work, exercising or, in this case, love.

Ricky’s motivation was a bit harder for me to relate to, but since he’d just suffered through a bad relationship, I could buy that he’d fall quickly for a soft-spoken, well mannered guy who’d treat him with respect and consideration. Ricky is a very likeable character. His last boyfriend abused him, both verbally and physically, but Ricky still had problems to break free. I found this very realistic – how often do we see a battered spouse cling to their abusive partner despite everything? Ricky had already found the strength to free himself from that spell when he met Blake, although Ricky was forced to still share an apartment with his former lover due to money issues. Just when Ricky was ready to cut the last strings since he’s finally dared to trust in another man again, Blake left. That Ricky found it in him to give Blake another chance after such a breach of faith makes him an exceptional character  – the reconciliation was heartwarming.

The medical details were well researched, both the physical and the mental effects a heartstroke victim experiences. It was plausible that Blake would be scared to have sex (and the way Ricky handled their first, quite unsuccessful tryst earned him another score of sympathy points 🙂 ). Many heart attack survivors suffer from depression  and mental instability for a while. On the one hand Blake wasn’t the most likely person to suffer from an heart attack – young, fit, healthy – but the level of stress he puts himself under adds credibility. Even the little details – how he experienced his stroke, the dealing with the aftermath, his fears and concerns  – were absolutely realistic. Blake’s continued health issues and the way both characters dealt with them added welcome depth to their character development.

The Fort Lauderdale setting was nice, creating a feeling for the location without lengthy descriptions. A hint at the sea breeze here, a picture of a milling crowd of colorfully dressed people there, and a waft of flowery scent – I’ve never been there, but I could picture the place vividly enough.

This was a beautifully written story about becoming aware of what really counts in life and working to make a good thing work, a soothing parable and yes, a sweet romance too. I can recommend it.