Fool For Love

Title: Fool For Love
Author: Cassandra Gold
Cover Artist: Valerie Tibbs
Publisher: Loose Id
Buy Link:  Buy Link Fool for Love, Loose Id
Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance
Length: Novel
Rating: 2.75 stars

A Guest Review by Sammy

Review Summary: A huge age difference and a formulaic approach throw this romance off balance.

Blurb: Forty-five-year-old college professor Vincent Norton expects to spend the rest of his life alone. After all, he had more than twenty years with the love of his life before losing him to an accident. Then he has a chance encounter with a young man in the hallway of his apartment building, and Vince is shocked and dismayed to find himself suddenly attracted to a man half his age.

Rob Bridges might be only 21, but he knows what he wants—and that’s his sexy older neighbor. Once he realizes he wants Vince, Rob sets his mind on catching him. Too bad Vince doesn’t seem to agree that age is just a number. Will Vince let himself be caught, or will his indecision ruin their chance at happiness?

Review: This is one of those reviews where I struggled to put into words why a novel simply left me less than impressed. You see, there was nothing overwhelmingly wrong with this story. Indeed, Fool for Love by Cassandra Gold most assuredly would have been a fine read for me a few years ago–before I had a broader understanding of all this genre had to offer. Now, without truly trying to seem pompous, the real problem is that as years have passed my m/m “palate” has become more sophisticated. Instead of being content with “nice stories” I am looking for compelling reads that excite me, create a spark within and impact my senses. I know that is a great deal to ask–I do. But to be frank with you, if I am going to suggest to you that you go out and pay as much as six to eight dollars US for these ebooks then I need to make sure I am giving you the best this genre has to offer.

Let’s begin with the premise of the story. College professor, Vincent Norton was a lonely man who had lost his partner of twenty years some three years before. As the story opens, the college boys who a few doors down are having a party for one of their own, Ron Bridges. Ron has turned twenty-one and is taking a breather from his party when Vince arrives home.

For the next several chapters we read how Vince tries to fight against his attraction for Rob, firmly convinced that he is way too old for him. But Rob is persistent and determined to convince the professor that he is mature enough to handle a relationship with the older man. They both agree to take things slowly and see where things lead. Things seem to be going well until Vince has a tragedy in his family and doubt about Rob’s age resurfaces with a vengeance. Now Rob realizes he may not be able to sway Vince on taking a chance on their being together. The relationship may be doomed before it really got to solid ground.

There were lots of small things in this novel that did not add up for me. The first was why Vince lived in the apartment complex he did, one that housed college students as well as professionals such as himself. I was perplexed why a full time professor could not afford or want a better place, one that afforded him more privacy. In fact, he was so shut off from those around him at this point, that it really was a mystery to me why VInce would tolerate living virtually next door to some loud college students.

Secondly, the overwhelming age difference did give me pause. I appreciated that the author allowed us to see Vince grappling with the gap, but twenty four years is a lot of time. Not only that, but the fact that Rob had never really had any type of lasting relationship prior to falling for Vince, while Vince had had a twenty year partnership with his husband prior to his death seemed a big stretch. The idea that Rob’s parent’s seemed to acquiesce so easily to him dating a man who was his father’s age was unbelievable to me. While there was a cousin who had some difficulty with it at first, apparently it took little for her to come round as well. It was all too easy and that really made swallowing their being lovers difficult..

Fool for Love was an okay read. The bottom line is that the few occasions of angst that were needed to keep this story line afloat were not nearly as strong as they should have been causing the characters to be washed out versions of what could have been much stronger men. When a novel couples a forty-five year old man with a twenty -one year old, these guys must have incredible chemistry to make their attraction believable. Without that spark, the story becomes bland, the characters less than appealing and I begin to check the page count and hope for the end to come quickly.

Technically there was nothing wrong with this novel but on the flip side, neither was their any new ground overturned. Fool for Love felt formulaic to me and so I had difficulty investing any emotion into the story, and never felt much of a connection to the characters. This author writes a fine story that simply lacks spark and that made for just a so-so read for me.