Destiny Goes Spare by TC Blue

Blurb:

Andrew and Raj have had a beautiful relationship since the night they met by chance and knew they were meant to be together. To celebrate Raj’s twenty-first birthday, Andrew throws him a magnificent party and invites everyone on Raj’s email contact list. Raj is thrilled, and so is Andrew, until a pair of unexpected — but very much invited — guests arrive. In one fell swoop, everything goes to pieces. Raj and Andrew are sleeping apart for the first time since they met. Are they really going to end it, or does destiny have something even better in store?

 

 

Review:

I actually won this short sip in one of the contests over on TQ’s live journal and apparently due to some confusion with my email account, never ended up receiving the book. My big mouth mentioned somewhere that I never got some books I’d won and the author very graciously contacted me to see if I had gotten the book and immediately resent a copy. I’d say it pays to be a loud mouth but of course it doesn’t. In this case, I’m rather pleased with such a conscientious author because I really enjoyed this short story.

This is clearly a sequel to likely another sip where Andrew and Raj met, which I obviously haven’t read. Yet I had no trouble picking up the characters and getting right into the story and their relationship. There are references to past issues they’ve worked through – and are clearly still working through – but for the most part, they seem to be a happy couple in love. During Raj’s birthday party, his young parents show up and problems erupt. For a short story, 15 pages, the characters were well developed and the emotions and problems very realistic.

Andrew’s discomfort with the age difference, he’s thirty-four to Raj’s twenty-one, is a very real concern for a lot of couples and their families. The old cliché of age is just a number being all well and good but it still creates friction within couples and between families. So Andrew’s knee jerk response to Raj’s parents who appear to be close to Andrew’s age was understandable and sympathetic, just as was Raj’s reaction. I liked this couple almost immediately with the subtle twist between the two men as well as the decidedly English flair to Raj. 

For stories this short, the most you can ask for is something entertaining to read that is not just one long sex scene. As both a quick, fun read and an introduction to a new author, I was pleasantly surprised. There is one brief sex scene that passes quickly, the rest focusing on the relationship. What a nice change of pace from sips. I’ll definitely be looking at this author’s backlist for something longer and more substantial. If you haven’t tried this author, I suggest checking out either this one or the one prior for a taste. 

Get it HERE!

 

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