Humpday Hello....to Andrew Grey!

Hello again my fellow hump day friends. Just scraping by again - post full moon... seriously' I think some people need to be locked up to save themselves during this time! (Yup - hospital wackiness prevails again. Don't know why but I always manage to work the full moon weekends!) At any rate, I got a weekday off, which never happens' and used my precious time for some truly guilty indulgences: Lunch with the BFF (mmmm Chipotle!), some shopping, a massage and, of course, reading! And what am I reading this week? Why our new fav fella who we are spotlighting this week - Andrew Grey! All those yummy romances can make a gal hungry so allow me to share a snack with you, as always calorie free....eye candy! Mmmmmmm.

My treat this week accompanied my exploration of Andrew Grey's Bottled Up series. His website promises "Making the World sexier one reader at a time" and I must say his lead off in this series, The Best Revenge, definitely made the world a little sexier! An award nominated story, The Best Revenge, has the elements that capture AND keep a reader's heart - strong characters, well developed story and chemistry that keeps the pages turning!

Tyler O'Connor meets Mark Burke during a furniture appraisal at Mark's mother's house. Mark takes a huge chance by asking Tyler out. Their date is magic but the consequences are dire. Mark's homophobic brother and deeply religious mother find out about the relationship and Mark is simultaneously outed to and ousted by his family. With nowhere to go, he turns to his new friend Tyler who has had his own painful family drama. Mark gains strength and confidence from the gentle antiques dealer who not only encourages his artistic talents but provides him with a circle of caring friends. Tyler finds his attraction growing with his emotional connection to the man he finds himself living with. Despite the adversity they face, it becomes readily apparent they are stronger together than alone and love is most definitely the "best revenge" of all!

The Best Revenge is no simple boy meets boy story. Tyler and Mark compliment each other in the way that great romantic couples do. And of course, "the course of true love never did run smooth" so there are many great obstacles thrown in the way of these chaps. Watching them struggle and lean on one another, watching their love unfold slowly through the course of the story, watching their relationship go from sexy to sizzling can only cause the reader to cheer them on to their HEA. (Warning to sappy romantics, tissues may be required at points - not a bad thing but not pretty if you are reading in the dentist's office).

While I enjoyed this story immensely, it was the secondary characters that really tempted me to keep reading more: Sam the cop, Bill and Tom the leather guys, the son of local deli owner paid in beer. Mr. Grey's talent lies in his ability to create a fully depicted world complete with quirky elements that pulls the reader in, inviting them not just to visit it but to stay awhile. This reader definitely plans to stay awhile and see what else the fellas of the Bottled Up series are serving!

I give The Best Revenge four delish chocolate covered strawberries and a glass of malbec on the side....Cheers!