4.5 Stars
Whoop, there it is!!!
I cannot believe I had this hot little gem on my TBR shelf sitting neglected and overlooked for almost 5 years. Shame on me, right!? But the lesson has been learned and I will do better in the future… maybe…I hope.
What we have here are two American expats living and eventually loving in the UK. Cory is a 30 year old gay man fighting the good fight to hold down a job, but no matter how hard he tries Cory keeps losing them, one right after the other, to which he mostly blames his natural and unfortunate penchant to klutz it up at every given opportunity. When he’s overheard at a bar sharing his employment woes Cory is approached by the shy and beautiful, and presumably straight, Flynn, who offers Cory one hell of an unconventional job opportunity.
Flynn is a bit of a tech wizard and has made his fortune at the ripe old age of 22 by creating and running a website for those who are sexually inclined to enjoy voyeurism and exhibitionism, both online and in real life. Flynn proposes a money making deal wherein Cory has to jerk off in public view of viewers who can covertly watch from the shadows, at a distance. It all sounds a bit seedy at first, but Cory is desperate for the money and Flynn seems completely above board with his sweet and shy nature.
As it turns out, Cory finds himself getting off (literally) to the whole exhibitionist thing, much to his surprise and kinky delight. His enjoyment is spurred on by his deepening romantic attraction towards Flynn, who Cory finds himself falling hard and fast for as they begin to transition smoothly from a working relationship, to a tentative friendship and more.
I absolutely adored both Cory and Flynn. They were both such kind, genuine souls, and it was such a lovely experience to watch them fall effortlessly for one another over the course of the story. It certainly didn't hurt that their chemistry was positively palpable, in and out of the bedroom. Their energy just buzzed right off the page making their story charismatic and addictive.
The kink factor was a surprise for me, as I’ve never really enjoyed books with these themes. Yet somehow, maybe through Dee’s great writing, and certainly guided by my adoration of these two wonderful characters, I found myself totally enthralled by the kinkier scenes they shared in the book. It definitely helped that the sexual moments shared by Cory and Flynn never personally involved other people – it was an external thing, with the knowledge that when they were actually doing something for public consumption (which only happened once as a couple), those watching were completely unseen, uninvolved, and at a safe distance, while Cory and Flynn were largely unrecognisable, which provided a heavy level of anonymity that I appreciated.
This really was a hot little number, but at the forefront it remains a heart-warming and simple love story. I enjoyed everything about this one and I can’t wait to revisit Cory and Flynn in my re-reading future.