Review: Inertia

Reviewed by Jen
 

For the past 10 years, Derrick has lived a quiet and lonely life.  He spent the first part of his young adult years losing almost everyone who mattered to him. He tended his grandparents for three years as illness slowly claimed their lives. His girlfriend moved away for college and they drifted apart. His brother died in service.  After so much loss, it seemed easier to close himself off to emotion, to relationships, and to the possibility of heartache.

But something long asleep inside him starts to spark back to life when he meets Gavin. The sexy businessman hires him for a job and starts flirting from the moment Derrick shows up to install some bookshelves.  Though the attraction is obvious and mutual right away, it takes a while for the two of them to act on their feelings.  They've both got a lot of baggage and it interferes as they try to make a go of things. But eventually, they try to put their issues aside to see where that attraction can take them.

I really enjoyed this story. It was a little tough to buy that Derrick would spend 10 whole years without so much as a one night stand or make-out session along the line. But if you can put that aside, I found the rest of the novella has a realistic emotional feel.  The urgency and fear that drives Derrick's encounters with Gavin are palpable. And Gavin's shame and embarrassment over his past abusive relationship ring just as true.

What starts as flirting ends up this almost desperate, consuming fire between these two men. And I liked it.  Their sexual encounters never quite escalate to full penetration. However, I didn't feel like I was missing anything. Especially after so much tension, I thought the love scenes were great. I especially liked watching Derrick make his first forays into an intimate relationship with another man.

Another big plus: no instant-love.  Both these men are skittish about giving their hearts and what we end up with is a great beginning between the two of them.  I am very satisfied with that. And I am really looking forward to seeing where their story goes next in book two, Acceleration.  I've got high hopes.

Rating: B

*Book provided by author for review

Click to purchase: Amazon

Inertia

by Amelia C. Gormley

Release Date: July 19, 2012

Publisher: Smashwords