Review: Men of Smithfield: Mark & Tony

Reviewed by Jen
 

I really enjoyed this one.  Mark & Tony is a re-release of LB Gregg's 2009 story, Gobsmacked, the first in her Men of Smithfield series.  And after reading it, I can assure you I will be reading the rest of the stories with gusto.

The main character of the novella is Mark, an ER doctor who has caught his live-in boyfriend cheating.  Things get worse as he discovers the true depths of Jamie's betrayals.  But a renewed relationship with his high-school crush, Tony, helps him move forward.

One of the things I liked best about the story was Mark's voice. The book is told in his first person POV and he was so human and easy to relate to.  I was sold on him from the very beginning, when he assaulted Jamie with a Bible in the middle of church.  His hurt and sometimes immature behavior made him far from perfect, but I was rooting for him throughout.

I laughed a lot while I was reading.  This isn't a comedy, but it definitely has funny moments.  Like when Mark confronts the man Jamie was cheating with:

"Mark, I don't even know what to say except I'm sorry. I don't know how - I mean, it just happened." 

"Just happened?" Disbelief nearly choked me. "What? Oops, there's a dick in my ass?"

Or when Mark and Tony start getting hot and heavy in the kitchen.

"Tony. Stop. We need lube."

He scoped the kitchen and I shook my head. "No way." I wasn't putting salad dressing or some other food item in my ass. Been there. Done that. No thanks.

Come on!! That's funny.

Of course, at its core, it's not about laughter so much as love.  It helps that Tony and Mark have a history to draw from.  And I'm glad there are real feelings on both sides of the relationship.  My only complaint is that so much time was wasted unnecessarily between these two. That and Tony's Bad Decision revealed in the second half of the book... that was a tough pill to swallow.

But overall, it was good.  The pacing was quick and despite the short length, the characters were developed.  Oh yeah... and the sex was hot, y'all.

Rating: B

*ARC Provided by NetGalley

Click to purchase: Amazon

Men of Smithfield: Mark & Tony

by LB Gregg
Original Release Date: February 7, 2009
Re-Release Date: August 6, 2012
Publisher: Carina Press