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Ivory
Trapped by familial obligations, engaged to a fiancée he doesn’t love, and crippled by the regrets of his past, Dr. Bradley Durrant is miserable and rapidly caring less about his own health as he works himself to the bone at the family hospital. Then he meets Nashan Windham, the grandson of his late father’s scandalous old friend, and Brad’s downward spiral is derailed, at least for the moment.
He lets Nashan and his grandfather pull him into a world where families -- blood and the ones you choose -- support each other and understand that love is unconditional. Nashan helps Brad get his life together again, now Brad just needs to convince Nashan that Brad can finally accept who he is and knows what he wants.
He lets Nashan and his grandfather pull him into a world where families -- blood and the ones you choose -- support each other and understand that love is unconditional. Nashan helps Brad get his life together again, now Brad just needs to convince Nashan that Brad can finally accept who he is and knows what he wants.
80 pages, ebook
First published December 28, 2010
1 person is currently reading
61 people want to read
About the author
J. Rocci
35 books40 followersSince 2006, J. Rocci has published LGBT romance stories, ranging from contemporary to steampunk to fantasy. Rocci currently lives near Washington D.C. with the love of her life and their furry children, and loves giving her characters happy endings.
You can find Rocci on the web at:
http://www.jrocci.com
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You can find Rocci on the web at:
http://www.jrocci.com
Monthly newsletter
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 21, 2018
3 Stars!
I'm usually not a huge fan of such short stories unless it is from authors I know well. But this one was Okay. It's a story about a man trying to be who his family wants him to be and struggling under the pressure of it. He loves his job and yet hates aspects of it. His mother makes life hell for him and refuses to see who he is and continues to try and mold him into who she expects him to be. Things look up when he strikes up a friendship with his father's friend William. He gets Brad out of his head and challenges him to weekly chess games and introduces him to his savior, Nashan. Nashan encourages Brad to take back control over his life. This wasn't so much a romance as it was a man learning to stand on his own feet again.
Happy reading dolls! xx
I received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I'm usually not a huge fan of such short stories unless it is from authors I know well. But this one was Okay. It's a story about a man trying to be who his family wants him to be and struggling under the pressure of it. He loves his job and yet hates aspects of it. His mother makes life hell for him and refuses to see who he is and continues to try and mold him into who she expects him to be. Things look up when he strikes up a friendship with his father's friend William. He gets Brad out of his head and challenges him to weekly chess games and introduces him to his savior, Nashan. Nashan encourages Brad to take back control over his life. This wasn't so much a romance as it was a man learning to stand on his own feet again.
Happy reading dolls! xx
I received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
December 31, 2021
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I read the first line of the blurb (“Trapped by familial obligations, engaged to a fiancée he doesn’t love, and crippled by the regrets of his past, Dr. Bradley Durrant is miserable and rapidly caring less about his own health as he works himself to the bone at the family hospital.”) & immediately decided that yes, this is the kind of a broken gay I want to read about. Because evidently I hate myself… And just to be clear, what this line promises is exactly what we’re getting.
From the very moment we meet Bradley, it’s obvious he’s miserable. He loves his job and he loves helping kids, but everything else about his life? Simply a nightmare. And the great thing about this novella is that we do actually learn this by seeing how he acts and what he thinks about. “Telling over showing”? This book never met her. And it’s not even the end of compliments I can sprout on the writing!! It’s honestly beautiful? It’s simple but at the same time feel very lyrical, with a poetical turn of phrase every few paragraphs that always drives a point home in the best way possible. It’s honestly quite quotable? Which I think is amazing given how Ivory is barely 70 pages long & a lot of authors would simply just focus on telling the story and not bother making it feat an Aesthetic.
There was a brief moment when I thought that despite this great style, the dialogues are kind of stiff. But very soon I realised that’s only the case for Brad himself. Once Nashan shows up, it becomes abundantly clear that it’s just our protagonist who talks like that. And actually all the characters are very vivid and on top of that have their own manners when it comes to talking. There are even a couple catchphrases!
Frankly, the only character that seems one-dimensional is Brad’s mother. We need her to act the way she does for the sake of the plot & it all works perfectly well, it makes sense, but if I were to look for a flaw, this would be it. (On the other hand, there are people like that out there in the real world so…) Speaking of his mother though! I can’t explain exactly what made me so happy regarding her arc because it’s a spoiler but god, Brad’s relationship with her was actually like a breath of fresh air? It was bad, objectively speaking, but I loved how it was portrayed and on what note did it end for the reader to see.
Okay, but let me get to my Point™ though. Because this novella? This seventy pages long story? It’s very clearly a romance. And yet, the romance isn’t the main arc. Let’s be real, not even a lot of properly long novels manage that, manage to make the main character more significant than the love story. That’s precisely what we get here! Bradley is the most vital part of this story and that doesn’t change when he meets the love interest. Even more importantly, love doesn’t work as some magical cure for this depression. Sure, Nashan turns out to be the push Bradley needed to get his life on track again - he was the one to convince Brad to see a therapist and he’s always there supporting him, helping him move forward and see the light at the end of the tunnel. But it’s Bradley who saves himself. It’s Bradley who takes meds, it’s Bradley who goes to therapy, it’s Bradley who works hard & makes big changes in his life. He finally learns to stand up for himself, to put himself first, to be that little bit of selfish that’s needed to be healthy. The romance? It's just a beautiful bonus.
All of this makes Ivory an incredibly soft story. Every single time that Bradley does something good for himself, puts a smile on your face. Every single time that he & Nashan smile at each other and flirt shyly, makes your heart grow. Honestly? I’m a little bit in love with this book.
I read the first line of the blurb (“Trapped by familial obligations, engaged to a fiancée he doesn’t love, and crippled by the regrets of his past, Dr. Bradley Durrant is miserable and rapidly caring less about his own health as he works himself to the bone at the family hospital.”) & immediately decided that yes, this is the kind of a broken gay I want to read about. Because evidently I hate myself… And just to be clear, what this line promises is exactly what we’re getting.
From the very moment we meet Bradley, it’s obvious he’s miserable. He loves his job and he loves helping kids, but everything else about his life? Simply a nightmare. And the great thing about this novella is that we do actually learn this by seeing how he acts and what he thinks about. “Telling over showing”? This book never met her. And it’s not even the end of compliments I can sprout on the writing!! It’s honestly beautiful? It’s simple but at the same time feel very lyrical, with a poetical turn of phrase every few paragraphs that always drives a point home in the best way possible. It’s honestly quite quotable? Which I think is amazing given how Ivory is barely 70 pages long & a lot of authors would simply just focus on telling the story and not bother making it feat an Aesthetic.
There was a brief moment when I thought that despite this great style, the dialogues are kind of stiff. But very soon I realised that’s only the case for Brad himself. Once Nashan shows up, it becomes abundantly clear that it’s just our protagonist who talks like that. And actually all the characters are very vivid and on top of that have their own manners when it comes to talking. There are even a couple catchphrases!
Frankly, the only character that seems one-dimensional is Brad’s mother. We need her to act the way she does for the sake of the plot & it all works perfectly well, it makes sense, but if I were to look for a flaw, this would be it. (On the other hand, there are people like that out there in the real world so…) Speaking of his mother though! I can’t explain exactly what made me so happy regarding her arc because it’s a spoiler but god, Brad’s relationship with her was actually like a breath of fresh air? It was bad, objectively speaking, but I loved how it was portrayed and on what note did it end for the reader to see.
Okay, but let me get to my Point™ though. Because this novella? This seventy pages long story? It’s very clearly a romance. And yet, the romance isn’t the main arc. Let’s be real, not even a lot of properly long novels manage that, manage to make the main character more significant than the love story. That’s precisely what we get here! Bradley is the most vital part of this story and that doesn’t change when he meets the love interest. Even more importantly, love doesn’t work as some magical cure for this depression. Sure, Nashan turns out to be the push Bradley needed to get his life on track again - he was the one to convince Brad to see a therapist and he’s always there supporting him, helping him move forward and see the light at the end of the tunnel. But it’s Bradley who saves himself. It’s Bradley who takes meds, it’s Bradley who goes to therapy, it’s Bradley who works hard & makes big changes in his life. He finally learns to stand up for himself, to put himself first, to be that little bit of selfish that’s needed to be healthy. The romance? It's just a beautiful bonus.
All of this makes Ivory an incredibly soft story. Every single time that Bradley does something good for himself, puts a smile on your face. Every single time that he & Nashan smile at each other and flirt shyly, makes your heart grow. Honestly? I’m a little bit in love with this book.
May 12, 2012
Ivory is one of the few J Rocci books I hadn't read yet, so I was glad for the excuse to finally read it. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I expected. The relationship ramp-up was slow, which was nice, but I'd have liked to have seen more of it in real time rather than just being told they've spent time together over the past several months. But the book would have needed to be longer for that.
Another issue of length: it ends rather abruptly when they finally get together. There's an epilogue years later, to show in few pages how they've worked out. But I guess I just didn't see enough of the relationship happening to get into it. And I'd have liked to see more of Brad's transition from depressed to fulfilled. So I guess I'm saying the same thing in various ways: the story had real promise but needed to be longer to fulfill it.
Another issue of length: it ends rather abruptly when they finally get together. There's an epilogue years later, to show in few pages how they've worked out. But I guess I just didn't see enough of the relationship happening to get into it. And I'd have liked to see more of Brad's transition from depressed to fulfilled. So I guess I'm saying the same thing in various ways: the story had real promise but needed to be longer to fulfill it.
December 5, 2017
Ivory by J. Rocci is about Dr. Bradley Durrant who feels trapped by familial obligations and that he can’t be who he truly is. He’s barely living life, if what you call what he is doing living. He’s barely there and quickly spiraling. Then he starts playing chess with his elderly neighbor, Mr. Windham, every Tuesday. During these games he slowly begins to heal and wake up from the passive way he had been living.
During one of these chess nights, Brad meets Mr. Windham’s grandson, Nashan. As Brad spends time with the Windham’s he starts to flourish and becomes the man he always hoped to be. He’s happy, taking time for himself and enjoying life.
I think what resonated with me was the fact that I can relate to Brad so much. It hurt seeing how much he had given up on life and was only living for his patients. Then when Nashan appeared, it was the little bit of hope Brad needed to make a change. Nashan offered Brad something he never had. A true friend. Seeing their relationship blossom, it just left me feeling like I was wrapped up in a warm blanket snuggled up with my pillows. That good ya’ll.
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
During one of these chess nights, Brad meets Mr. Windham’s grandson, Nashan. As Brad spends time with the Windham’s he starts to flourish and becomes the man he always hoped to be. He’s happy, taking time for himself and enjoying life.
I think what resonated with me was the fact that I can relate to Brad so much. It hurt seeing how much he had given up on life and was only living for his patients. Then when Nashan appeared, it was the little bit of hope Brad needed to make a change. Nashan offered Brad something he never had. A true friend. Seeing their relationship blossom, it just left me feeling like I was wrapped up in a warm blanket snuggled up with my pillows. That good ya’ll.
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 8, 2017
Ivory is just a beautiful romance,
It is simple but beautiful written.
The author did not make it easy.
The overall storyline is about Bradley.
And how he with the presence off Nashan.
Learns to love himself and put his needs above others.
So that he can be there for others and for Nashan.
How ever short this novella is,it is complete.
without rushing the story gets told.
well deserved four stars
ARC was provided by netgalley
It is simple but beautiful written.
The author did not make it easy.
The overall storyline is about Bradley.
And how he with the presence off Nashan.
Learns to love himself and put his needs above others.
So that he can be there for others and for Nashan.
How ever short this novella is,it is complete.
without rushing the story gets told.
well deserved four stars
ARC was provided by netgalley
January 9, 2018
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Following is my honest review...
This was a short, sweet, beautiful story of re-finding yourself, learning to let yourself be happy, and finding true love. The MC's were wonderful together and their slow burn was perfect.
J. Rocci is a new-to-me author and I look forward to reading the rest of their works.
I highly recommend this one!
This was a short, sweet, beautiful story of re-finding yourself, learning to let yourself be happy, and finding true love. The MC's were wonderful together and their slow burn was perfect.
J. Rocci is a new-to-me author and I look forward to reading the rest of their works.
I highly recommend this one!
December 16, 2017
I liked reading how Brad finally realized what would make him happy and went for it. I would've liked a bit more of peek into his relationship with Nashan, but overall it was a really good feel-good book.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
April 28, 2011
I believe that the best thing you can say about the first story you read by, to you, an unknown author is that it made you want to read author’s other works. That was certainly the case with J. Rocci’s Ivory. The blurb very accurately describes the story, but it’s the characterization, especially of protagonist Bradley, and writing where this novella shines.
From the beginning, it is obvious that Bradley is a deeply unhappy man. He deals with familial expectations in a passive-aggressive and self-destructive manner. He walks away from the obligations he accepted, especially towards his fiancée, without thinking. He readily admits that he doesn’t care if his behavior is hurting or humiliating her. He nods his head at his mother’s ramblings and ignores them, but is still unable to untangle himself from the web of expectations and lies. Bradley hides in his long work hours and aimless night walks. I rarely have sympathy for the characters such as this one, especially since we live in the twenty-first century (Nashan makes a similar observation), however, the author is skillful. She made Bradley’s situation plausible and also showed us his other side: his responsibility towards his patients, his caring nature and compassion. Additionally, Brad comes to the realization that soon something’s gotta give: either he would break free from his hopeless existence or follow his father’s path.
"He wondered when he wouldn’t take it anymore.When he would snap and burn out and crumble, leaving behind just a note and five bullets left in the chamber."
It was heartbreaking to read how Bradley struggles to stay afloat. The writing style reflects his state of mind well — his racing thoughts, regrets, desperation and hopelessness.
The salvation comes in the form of his neighbor and his father’s friend William Windham III. William is a widower in his eighties, a man unconcerned by social niceties. He manipulates Bradley into a weekly chess game and offers him the companionship and friendship Bradley so dearly needs. His character also provides the humor necessary to lighten the story. Through William, Brad meets his grandson Nashan. Nashan is honorable, gentle man. He comes from the large, loving family and he nudges Bradley to take control over his life, come to terms with his past and seek help for his depression. The story concentrates more on Bradley and his struggle than on the romance between Bradley and Nashan. We get to see their beginning, the possibilities their relationship holds, rather than the full-blown romance. This was realistic, because Bradley can hardly pursue anything before he deals with his own life. The story spans over several weeks and covers a lot of ground for a novella. I was especially glad that the author made an attempt to show that Brad’s family wasn’t as monstrous as it appeared at first and that there were reasons behind their behavior. His fiancée also wasn’t the brainless Barbie doll everyone believed her to be (William calls her Bambi although her name is Brianna).
If I have any niggles, they stem from the word count rather than from writing, characterization or story structure. Some issues remain unanswered. Bradley feared that his mother (and she openly threatened) would destroy his career, but it is clear from the epilogue that this didn’t happen. We, however, don’t see how this was resolved.
Overall, this is solidly written, emotional story with happy ending. There is a lot of potential in these characters, especially in the relationship department, so, maybe, the author will give us more of them in the future. The story, however, stands well on its own.
Recommended.
Written for Reviews by Jessewave
From the beginning, it is obvious that Bradley is a deeply unhappy man. He deals with familial expectations in a passive-aggressive and self-destructive manner. He walks away from the obligations he accepted, especially towards his fiancée, without thinking. He readily admits that he doesn’t care if his behavior is hurting or humiliating her. He nods his head at his mother’s ramblings and ignores them, but is still unable to untangle himself from the web of expectations and lies. Bradley hides in his long work hours and aimless night walks. I rarely have sympathy for the characters such as this one, especially since we live in the twenty-first century (Nashan makes a similar observation), however, the author is skillful. She made Bradley’s situation plausible and also showed us his other side: his responsibility towards his patients, his caring nature and compassion. Additionally, Brad comes to the realization that soon something’s gotta give: either he would break free from his hopeless existence or follow his father’s path.
"He wondered when he wouldn’t take it anymore.When he would snap and burn out and crumble, leaving behind just a note and five bullets left in the chamber."
It was heartbreaking to read how Bradley struggles to stay afloat. The writing style reflects his state of mind well — his racing thoughts, regrets, desperation and hopelessness.
The salvation comes in the form of his neighbor and his father’s friend William Windham III. William is a widower in his eighties, a man unconcerned by social niceties. He manipulates Bradley into a weekly chess game and offers him the companionship and friendship Bradley so dearly needs. His character also provides the humor necessary to lighten the story. Through William, Brad meets his grandson Nashan. Nashan is honorable, gentle man. He comes from the large, loving family and he nudges Bradley to take control over his life, come to terms with his past and seek help for his depression. The story concentrates more on Bradley and his struggle than on the romance between Bradley and Nashan. We get to see their beginning, the possibilities their relationship holds, rather than the full-blown romance. This was realistic, because Bradley can hardly pursue anything before he deals with his own life. The story spans over several weeks and covers a lot of ground for a novella. I was especially glad that the author made an attempt to show that Brad’s family wasn’t as monstrous as it appeared at first and that there were reasons behind their behavior. His fiancée also wasn’t the brainless Barbie doll everyone believed her to be (William calls her Bambi although her name is Brianna).
If I have any niggles, they stem from the word count rather than from writing, characterization or story structure. Some issues remain unanswered. Bradley feared that his mother (and she openly threatened) would destroy his career, but it is clear from the epilogue that this didn’t happen. We, however, don’t see how this was resolved.
Overall, this is solidly written, emotional story with happy ending. There is a lot of potential in these characters, especially in the relationship department, so, maybe, the author will give us more of them in the future. The story, however, stands well on its own.
Recommended.
Written for Reviews by Jessewave
January 6, 2018
This book was provided for free by the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.
This is a pretty short, contained love story about a doctor, Bradley Durrant, who seems quite successful on the outside, but in reality, he's eking out a miserable existence while catering to the whims of a controlling mother and brother. When he reconnects with his deceased father's old friend, Mr. Windham, he begins two things: playing regular games of chess and falling in love with Nashan, Mr. Windham's grandson.
As far as the title goes, the symbolism is pretty present thoughout the book. Ivory itself is a relaxed color, symbolizing just that--relaxation, quiet, pleasantness. It is used in that way for a good part of the book (chess pieces), but when it shows up in less-than-ideal situations (), we realize how deeply unhappy Brad is and how the healthy, happy, and even-keeled Nashan brings that much-needed calm to his life.
It's a little heavy-handed, but it works pretty well.
Unfortunately, the bulk of this story left me scratching my head a little bit. When I looked into the book's background for context, I realized it's a re-release, and the author, J. Rocci, seems incredibly prolific. She has 35 distinct works and many of them, including this one, are within a "Color Box" series on GoodReads. It doesn't seem like the stories are connected by anything other than "color" titles (others include Aubergine, Burgundy, and Celadon), but at the same time, I felt a weird disconnect from this story. It never seemed to hit a climax, never seemed to reach a boiling point of tension, and never really had much of a romantic pay-off.
It also seems weirdly dated. I was almost thrown off when Brad used a smart phone. His submissiveness towards his conservative family and his outlook on his sexuality felt grounded in about fifteen years ago rather than now, even though the first edition of the book isn't more than five years old. It threw me off a bit and made both his characterization and his romance with Nashan feel clunky and stilted.
All in all, it's a capably-written, short romance, but there's nothing that stands out that makes it a particularly great or memorable story.
This is a pretty short, contained love story about a doctor, Bradley Durrant, who seems quite successful on the outside, but in reality, he's eking out a miserable existence while catering to the whims of a controlling mother and brother. When he reconnects with his deceased father's old friend, Mr. Windham, he begins two things: playing regular games of chess and falling in love with Nashan, Mr. Windham's grandson.
As far as the title goes, the symbolism is pretty present thoughout the book. Ivory itself is a relaxed color, symbolizing just that--relaxation, quiet, pleasantness. It is used in that way for a good part of the book (chess pieces), but when it shows up in less-than-ideal situations (), we realize how deeply unhappy Brad is and how the healthy, happy, and even-keeled Nashan brings that much-needed calm to his life.
It's a little heavy-handed, but it works pretty well.
Unfortunately, the bulk of this story left me scratching my head a little bit. When I looked into the book's background for context, I realized it's a re-release, and the author, J. Rocci, seems incredibly prolific. She has 35 distinct works and many of them, including this one, are within a "Color Box" series on GoodReads. It doesn't seem like the stories are connected by anything other than "color" titles (others include Aubergine, Burgundy, and Celadon), but at the same time, I felt a weird disconnect from this story. It never seemed to hit a climax, never seemed to reach a boiling point of tension, and never really had much of a romantic pay-off.
It also seems weirdly dated. I was almost thrown off when Brad used a smart phone. His submissiveness towards his conservative family and his outlook on his sexuality felt grounded in about fifteen years ago rather than now, even though the first edition of the book isn't more than five years old. It threw me off a bit and made both his characterization and his romance with Nashan feel clunky and stilted.
All in all, it's a capably-written, short romance, but there's nothing that stands out that makes it a particularly great or memorable story.
March 7, 2011
3.5 stars. Good short m/m romance about an oncologist who's been trying to be the person his family expects him to be, even though it's killing him.
January 21, 2013
It is better than 2 stars but not enough for 3.
December 11, 2017
This is a short romance that looks at the pressures of being a doctor, and the heir to everything your family holds dear. Brad loves his work with people in need, but hates the politics and greed associated with the many boards he reports to. His mother ignores who Brad is, and tells him who he should be, and his brother is able to pursue whatever life he wants, as all expectations are on Brad. If you wanted to draw royal parallels you wouldn't be far off. Brad is tempted sometimes to end his life like his father did, but through making connections outside his stressful work and family life, and agreeing to therapy, he begins to work through expectation and to what he wants. The romance is slow, and healthy. Brad is supported by, and supports those who care about him. If you want a quick, but healthy, sweet romance, this definitely fits the bill.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews