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Shiny!
Will Lafferty and Kenny Scalia are both having sort of a day. Will gets fired for letting fifth graders read Harry Potter, and Kenny finds his boyfriend and his sex toys in bed with a complete stranger. When Will knocks over Kenny's trash can—and strews Kenny's personal business all over the street—it feels like the perfect craptastic climax to the sewage of suckage that has rained down on them both. But ever-friendly, ever-kind Will asks snarky Kenny out for a beer—God knows they both need one—and two amazing things Kenny discovers talking to Will might be the best form of intercourse ever, and Will discovers he's gay. Their unlikely friendship seems like the perfect platonic match until Will reveals how very much more he’s been feeling for Kenny almost since the beginning. But Kenny’s worried. Will’s newfound sexuality is bright and glittery and shiny, but what happens when that wears off? Is Will's infatuation with Kenny strong enough to stay real?
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 20, 2014
32 people are currently reading
952 people want to read
About the author
Amy Lane
203 books3,487 followersAmy Lane dodges an EDJ, mothers four children, and writes the occasional book. She, her brood, and her beloved mate, Mack, live in a crumbling mortgage in Citrus Heights, California, which is riddled with spiders, cats, and more than its share of fancy and weirdness. Feel free to visit her at www.greenshill.com orwww.writerslane.blogspot.com, where she will ride the buzz of receiving your e-mail until her head swells and she can no longer leave the house.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 293 reviews
March 8, 2016
**3.5 stars**
An Amy Lane book sans angst??? It happened folks, it well and truly happened! This is officially the most marshmallowy, happy-family, easy-peasy Amy Lane book that I have ever read.
I have to start by giving Amy Lane a round of applause. This woman is so versatile. She can write sci-fi, fantasy, contemporaries, heavy stuff, dark stuff, and, now, romances that are light as a feather. I, for one, tend to be a fan of her heavier stuff, but that's just me.
"Shiny!" was a great comfort read. You know, when you just want a book about being happy to make you happy. Like the title, this book is filled with exclamation marks and emphatic sentences. This isn't a GFY/OFY where the main character agonizes over his sexuality. Oh no, once Will discovers his sexual preferences, it is happy, easy acceptance. It is exciting, upbeat, and, well, shiny!
Like many of her books, the book is about a teacher, which is subject near and dear to Ms. Amy Lane's heart with her history in the field. I liked how the romance developed and the touches of humor throughout the book.
What I didn't love as much was the format. It starts off in the present and flashes back to when Will and Kenny first met. The whole book is told in back and forth flashback-type vignettes, which isn't my favorite way to tell a story. I also don't love exclamation marks in my reading material, for some reason. It reads as sort of juvenile, which is completely ironic because I love using exclamation marks in my reviews (!!).
Overall, this book was sweet and fun and different from other Amy Lanes that I have read. While it won't rank among my favorites by her, it is a cute, sexy read for times when you just need a light story to take your mind off of real life.
**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
An Amy Lane book sans angst??? It happened folks, it well and truly happened! This is officially the most marshmallowy, happy-family, easy-peasy Amy Lane book that I have ever read.
I have to start by giving Amy Lane a round of applause. This woman is so versatile. She can write sci-fi, fantasy, contemporaries, heavy stuff, dark stuff, and, now, romances that are light as a feather. I, for one, tend to be a fan of her heavier stuff, but that's just me.
"Shiny!" was a great comfort read. You know, when you just want a book about being happy to make you happy. Like the title, this book is filled with exclamation marks and emphatic sentences. This isn't a GFY/OFY where the main character agonizes over his sexuality. Oh no, once Will discovers his sexual preferences, it is happy, easy acceptance. It is exciting, upbeat, and, well, shiny!
Like many of her books, the book is about a teacher, which is subject near and dear to Ms. Amy Lane's heart with her history in the field. I liked how the romance developed and the touches of humor throughout the book.
What I didn't love as much was the format. It starts off in the present and flashes back to when Will and Kenny first met. The whole book is told in back and forth flashback-type vignettes, which isn't my favorite way to tell a story. I also don't love exclamation marks in my reading material, for some reason. It reads as sort of juvenile, which is completely ironic because I love using exclamation marks in my reviews (!!).
Overall, this book was sweet and fun and different from other Amy Lanes that I have read. While it won't rank among my favorites by her, it is a cute, sexy read for times when you just need a light story to take your mind off of real life.
**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
January 29, 2015
Oh, Amy Lane, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
1. You do angsty and you do sweet. And you always throw in a bit of dirty.
2. Your characters? They are REAL. They have faults and quirks and they do crazy shit like wear corduroy suits while riding miles on a bicycle.
3. You know how to write, woman, like hard-core, you would get an A in my college advanced writing course, kind of writing. Your dialogue is always spot-on and funny. And, just, yeah, you get a Gold for Words.
4. When you do a HEA, it's like a totally sparkly, blindingly SHINY one. It makes me want to run into the ocean. At sunset.
5. You're prolific. And amazing. And you do all this while raising four children? I bow down.
Following that fan-girl serenade, I want to say something about THIS book, which was BRILLIANT. Kenny was lovable and snarky and totally selling himself short, falling for pretty, shallow men who screwed around on him. Will was the damn nicest human being, and YET it worked; I never once thought, nah, he's too good to be true. Kenny may have thought it, but I didn't.
Shiny! is as low on the angst scale as you can get. The MCs meet on a really bad day (for both of them), but they become fast friends. Will realizes he's drawn to Kenny, and it dawns on him that, hell, Kenny is hot, and men are hot, and omgfuckGOD he's been missing out all these years. This is not a GFY. Will is gay but a little naive and just plain unaware until Kenny comes along, but as soon as he meets Kenny, he KNOWS and he's THRILLED. And then he thinks about Lord of the Rings, and it'sOH DEAR LORD, IT'S VIGGO MORTENSEN, AND I WANT TO LICK ALL OVER HIM a whole New Brave World of Sexual Fantasies.
The secondary characters here were brilliant, from Will's loving mom (Will loves his mama, and I love Will all the more for it) to Will's aunt Cara and her girlfriend. Kenny's family is not as fabulous, but that worked too. I had to smirk at how by-the-book-liberal Kenny's parents tried to be, and how they miserably failed at times. And Kenny's brother, god, what a fucking tool. There's one of those in every family.
I actually liked the flashback format here. We know the guys are happy and together; we know it from the first paragraph. But getting their story is fun nonetheless. We want to see the journey, not just the destination. We want to know more about Will's decision regarding his future career and about Princess the cat and about the graphic novels the guys collaborate on together.
There's a good bit of steam here, but even more dirty kissing, which is my favorite; as Will says, "Less talking, more kissing."
And the ending? Fucking ROCKED.
1. You do angsty and you do sweet. And you always throw in a bit of dirty.
2. Your characters? They are REAL. They have faults and quirks and they do crazy shit like wear corduroy suits while riding miles on a bicycle.
3. You know how to write, woman, like hard-core, you would get an A in my college advanced writing course, kind of writing. Your dialogue is always spot-on and funny. And, just, yeah, you get a Gold for Words.
4. When you do a HEA, it's like a totally sparkly, blindingly SHINY one. It makes me want to run into the ocean. At sunset.
5. You're prolific. And amazing. And you do all this while raising four children? I bow down.
Following that fan-girl serenade, I want to say something about THIS book, which was BRILLIANT. Kenny was lovable and snarky and totally selling himself short, falling for pretty, shallow men who screwed around on him. Will was the damn nicest human being, and YET it worked; I never once thought, nah, he's too good to be true. Kenny may have thought it, but I didn't.
Shiny! is as low on the angst scale as you can get. The MCs meet on a really bad day (for both of them), but they become fast friends. Will realizes he's drawn to Kenny, and it dawns on him that, hell, Kenny is hot, and men are hot, and omgfuckGOD he's been missing out all these years. This is not a GFY. Will is gay but a little naive and just plain unaware until Kenny comes along, but as soon as he meets Kenny, he KNOWS and he's THRILLED. And then he thinks about Lord of the Rings, and it's
The secondary characters here were brilliant, from Will's loving mom (Will loves his mama, and I love Will all the more for it) to Will's aunt Cara and her girlfriend. Kenny's family is not as fabulous, but that worked too. I had to smirk at how by-the-book-liberal Kenny's parents tried to be, and how they miserably failed at times. And Kenny's brother, god, what a fucking tool. There's one of those in every family.
I actually liked the flashback format here. We know the guys are happy and together; we know it from the first paragraph. But getting their story is fun nonetheless. We want to see the journey, not just the destination. We want to know more about Will's decision regarding his future career and about Princess the cat and about the graphic novels the guys collaborate on together.
There's a good bit of steam here, but even more dirty kissing, which is my favorite; as Will says, "Less talking, more kissing."
And the ending? Fucking ROCKED.
May 4, 2017
***3.5 Stars***
This was a quick, fun and cute read about figuring yourself out and having confidence in what you find. Will and Kenny were clueless and sweet in all the right ways.
I think I would have liked this a bit more if it wasn't told in flashbacks. The book starts in present day with Will and Kenny telling "their" story. Not my favorite format of storytelling...at least not for a whole book. But it was still a nice and enjoyable read, nonetheless.
February 25, 2014
This story gives us some Amy Lane sweetness, with Kenny, the gay guy in search of goodness who has ended up with shiny and empty too often, especially with his last obnoxious cheating boyfriend. And Will, the sweet man who had thought he was a bit asexual because going out with women often didn't seem worth the trouble, but who was content enough not to look further. Until he meets Kenny in his flashy boxers with a dildo spilling out of the trash can...
I loved these guys, and their relationship was warm and gradual, with a building sexual tension and a few minor aches of conflict. This is a great comfort read. And because Amy Lane doesn't write the same book over and over, there was a little something new as usual. This time the new was the structure of the tale, told as flashbacks, purportedly in a conversation at the wedding of Will's "Aunt Cara" to her wife Nina.
Two things took off that one star for me. One was the way Kenny kept pushing Will away from his dream of continuing to try teaching fifth grade. Yes, an open-hearted man in a gay relationship isn't likely to last in a conservative district school, even if he tries to be discreet. And I really understand the impulse to keep someone you love from being hurt. I'm a mom - 90% of my non-work time seems to be spent trying to keep the world from crapping on my loved ones. But...
I've learned the really hard lesson about eventually putting that ball gag in my mouth. It's like having a kid who wants to be a dancer or athlete or actor, when you are pretty damned sure they lack an essential skill, perhaps not talent but people skills or stamina or something. You know they're going to get rejected in a painful way. You can tell them all about their other talents, and opportunities and ways to do their passion on the side but... At some point you need to back off. The only thing worse than seeing them rejected and having to pick themselves up from that, is having them know, forever, that they didn't try. That they gave up on a dream because you told them to, out of lack of nerve, or belief in your assessment of their chances, not their own. Kenny needed to stop nagging
The other is very personal - the frame structure really didn't work for me, because one of my own nightmares, that sometimes wakes me in a sweat, is telling overly personal things to people in the stress of making social conversation at an event like a wedding. I love weddings. But the small talk afterward... I blurt out crap I never wanted to tell anyone, in an effort to be social. So for me, imagining that Kenny and Will are telling all this in that setting, even to family? Pure pain. And we kept going there. And going there. So just for me, I really wanted the story linear, without that frame. The end was great. I really, really envy Amy her outgoing personality and warm family, and the way that fills her books. *envy* And I'm grateful for the sweet story of Kenny and Will. And I'm going to reread it, but with a little skipping. So don't let my issue put you off this warm comfort read.
I loved these guys, and their relationship was warm and gradual, with a building sexual tension and a few minor aches of conflict. This is a great comfort read. And because Amy Lane doesn't write the same book over and over, there was a little something new as usual. This time the new was the structure of the tale, told as flashbacks, purportedly in a conversation at the wedding of Will's "Aunt Cara" to her wife Nina.
Two things took off that one star for me. One was the way Kenny kept pushing Will away from his dream of continuing to try teaching fifth grade. Yes, an open-hearted man in a gay relationship isn't likely to last in a conservative district school, even if he tries to be discreet. And I really understand the impulse to keep someone you love from being hurt. I'm a mom - 90% of my non-work time seems to be spent trying to keep the world from crapping on my loved ones. But...
I've learned the really hard lesson about eventually putting that ball gag in my mouth. It's like having a kid who wants to be a dancer or athlete or actor, when you are pretty damned sure they lack an essential skill, perhaps not talent but people skills or stamina or something. You know they're going to get rejected in a painful way. You can tell them all about their other talents, and opportunities and ways to do their passion on the side but... At some point you need to back off. The only thing worse than seeing them rejected and having to pick themselves up from that, is having them know, forever, that they didn't try. That they gave up on a dream because you told them to, out of lack of nerve, or belief in your assessment of their chances, not their own. Kenny needed to stop nagging
The other is very personal - the frame structure really didn't work for me, because one of my own nightmares, that sometimes wakes me in a sweat, is telling overly personal things to people in the stress of making social conversation at an event like a wedding. I love weddings. But the small talk afterward... I blurt out crap I never wanted to tell anyone, in an effort to be social. So for me, imagining that Kenny and Will are telling all this in that setting, even to family? Pure pain. And we kept going there. And going there. So just for me, I really wanted the story linear, without that frame. The end was great. I really, really envy Amy her outgoing personality and warm family, and the way that fills her books. *envy* And I'm grateful for the sweet story of Kenny and Will. And I'm going to reread it, but with a little skipping. So don't let my issue put you off this warm comfort read.
September 17, 2014
Why I waited so long to read this….I don’t know?!?! This was very different from other books I’ve read by this author and I really enjoyed. “Shiny!” was such a cute and fun read and left me with a big goofy grin on my face.
Low in angst and drama, “Shiny!” was a great comfort read. Both, Will and Kenny have a bad day, Will got fired and Kenny found out that his boyfriend is a cheating a**hole. They met each other in funny circumstances and they become fast…actually very fast best friends.
Kenny is openly gay and Will is gay too, but he doesn’t know...yet. When he realize he’s attracted to Kenny, he accepts he’s gay very fast.No dram, nothing. He wants Kenny, he wants to be his friend, his partner, his everything. Kenny wants him too, but in order to be happy he must trust Will and accept that not everybody is like his ex.
I’m not really a fan of flashbacks in my books, but this time it really worked for me. I loved both Will and Kenny and how they relationship progressed from BFF to lovers. They both are lovable and both seemed real to me. Their dialogue is easy to read, sweet and funny at times and their sweet and sexy moments together make me smile the entire time.
The secondary characters are great too - Will’s mom, Cara and her girlfriend and the writing was fantastic.
Overall, I really liked this sweet, fluffy awesome read! I really recommend it!
October 3, 2019
Hilarious!!!!! This book has me laughing out loud constantly!!
I have nooooo idea why I hadn’t picked it up before. Wait, I do. It’s that cover. That hideous cover (IMO). It did nothing for it and I had always passed it up—not even bothering to read the blurb. Well, the joke is on me, now.
The thing is, the cover fits the book pretty well, as does the title (and I didn’t like it either). It’s that whole don’t judge a book by its cover thing. I do. All the time.
So the review for this shiny book without the shiny cover....the way these two meet is hilarious. I won’t say more than the two have had just about the worst day imaginable when they meet.
I didn’t care for the beginning, which sets his story up as a series of flashbacks that the MC’s are regaling friends with at a wedding. Still, it’s a setup for the end of the book.
I totally dug Will, who jumped into his newfound sexuality with GUSTO and total dedication. It was also refreshing that he wasn’t a total specimen of male beauty—although Lane gave him a kick ass body.
Kelly, too, was fun to see grow out of his past hurts and doubts into there man he was meant to be—all because of Will.
So what’s in it for you?
-The FUNNY!!😂😂😂
-Seeing Will’s gay V-card BURN 🔥🔥
-Feed your inner nerd with talk of sci-fi graphic novels
-HEA
This was a TOTAL GEM of a book and I can’t believe I spent so long letting it gather dust in the ether of ebook land (I didn’t even have it on my TBR!).
I have nooooo idea why I hadn’t picked it up before. Wait, I do. It’s that cover. That hideous cover (IMO). It did nothing for it and I had always passed it up—not even bothering to read the blurb. Well, the joke is on me, now.
The thing is, the cover fits the book pretty well, as does the title (and I didn’t like it either). It’s that whole don’t judge a book by its cover thing. I do. All the time.
So the review for this shiny book without the shiny cover....the way these two meet is hilarious. I won’t say more than the two have had just about the worst day imaginable when they meet.
I didn’t care for the beginning, which sets his story up as a series of flashbacks that the MC’s are regaling friends with at a wedding. Still, it’s a setup for the end of the book.
I totally dug Will, who jumped into his newfound sexuality with GUSTO and total dedication. It was also refreshing that he wasn’t a total specimen of male beauty—although Lane gave him a kick ass body.
Kelly, too, was fun to see grow out of his past hurts and doubts into there man he was meant to be—all because of Will.
So what’s in it for you?
-The FUNNY!!😂😂😂
-Seeing Will’s gay V-card BURN 🔥🔥
-Feed your inner nerd with talk of sci-fi graphic novels
-HEA
This was a TOTAL GEM of a book and I can’t believe I spent so long letting it gather dust in the ether of ebook land (I didn’t even have it on my TBR!).
February 27, 2022
Sweet and funny, Amy Lane's Shiny is an opposites attract romance with a first-time-gay twist.
Poor Will thinks he's asexual as his experiences with women have done nothing for him. (As in "don't worry, it happens to all men" kind of cold - ouch.)
Poor Kenny whose cheating boyfriend has left him soured on men in general - but sweetly, clueless (STRAIGHT) Will makes an excellent friend.
Watching these two come together is adorable, and I love the way the whole thing is told as a story.
Tyler Stevens does a wonderful job narrating this one, I love his voice and he can read to me any time.
Poor Will thinks he's asexual as his experiences with women have done nothing for him. (As in "don't worry, it happens to all men" kind of cold - ouch.)
Poor Kenny whose cheating boyfriend has left him soured on men in general - but sweetly, clueless (STRAIGHT) Will makes an excellent friend.
Watching these two come together is adorable, and I love the way the whole thing is told as a story.
Tyler Stevens does a wonderful job narrating this one, I love his voice and he can read to me any time.
February 23, 2014
Adorable MCs and, yes, angst-free!! I loved the story setup with the flashbacks. This was a really great GFY story and these guys are hardcore geeks together.
July 30, 2014
BR with amazing friends!!
4 Fluffy read Stars!
Unangsty Amy Lane,cute, lovely, romance story of Will and Kenny and their journey to a well-deserved ending, these two were just a complete entertainment.
Things I loved:
Will running over Kenny's trashcan with toys! This leads to a funny friendship.
The scene where Will ends up telling Kenny he's been crushing on him!
The text messages.
The kissing!
Thing I didn´t love:
Told in back and forth flashback-type!
Overall, this is not my favourite story but is different from other Amy Lane books I read, and still was a fluffy comfort read !
Special thanks to Isabel and Eva!<3
February 22, 2014
One of those mornings when i got up at 5am even though it was Saturday--because it was also one of those days when my anxiety was bigger than everything else and had staked its claim on the hours I should have been sleeping--i decided to read this book.
And I met Kenny. Shiny, shiny Kenny, who I think has some anxiety issues himself. And I met Will, the big sturdy guy with an inexplicable corduroy wardrobe and a heart so big it could give my anxiety a run for its money. And everything was shiny, and their story was so sweet and oh, Kenny cries at weddings, and oh shit, the Amy Lane stealth attack.
Because all of a sudden my empathy for these characters was bigger than my anxiety, and I was actually lifted out of own thoughts and into something much happier and damn it where did all these tears come from?
Fuck.
Yes, we can say fuck, Will.
Anyway, that's all I ever want from a book.
And I met Kenny. Shiny, shiny Kenny, who I think has some anxiety issues himself. And I met Will, the big sturdy guy with an inexplicable corduroy wardrobe and a heart so big it could give my anxiety a run for its money. And everything was shiny, and their story was so sweet and oh, Kenny cries at weddings, and oh shit, the Amy Lane stealth attack.
Because all of a sudden my empathy for these characters was bigger than my anxiety, and I was actually lifted out of own thoughts and into something much happier and damn it where did all these tears come from?
Fuck.
Yes, we can say fuck, Will.
Anyway, that's all I ever want from a book.
February 25, 2014
3.5 stars. I dunno, for some reason I had a hard time connecting with this one. Usually Amy Lane books suck me in and don't let go until I've read every last word. The fact that it took me 4 days to read this 200 page book says a lot. I keep getting distracted and finding other things to do. If it wasn't an Amy Lane book, I'm afraid I would have DNF'd it.
It was a very sweet, low angst read. I liked Will and Kenny and I liked the message of the story, but it wasn't one of my favorite reads :(
It was a very sweet, low angst read. I liked Will and Kenny and I liked the message of the story, but it wasn't one of my favorite reads :(
February 26, 2014
So much fun! I adored the whole story from the beginning right through to the very last page. Wonderful characters, some great lines and a unique way of telling the story of Will and Kenny.
I loved the way the story of how Will and Kenny met, moved first to friends and then to lovers, was woven through the book as they tell the story to friends at a family wedding.
There was something about Will that I found particularly appealing but Kenny was gorgeous too and I just loved seeing them together!
The tone of the book was really set from the moment they meet each other over the spilled contents of Kenny's garbage bin - and oh my, what contents!
Here are a couple of my favourite lines from the book....
Visit my blog if you want to see all my m/m reviews in one place! Because Two Men Are Better Than One!
I loved the way the story of how Will and Kenny met, moved first to friends and then to lovers, was woven through the book as they tell the story to friends at a family wedding.
There was something about Will that I found particularly appealing but Kenny was gorgeous too and I just loved seeing them together!
The tone of the book was really set from the moment they meet each other over the spilled contents of Kenny's garbage bin - and oh my, what contents!
Here are a couple of my favourite lines from the book....
"You don't look gay," Joey said suspiciously.
Will blinked. Well, that was new. "Maybe I'm just really, really happy inside," Will responded with a bright smile.”
"You're gay!" she shrilled, and he pulled the phone away from his ear. "How in the hell do you know you're gay?"
He smiled a little to himself. It was sort of private information, but he figured he owed her a little after the last four months. "Because when I look at pictures of naked men, my penis goes off like a roman candle," he said frankly, and that was when she hung up."
Visit my blog if you want to see all my m/m reviews in one place! Because Two Men Are Better Than One!
March 26, 2014
Now I know Amy Lane is supposed to be the queen of angst, although since I usually avoid angst like the plague, that could be a rumor. But I do know that she is also the queen of sweet, funny, fluffy and Shiny goodness.
Kenny and Will, it shouldn't work, but boy does it!
"But… but…,” Kenny sputtered, “I’m gay!” Will laughed and shook his head. “Yeah, but at least you’re not a witch,” he said and reached down to gather the rest of the weirdness from the road.”
They really understand each other! they enjoy the same things and they are so good for each other. I loved seeing their friendship and then more develop.
“For a moment Kenny considered being overwhelmed, but then he realized that not only did Will speak his language, he apparently lived in Kenny’s home country.”
It's told sort of backwards. We start at the end and find out how we get there.
“He was just such a nice man. Kenny did snarky—he got snarky. But Will was just so… so… sweet.”
“You’re… you’re like the friend I always wanted and never thought I could have!”
If you want a happy sweet book that will leave you with a smile on your face, then this might be the book for you! :)
Kenny and Will, it shouldn't work, but boy does it!
"But… but…,” Kenny sputtered, “I’m gay!” Will laughed and shook his head. “Yeah, but at least you’re not a witch,” he said and reached down to gather the rest of the weirdness from the road.”
They really understand each other! they enjoy the same things and they are so good for each other. I loved seeing their friendship and then more develop.
“For a moment Kenny considered being overwhelmed, but then he realized that not only did Will speak his language, he apparently lived in Kenny’s home country.”
It's told sort of backwards. We start at the end and find out how we get there.
“He was just such a nice man. Kenny did snarky—he got snarky. But Will was just so… so… sweet.”
“You’re… you’re like the friend I always wanted and never thought I could have!”
If you want a happy sweet book that will leave you with a smile on your face, then this might be the book for you! :)
March 14, 2016
Want to have a good time...
then read this book. If you've read Amy Lane then I probably don't really need to say anything more. But if you haven't and you enjoy the m/m genre you are missing out...seriously and Shiny is a very good place to start to fix that.
Will and Kenny meet at what for each of them is a low point in their lives but also a very fortuitous one. This is not insta-love. It's two men who meet and connect as friends and discover that they have more in common than just a bad day...a really bad day. Will has been let go from his teaching job. A job that he loves and Kenny has come home to find his partner sharing his love in their bed with another man. As Will is leaving his job for the last time he backs into Kenny's trash can spilling it's rather unusual contents onto the street and this is how our MCs meet for the first time. An unlikely meeting to be sure but one that Ms Lane turns into a wonderful tale of friends to lovers.
As always Amy Lane has filled her story with believable characters that make you want to share their journey. Will and Kenny are the guy next door and not straight off of the cover of GQ. They're not independently wealthy or self made millionaires. Will is struggling to keep himself in his craptastic little apartment with his teaching job and a web design business he has on the side; while Kenny has just started to really establish his career as a graphic designer and lives in a small little house located across the road from the school where Will was working in a slightly questionable neighbourhood.
Neither of these men were the captain of the football team or track stars, they're not from the popular in-crowd that everyone wants to be a part of. They're just nice everyday average men who want what most of us want a job that pays the bills and someone to share their everyday lives with anything more is a bonus, a little icing on their cake.
I enjoy a good makin' it with the millionaire or a hot biker dude or even a good highlander story like everyone else after all that's why I read fiction so I can fall into a story about something that will take me away from the everyday world but sometimes it's really nice to read a story about someone from the everyday world finding slice of their own happiness as well and if it happens to be laced with a nice dose of humor and I'm left smiling and happy at the end of the story and my faith in the fact that it's ok to be just an everyday person has been reaffirmed in my eyes that's a story worth reading.
and if that doesn't convince you there's the fact that Kenny reads Jim Butcher (yes, I am a Jim Butcher fan so this did make me squee a bit) or maybe you want to find out why Will was wondering this...
'How could he have had a cock for twenty-eight years and never known that they were the best playground equipment known to man?'
You'll never know if you don't read the book because I'm not telling ;)
then read this book. If you've read Amy Lane then I probably don't really need to say anything more. But if you haven't and you enjoy the m/m genre you are missing out...seriously and Shiny is a very good place to start to fix that.
Will and Kenny meet at what for each of them is a low point in their lives but also a very fortuitous one. This is not insta-love. It's two men who meet and connect as friends and discover that they have more in common than just a bad day...a really bad day. Will has been let go from his teaching job. A job that he loves and Kenny has come home to find his partner sharing his love in their bed with another man. As Will is leaving his job for the last time he backs into Kenny's trash can spilling it's rather unusual contents onto the street and this is how our MCs meet for the first time. An unlikely meeting to be sure but one that Ms Lane turns into a wonderful tale of friends to lovers.
As always Amy Lane has filled her story with believable characters that make you want to share their journey. Will and Kenny are the guy next door and not straight off of the cover of GQ. They're not independently wealthy or self made millionaires. Will is struggling to keep himself in his craptastic little apartment with his teaching job and a web design business he has on the side; while Kenny has just started to really establish his career as a graphic designer and lives in a small little house located across the road from the school where Will was working in a slightly questionable neighbourhood.
Neither of these men were the captain of the football team or track stars, they're not from the popular in-crowd that everyone wants to be a part of. They're just nice everyday average men who want what most of us want a job that pays the bills and someone to share their everyday lives with anything more is a bonus, a little icing on their cake.
I enjoy a good makin' it with the millionaire or a hot biker dude or even a good highlander story like everyone else after all that's why I read fiction so I can fall into a story about something that will take me away from the everyday world but sometimes it's really nice to read a story about someone from the everyday world finding slice of their own happiness as well and if it happens to be laced with a nice dose of humor and I'm left smiling and happy at the end of the story and my faith in the fact that it's ok to be just an everyday person has been reaffirmed in my eyes that's a story worth reading.
and if that doesn't convince you there's the fact that Kenny reads Jim Butcher (yes, I am a Jim Butcher fan so this did make me squee a bit) or maybe you want to find out why Will was wondering this...
'How could he have had a cock for twenty-eight years and never known that they were the best playground equipment known to man?'
You'll never know if you don't read the book because I'm not telling ;)
February 26, 2014
Pretty adorable with enough heart to make you smile wide.
Will and Kenny's romance is sweet. It starts off funny and a bit campy and trundles right along to charming and then jump in with both feet to downright adorbs! Loved the guys and the pace of the story, but I had two things which detracted from their awesomeness. First, the structure of the story. It starts off one way and then for obvious reasons needs to change course and while still charming the jumping back and forth took a toll on my train of thought and enjoyment. Second, unless it is a manifesto I find soapbox speeches annoying even if I agree with them. It is like suddenly having a Greek chorus pipe in and again, took me out of the story. Chuck those two bits and I loved the story.
Favorite quote:
Will and Kenny's romance is sweet. It starts off funny and a bit campy and trundles right along to charming and then jump in with both feet to downright adorbs! Loved the guys and the pace of the story, but I had two things which detracted from their awesomeness. First, the structure of the story. It starts off one way and then for obvious reasons needs to change course and while still charming the jumping back and forth took a toll on my train of thought and enjoyment. Second, unless it is a manifesto I find soapbox speeches annoying even if I agree with them. It is like suddenly having a Greek chorus pipe in and again, took me out of the story. Chuck those two bits and I loved the story.
Favorite quote:
“If it had happened sooner, I wouldn’t have known what I had.”
November 7, 2014
3.5
A sweet, silly story to make you smile. Will and Kenny were adorable and I just wanted to hug them.
That said, I really don't like the use of flashbacks to tell a story. The scenes set in the present were confusing and the constant back and forth between present and past was disorienting. I loved the scenes set in the past so I particularly resented being pulled back into the present. In addition to the flashbacks, I also had some issues with different word choices, but overall, I enjoyed the writing and the story.
Side note:
I really don't like it when grown men call their mothers "mommy".
I do like it when men whimper and make desperate little noises :)
A sweet, silly story to make you smile. Will and Kenny were adorable and I just wanted to hug them.
That said, I really don't like the use of flashbacks to tell a story. The scenes set in the present were confusing and the constant back and forth between present and past was disorienting. I loved the scenes set in the past so I particularly resented being pulled back into the present. In addition to the flashbacks, I also had some issues with different word choices, but overall, I enjoyed the writing and the story.
Side note:
I really don't like it when grown men call their mothers "mommy".
I do like it when men whimper and make desperate little noises :)
April 2, 2014
Ok, that was pretty much as adorable as everybody else says. Just shy of being toooooo sweet for me, but I knew it would be going in, so I ate up the cuteness. It had just enough depth, especially for Kenny, to keep it real and Will is a great character, I just loved him. There were a few conversations that jumped around and I got a little lost with the direction, but not too much that I couldn't infer where a character was going. I can definitely see this as going on a comfort/reread shelf for those times when you just need a book hug (with added sexy times of course).
August 11, 2021
Meh. 2.5 stars. Waaaay too many exclamation marks. This one left me rather bored after the initial interesting couple of first chapters. The delivery format, told in flashbacks introduced at the start of each chapter, was nifty, creative, and it flowed well. Too bad the characters were kinda irritating. Didn't really connect with either man.
February 20, 2014
Low on angst, especially for a Amy Lane book, but super cute romance with two nicely developed MCs and some important lessons to boot. What's not to love?
Full review on Booklikes and my blog.
Full review on Booklikes and my blog.
February 22, 2014
4.25
Awwww, I'm officially in fluff land right now, with sugary clouds all around and little hearts sprinkled all over. This was so cute! And funny. And lovely. And exactly, EXACTLY what I needed.
There's no angst in here, no stupid miscommunications, no drama, no stubborn denial. This is all good. And the best part is - it's still fabulous and entertaining to read. I'm not usually a fan of the "telling-a-story-by-way-of-flashbacks" trope, but it works here and I enjoyed the hell out of it. And let's be honest - it wasn't too big a spoiler to know Will and Kenny would get out of this in happy and blissful togetherness.
If there's any shortcoming for me, it was the length. While this was almost ridiculously easy to read, flowing from one scene to the next until you read 50 pages without even noticing, there were a few moments it felt a little bit lengthy to me. I admit though that even mentioning it is a bit nit-pickerish of me :-D
This was the perfect read in between all the heavier, more adventurous and emotionally draining stuff - and I loved it! Thanks for that little breather, Amy Lane!
Awwww, I'm officially in fluff land right now, with sugary clouds all around and little hearts sprinkled all over. This was so cute! And funny. And lovely. And exactly, EXACTLY what I needed.
There's no angst in here, no stupid miscommunications, no drama, no stubborn denial. This is all good. And the best part is - it's still fabulous and entertaining to read. I'm not usually a fan of the "telling-a-story-by-way-of-flashbacks" trope, but it works here and I enjoyed the hell out of it. And let's be honest - it wasn't too big a spoiler to know Will and Kenny would get out of this in happy and blissful togetherness.
If there's any shortcoming for me, it was the length. While this was almost ridiculously easy to read, flowing from one scene to the next until you read 50 pages without even noticing, there were a few moments it felt a little bit lengthy to me. I admit though that even mentioning it is a bit nit-pickerish of me :-D
This was the perfect read in between all the heavier, more adventurous and emotionally draining stuff - and I loved it! Thanks for that little breather, Amy Lane!
March 25, 2014
The geek in me LOVES this! :)
May 28, 2015
I kind of liked it, and then I kind of didn't, then I did
I wanted to like it, but the OTTness of the story really blinded me at times.
Amy Lanes writing is still stellar though
I wanted to like it, but the OTTness of the story really blinded me at times.
Amy Lanes writing is still stellar though
November 21, 2017
4.5 Stars
This book is over the top, adorable, sweet, hot, comfort read fun. I liked it a whole bunch.
The storytelling mode really worked as the narrative was set for most of the book in telling someone their love story. It had great pacing. The "cute meet" was super funny.
The fact that Will just realizes he is gay is a little not realistic in a whipped cream of a love story, I roll with it.
Will and Kenny have great character development but the star of this book is their romance.
They become friends. They do an awesome project together. They date. They move in. They get in engaged. Its everything. Tons of relationship building so you believe in their love and plenty of sexy and non sexy couple time.
This book is over the top, adorable, sweet, hot, comfort read fun. I liked it a whole bunch.
The storytelling mode really worked as the narrative was set for most of the book in telling someone their love story. It had great pacing. The "cute meet" was super funny.
The fact that Will just realizes he is gay is a little not realistic in a whipped cream of a love story, I roll with it.
Will and Kenny have great character development but the star of this book is their romance.
They become friends. They do an awesome project together. They date. They move in. They get in engaged. Its everything. Tons of relationship building so you believe in their love and plenty of sexy and non sexy couple time.
March 17, 2014
Super cute and fun read! I really enjoyed this humorous and sweet story, between Kenny and Will... who form a friendship after meeting on a 'down on their luck' kind of day.
"I mean like you're a really good person. Like... you are that sweet. You are that special. It's like... like I never used to believe in God before, except he made you knock over my trash can.
"I mean like you're a really good person. Like... you are that sweet. You are that special. It's like... like I never used to believe in God before, except he made you knock over my trash can.
February 23, 2014
I have a particular fondness for unangsty Amy Lane and this book was delightful.
March 27, 2014
Too adorable for words...♥♥♥
March 14, 2014
This is kind of a surprise for me. I started reading this thinking I would fall head over heels in love with it. And I waited and waited for it to happen, but it never did. Don't get me wrong, it's a really sweet book and the characters were likable, and this book should have worked for me... But it didn't.
So the story switched from the present to the past, and back again. That was how the story was told, which didn't bother me. Sometimes it does work, sometimes it doesn't, and it worked here. But the overall story and feeling was just okay for me. There's nothing wrong with okay, but it's not exactly amazing or fantastic either. So that was disappointing. And the story was the same for me. Just okay. I didn't really feel overly attached to the story, and even though the characters likable, I didn't overly love them either. Well, Will was sweet and cute, but he wasn't enough for me to really enjoy the story.
Now for the things I liked... I liked the ease of the story. It was probably one of the easiest stories this author has written. I liked the fact the MC's became friends and then more. And I liked how easy it was for Will and his mother to accept him being gay. I thought it was a nice change from the direction way most OFY/GFY stories tend to go in.
Overall, this is definitely not my favorite Amy Lane story, but it's not my least favorite. It was just okay. But I have no doubt others will probably love this story and it is nice. It just didn't work for me, which is unfortunate. I would recommend it to others, though.
So the story switched from the present to the past, and back again. That was how the story was told, which didn't bother me. Sometimes it does work, sometimes it doesn't, and it worked here. But the overall story and feeling was just okay for me. There's nothing wrong with okay, but it's not exactly amazing or fantastic either. So that was disappointing. And the story was the same for me. Just okay. I didn't really feel overly attached to the story, and even though the characters likable, I didn't overly love them either. Well, Will was sweet and cute, but he wasn't enough for me to really enjoy the story.
Now for the things I liked... I liked the ease of the story. It was probably one of the easiest stories this author has written. I liked the fact the MC's became friends and then more. And I liked how easy it was for Will and his mother to accept him being gay. I thought it was a nice change from the direction way most OFY/GFY stories tend to go in.
Overall, this is definitely not my favorite Amy Lane story, but it's not my least favorite. It was just okay. But I have no doubt others will probably love this story and it is nice. It just didn't work for me, which is unfortunate. I would recommend it to others, though.
November 11, 2014
Review to come...
Kenny
Will
tender
warm
fluffy
and shiny
BR with Barbara and Isabel here
Thank you to my sweet friends for the continuing Amy Lane-fest.
Kenny
Will
tender
warm
fluffy
and shiny
BR with Barbara and Isabel here
Thank you to my sweet friends for the continuing Amy Lane-fest.
April 21, 2015
I liked this one!
I liked most of it. The story, the characters, Will was amazing. He's the type of guy I would really want to be with. Not sure if I liked Kenny though. The teacher struggle thing here was quite interesting. The nerdy stuff could be more nerdy though.
The problem I had with this was I liked it, but I'm not sure if I loved it. I settled with I liked it. And Ms. Lane's jumping timeline writing that annoyed me on Chase In Shadow haunted me here. It's not that bad but I noticed it. And there are times that I can't follow through the characters' thoughts and the story. I also asked myself how Cara and Nina took the time off from their wedding reception to listen to a story that they should have already known?
Overall, it is still a good read. If you want to dab on some nice OFY story, you can go with this one.
3.5 STARS.
August 14, 2014
A sweet enough GFY story about how two adorkable men met over a golden dildo and fell deeply in love. Sounds like a hilarious premise, right?! But somehow the book wasn't as funny as I was expecting it to be. It also wasn't as sweet as I was expecting it to be. And I knew it wasn't going to be particularly angsty, so that left me with a rather middle of the road story emotionally.
It's told in a flashback style reminiscent of How I Met Your Mother, which I enjoyed, but sometimes the narrative look unnecessary side trips that slowed the pacing.
Ultimately, Shiny! did the job and passed the time, but wasn't particularly memorable.
It's told in a flashback style reminiscent of How I Met Your Mother, which I enjoyed, but sometimes the narrative look unnecessary side trips that slowed the pacing.
Ultimately, Shiny! did the job and passed the time, but wasn't particularly memorable.
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