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Never Met a Stranger
English professor Gavin Dozier hasn’t had much luck when it comes to love. When his last boyfriend cheated on him, he was driven to experiment with women. Sex with Marian, though, had its own dangers, and before he knew it, he was a father. Now estranged, the only thing Gavin and Marian have in common is their daughter Evie, a precocious seven-year-old who stays with Gavin every other weekend.
While out with her daddy, Evie meets the heavily-tattooed Brody Phelps, a sketch artist with serious talent who still dresses like a brooding punk rocker, even though he’s in his thirties. Brody is instantly attracted to the sexy college professor, but knows Gavin is out of his league -- the man has a kid, which probably means he isn’t gay, and besides, Brody never even graduated from high school. Guys like Gavin don’t go for guys like him.
But when Evie leaves Gavin’s cell phone behind, Brody has the perfect excuse to meet up with them again. To his surprise they hit it off, and when he asks Gavin out, the professor accepts.
Even though Evie brought them together, will her demanding personality pull them apart? Is Gavin ready to trust his heart to someone else again? Can Brody overcome his own fears of inadequacy and let Gavin in? And what will Marian have to say when the father of her child starts dating again?
While out with her daddy, Evie meets the heavily-tattooed Brody Phelps, a sketch artist with serious talent who still dresses like a brooding punk rocker, even though he’s in his thirties. Brody is instantly attracted to the sexy college professor, but knows Gavin is out of his league -- the man has a kid, which probably means he isn’t gay, and besides, Brody never even graduated from high school. Guys like Gavin don’t go for guys like him.
But when Evie leaves Gavin’s cell phone behind, Brody has the perfect excuse to meet up with them again. To his surprise they hit it off, and when he asks Gavin out, the professor accepts.
Even though Evie brought them together, will her demanding personality pull them apart? Is Gavin ready to trust his heart to someone else again? Can Brody overcome his own fears of inadequacy and let Gavin in? And what will Marian have to say when the father of her child starts dating again?
194 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2014
4 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
J.M. Snyder
302 books567 followersAn author of gay erotic/romantic fiction, J.M. Snyder began in self-publishing and worked with Amber Allure, Aspen Mountain, eXcessica, and Torquere Presses.
Snyder's highly erotic short gay fiction has been published online at Amazon Shorts, Eros Monthly, Ruthie's Club, and Tit-Elation, as well as in anthologies by Alyson Books, Aspen Mountain, Cleis Press, eXcessica Publishing, Lethe Press, and Ravenous Romance.
In 2010, Snyder founded JMS Books LLC, a royalty-paying queer small press that publishes in both electronic and print format. For more information on newest releases and submission guidelines, please visit JMS Books LLC online.
Snyder's highly erotic short gay fiction has been published online at Amazon Shorts, Eros Monthly, Ruthie's Club, and Tit-Elation, as well as in anthologies by Alyson Books, Aspen Mountain, Cleis Press, eXcessica Publishing, Lethe Press, and Ravenous Romance.
In 2010, Snyder founded JMS Books LLC, a royalty-paying queer small press that publishes in both electronic and print format. For more information on newest releases and submission guidelines, please visit JMS Books LLC online.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 21, 2014
Really, between three and four stars on my scale. Three is not enough, in my opinion. What did I like about this little story? It was not complicated and there was minimal angst and I believe it may be difficult to write interesting stories with little drama. The challenges between the protagonists were interestingly written and entertaining. There is a wine swilling ex wife and an interrupting toddler. Myself being a mother who would like more of a love life, I feel the author did an impressive job demonstrating how in-your-face is an actual four year old daughter. In so many stories, the children seem ineffectual to the plot and often just plain irritating. While it is apparent this little girl is irritating, she is not irritating to read about (hope that makes sense). Her behavior is written with humor and realism. The characters interact well. There are the expected ups and downs of all romance novels, but the entire story has an uplifting and encouraging feel to it. A great read for a rainy day when you cannot work on improving your own love life!
June 19, 2014
REVIEWED FOR PRISM BOOK ALLIANCE
3.75
This is a very easy and simple story about how opposites truly attract.
English Professor Gavin Dozier was left hurting when his last boyfriend cheated on him. Experimentation led him to women and this just further complicated his life. Marian filled a gap in his life when he was horny and now he has a 7 year old daughter.
7 year old Evie is the funniest character in the book. She is outgoing, sassy and has tantrums constantly. I was tired just reading about her antics. Due to the fact that she is such a handful there have never been many arguements between her parents over custody. Marian seemed only too pleased to let spend every other weekend with her father just to recharge her batteries.
Evie is the catalyst that brings together her father and Brody Phelps when the very forward young lady starts quizzing him about his artwork. Outwardly Brody is nothing like Gavin. Dressed all in black, pierced and covered in tattoos, at first glance you would think neither man has anything in common with the other. But Brody is a gentle soul whose biggest desire in life is to bring people happiness with his art. Brodys self deprecation tells him someone like Gavin would never be interested in anyone like him, but takes the chance and reaches out anyway.
Gavin immediately sees past the outward persona that frightens off so many people and a slow romance blooms between the two, when Evie will give them any peace. The other side this story gives you is just how difficult being a single parent can be. Not just the constant exhaustion we all experience raising children but the way it impacts on all areas of your life.
The only real interference to their new relationship comes from Marian. A lonely and sometimes bitter woman who finds it difficult to meet new people and lives with the mindset that being with Gavin even though he doesn’t love her, is better than being by herself. Gavin and Brody tread carefully through all these minefields and are hopeful they will come out stronger and together at the end.
3.75
This is a very easy and simple story about how opposites truly attract.
English Professor Gavin Dozier was left hurting when his last boyfriend cheated on him. Experimentation led him to women and this just further complicated his life. Marian filled a gap in his life when he was horny and now he has a 7 year old daughter.
7 year old Evie is the funniest character in the book. She is outgoing, sassy and has tantrums constantly. I was tired just reading about her antics. Due to the fact that she is such a handful there have never been many arguements between her parents over custody. Marian seemed only too pleased to let spend every other weekend with her father just to recharge her batteries.
Evie is the catalyst that brings together her father and Brody Phelps when the very forward young lady starts quizzing him about his artwork. Outwardly Brody is nothing like Gavin. Dressed all in black, pierced and covered in tattoos, at first glance you would think neither man has anything in common with the other. But Brody is a gentle soul whose biggest desire in life is to bring people happiness with his art. Brodys self deprecation tells him someone like Gavin would never be interested in anyone like him, but takes the chance and reaches out anyway.
Gavin immediately sees past the outward persona that frightens off so many people and a slow romance blooms between the two, when Evie will give them any peace. The other side this story gives you is just how difficult being a single parent can be. Not just the constant exhaustion we all experience raising children but the way it impacts on all areas of your life.
The only real interference to their new relationship comes from Marian. A lonely and sometimes bitter woman who finds it difficult to meet new people and lives with the mindset that being with Gavin even though he doesn’t love her, is better than being by herself. Gavin and Brody tread carefully through all these minefields and are hopeful they will come out stronger and together at the end.
September 5, 2014
This was a good book but it just didn't wow me like I was hoping it would.
September 26, 2016
I love stories where one (or both) of the MCs has a child. But this story exhausted me. The child in the story was overly exuberant and loud, and honestly, a bit whiny and entitled. This is all probably true to form for an only child, but it still made her stand out more than even the two MCs. Wish there could have been more story with the two MCs as there was a time skip in the beginning of the relationship. I also didn't particularly enjoy the third person present tense POV as it felt awkward to read. However, overall, it was not a bad story.
June 1, 2014
Original Blog Post: http://www.multitaskingmommas.com/201...
My Rating 3.5 of 5 Stars
This was a nice little story about a man and his child, his baby mama and his boyfriend. As single parents, Gavin and Marian were faced with the challenge of raising their little girl by sharing responsibilities. Marian was surprisingly the clingy one and had a lot of drama on the side which, fortunately, never overwhelmed the romance developing between Gavin and Brody.
Brody, despite his history and appearance, was the surprising character for having the least problems. Maybe because he was not a parent and maybe because his personality was laid back and relaxed. He took things one day at a time and lived with it. Having Gavin in his life was a surprise but once he realized this is the man for him, he made sure to never let go.
Gavin had a lot of things going on in his life, but once again, he is the type of personality who takes things easy. He is not very laid back but he appears to be so. His patience is so strong and long I found myself jealous.
The complication, but not really a complication, was Evie. This little girl is bratty, irritating, intelligent, fun loving, giving, has a heart of gold and so accepting. She acts her age and despite her not so functional family, she was surprisingly well-adjusted. And terribly intelligent.
The interaction between these characters was a delight to read. They were a normal people who lived their lives daily and just went with the flow They had their ups, their downs, their ice creams and movies. They had fights, too, but not that much. All such a normal family.
This is a really different romantic read for there is nothing outstanding in the lives of these characters and yet reading about them was simply fascinating. It's simplicity was key to entertaining me and before I knew it, the end was reached and life was good.
My Rating 3.5 of 5 Stars
This was a nice little story about a man and his child, his baby mama and his boyfriend. As single parents, Gavin and Marian were faced with the challenge of raising their little girl by sharing responsibilities. Marian was surprisingly the clingy one and had a lot of drama on the side which, fortunately, never overwhelmed the romance developing between Gavin and Brody.
Brody, despite his history and appearance, was the surprising character for having the least problems. Maybe because he was not a parent and maybe because his personality was laid back and relaxed. He took things one day at a time and lived with it. Having Gavin in his life was a surprise but once he realized this is the man for him, he made sure to never let go.
Gavin had a lot of things going on in his life, but once again, he is the type of personality who takes things easy. He is not very laid back but he appears to be so. His patience is so strong and long I found myself jealous.
The complication, but not really a complication, was Evie. This little girl is bratty, irritating, intelligent, fun loving, giving, has a heart of gold and so accepting. She acts her age and despite her not so functional family, she was surprisingly well-adjusted. And terribly intelligent.
The interaction between these characters was a delight to read. They were a normal people who lived their lives daily and just went with the flow They had their ups, their downs, their ice creams and movies. They had fights, too, but not that much. All such a normal family.
This is a really different romantic read for there is nothing outstanding in the lives of these characters and yet reading about them was simply fascinating. It's simplicity was key to entertaining me and before I knew it, the end was reached and life was good.
September 30, 2016
Ok but..
Seemed to move slow in some parts. As a parent of an 8yr old, I thought the kid in the story was a completely spoiled brat. OMG. Reading parts that included her was like nails on a chalkboard. For such a short book, it seemed to drag on and on.
Seemed to move slow in some parts. As a parent of an 8yr old, I thought the kid in the story was a completely spoiled brat. OMG. Reading parts that included her was like nails on a chalkboard. For such a short book, it seemed to drag on and on.
September 12, 2016
The kid was to prominent in this story and this took away time for the main characters and i didn't like that.
September 19, 2016
Simple PG 13 mm with a bratty kid. As they say "If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all." This one just didn't work for me. 2.5 rounded up.
September 24, 2016
This was seriously adorable, if you are allergic to angst, this is a book for you :-)
This book is definitely in my happy place list!
This book is definitely in my happy place list!
November 16, 2016
An easy and non complicated read
November 5, 2014
2.5*
April 19, 2017
Good God, this kid was a pain! Even the MC father wondered at one point why she was acting much younger than her 7 years. I'd expect this behaviour from a 3 or 4 year old and, in a 7 year old, it's just annoying and bratty.
However, after meeting her mother, it seems she comes by her immaturity honestly. Mother throws a tantrum every time we meet her and it's even more unattractive in a middle aged woman. She does undergo a magical instant transformation from harpy to supportive ex mid-paragraph though so... there's that.
Father was bland, ineffective, and a doormat that his ex and his daughter stomped their feet on regularly.
The only redeemable character was the love interest and I was begging him to RUN for most of the story.
However, after meeting her mother, it seems she comes by her immaturity honestly. Mother throws a tantrum every time we meet her and it's even more unattractive in a middle aged woman. She does undergo a magical instant transformation from harpy to supportive ex mid-paragraph though so... there's that.
Father was bland, ineffective, and a doormat that his ex and his daughter stomped their feet on regularly.
The only redeemable character was the love interest and I was begging him to RUN for most of the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews