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The Surgeon's Apprentice
Alex is a ditzy but adorable final-year medical student, whose sex life seems doomed to fantasies about Hollywood hunks and abuse and misuse of the mirror in his bedroom. Then along comes blond and blue-eyed Will, all sinewy muscles, a gorgeous face and a top orthopaedic surgeon to boot, but equally hopeless when it comes to love. Their first encounter in his clinic is almost ruined by an embarrassing incident with a pair of disposable briefs, but mutual attraction prevails and brings them together. When ghosts from Will's past threaten their future together and all looks lost, Alex devises a plan to save Will’s reputation. But will love be enough to save the day and win Alex the man of his dreams? Or will he be doomed to eating his favorite apple crumble all alone-–with lashings of crème anglaise, of course.
- GenresM M RomanceContemporary
148 pages, Paperback
First published May 21, 2014
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198 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 19, 2014
The Surgeon’s Apprentice
Richard Longfellow
3.5 stars
A delightful little slip of a book, made even more appealing to me because it is British and thus I read it with imagined accents, only adding to my pleasure.
Alex and Will, the medical student and the surgeon. A decade apart in professional experience, but on the same page in terms of emotional and sexual experience.
Now, I can hardly remember what it’s like to be 23 or 32 anymore, but even with coming-out memories locked in the 1970s it was mildly unbelievable to me that neither of these very appealing young men would have been so, um, unpracticed.
But, that’s romance writing for you.
Indeed, there were very compelling reasons in both protagonists’ backstories. And, after all, they ARE British, and thus reticent and diffident and all those lovely self-effacing words.
But, most importantly, both men are likable. Lovable,even. Alex is smart, but, as he says himself, a little ditzy (not, in my mind, a British word, but he uses it himself) and just a wee bit fey. Will, also smart, is scared. Hiding both behind and from his masculine sexiness, some of his fears are well-founded; others are entirely in his mind.
For a short novella without huge amounts of angst or conflict, there is a goodly fund of action and emotional unfolding. I guess my largest complaint for Mr. Longfellow is that he really should have made this into a full-length novel, because the characters and the situation are very much worth it. There were depths upon which he chose not to expand, and it left me feeling a little superficial, a little bit as if everything happened too fast and too easily.
I readily recommend this lovely book, but acknowledge in all candor that I wish it had been more, because there was more there.
I do want to read more of Mr. Longfellow’s work.
Richard Longfellow
3.5 stars
A delightful little slip of a book, made even more appealing to me because it is British and thus I read it with imagined accents, only adding to my pleasure.
Alex and Will, the medical student and the surgeon. A decade apart in professional experience, but on the same page in terms of emotional and sexual experience.
Now, I can hardly remember what it’s like to be 23 or 32 anymore, but even with coming-out memories locked in the 1970s it was mildly unbelievable to me that neither of these very appealing young men would have been so, um, unpracticed.
But, that’s romance writing for you.
Indeed, there were very compelling reasons in both protagonists’ backstories. And, after all, they ARE British, and thus reticent and diffident and all those lovely self-effacing words.
But, most importantly, both men are likable. Lovable,even. Alex is smart, but, as he says himself, a little ditzy (not, in my mind, a British word, but he uses it himself) and just a wee bit fey. Will, also smart, is scared. Hiding both behind and from his masculine sexiness, some of his fears are well-founded; others are entirely in his mind.
For a short novella without huge amounts of angst or conflict, there is a goodly fund of action and emotional unfolding. I guess my largest complaint for Mr. Longfellow is that he really should have made this into a full-length novel, because the characters and the situation are very much worth it. There were depths upon which he chose not to expand, and it left me feeling a little superficial, a little bit as if everything happened too fast and too easily.
I readily recommend this lovely book, but acknowledge in all candor that I wish it had been more, because there was more there.
I do want to read more of Mr. Longfellow’s work.
May 22, 2014
Take a bit of Grey's Anatomy, add in a bit of kinky sweet and sexy m/m loving, and mix in some British color and colloquialisms and you get The Surgeon's Apprentice. It's a fast-paced story that includes everything and the kitchen sink and keeps you entertained every step of the way with its non-stop twists and turns.
Alex is the bubbly young med student who's sweetly endearing as he critiques his looks and love life. He knows he's not a studly catch but you can't help but like him for his truthful candor. He longs to have a full love life and thinks he finally has the chance when he meets the older and seemingly wiser surgeon, Will. Though Alex thinks Will doesn't feel the same it's not long before fate brings them together in a relationship that moves at warp speed. Through all their ups and downs Alex kept his energetic and happy go lucky outlook at life. He never let anything get him down and pushed Will to grasp the happier moments in life.
Will is the serious-minded surgeon in public but behind the scenes he's tormented by his past which leaves him questioning his future. Though he knows he shouldn't, he can't help but be drawn to the irreverent and charming Alex. His past has kept him from embracing his love life fully but with Alex he feels safe to explore. He discovers they're more similar than they thought as they both have had image issues, but together they find mutual support. As their mutual explorations become hotter their connection becomes deeper. As the student becomes the teacher things also get more complicated though in a story that's ultimately sweet, sexy, suspenseful, with a bit of mutual kink that makes for a very HEA.
There's a lot that happens in this story, too much at times. Their whole relationship seemed to take place within a few weeks which stretched the credibility a bit. Though it's a quick journey, it's also an entertaining one with its likable and colorful characters whose age difference helps rather than hurts their connection. Though Will is older he hasn't really been living. It takes the kindhearted Alex to show him how to live life to the fullest. This made for a story that not only put a smile on my face but kept me guessing along the way which kept me glued to the pages. Ultimately Mr. Longfellow crafted not a great read, but a good one that has me looking forward to what he comes up with next.
3.75 STARS!
Alex is the bubbly young med student who's sweetly endearing as he critiques his looks and love life. He knows he's not a studly catch but you can't help but like him for his truthful candor. He longs to have a full love life and thinks he finally has the chance when he meets the older and seemingly wiser surgeon, Will. Though Alex thinks Will doesn't feel the same it's not long before fate brings them together in a relationship that moves at warp speed. Through all their ups and downs Alex kept his energetic and happy go lucky outlook at life. He never let anything get him down and pushed Will to grasp the happier moments in life.
Will is the serious-minded surgeon in public but behind the scenes he's tormented by his past which leaves him questioning his future. Though he knows he shouldn't, he can't help but be drawn to the irreverent and charming Alex. His past has kept him from embracing his love life fully but with Alex he feels safe to explore. He discovers they're more similar than they thought as they both have had image issues, but together they find mutual support. As their mutual explorations become hotter their connection becomes deeper. As the student becomes the teacher things also get more complicated though in a story that's ultimately sweet, sexy, suspenseful, with a bit of mutual kink that makes for a very HEA.
There's a lot that happens in this story, too much at times. Their whole relationship seemed to take place within a few weeks which stretched the credibility a bit. Though it's a quick journey, it's also an entertaining one with its likable and colorful characters whose age difference helps rather than hurts their connection. Though Will is older he hasn't really been living. It takes the kindhearted Alex to show him how to live life to the fullest. This made for a story that not only put a smile on my face but kept me guessing along the way which kept me glued to the pages. Ultimately Mr. Longfellow crafted not a great read, but a good one that has me looking forward to what he comes up with next.
3.75 STARS!
May 23, 2014
I write reviews very much based on how a book makes me feel. This is not, nor does it pretend to be high class literature. What it is is a sweet romantic story with a bit of angst that made me roll about my bed laughing. See I was in bed intending to sleep but no, this book gripped me. Perhaps Will's past should have affected him more but I think that would have changed the flow of the story, and perhaps some of the Latin/medical terms lost me slightly, and the editing wasn't perfect but none of it takes away from the fact that if you are looking for a read to pick you up and put a smile on your face this is a fantastic choice. I can't wait for more!
Please note this review is in no way biased by having seen pictures of the author in his underpants. Because he won't send them to me!!!
Please note this review is in no way biased by having seen pictures of the author in his underpants. Because he won't send them to me!!!
June 5, 2014
Well..for this book's rating I'm at a complete loss. It started out so funny and cute, I had really high hopes. Then it turned into one of those books with the odd, fluffy, stilted dialogue that makes you cringe a little bit. Oh, then let's throw in some serious issues like assault and childhood sexual abuse. And they move in together and right away they're in a rut? It's like all these issues are thrown at us and NONE of them get resolved in a believable way if they're even mentioned again at all. I'm so confused. Then a HEA?!? And let's not even get into the sex stuff. Serious cum eating from whoever and whatever available surface, auto-fellatio, repeated masturbation but they're waiting to fuck? But...it had some clever and witty parts too. Gah, I'm going with 2.
August 29, 2014
OK if you know me you know that I am a fan of some HOT M/M books. Which is why I jumped at the chance to read this one. And I happy that I did. I do want to clarify that while this book had some really sexy parts I felt it was more of a sweet romance that a steamy one. But that didn’t keep me from enjoying it. I won’t get into details about what the book is about because, well you can read the synopsis for that but I will say that it was full of humor.
Over all there were a few parts of the book that lost me but I think it was due more to a cultural difference that anything else. For example there were plenty of mentions of old television shows that I had never heard of, but it didn’t take away from the overall story.
So if you are in the mood for a sweet and funny M/M romance I definitely recommend this one!
Over all there were a few parts of the book that lost me but I think it was due more to a cultural difference that anything else. For example there were plenty of mentions of old television shows that I had never heard of, but it didn’t take away from the overall story.
So if you are in the mood for a sweet and funny M/M romance I definitely recommend this one!
May 26, 2014
I quite enjoyed this book, but, I can see it's not going to be for everyone, maybe it's because I'm English I get it, because I thought it was quite funny. It is not a "smushy" romance and I think that is why I enjoyed as much as I did, because I know blokes who actually act and talk like this. One of the sex scenes written I am definitely going to have to do some googling because I really couldn't picture it at all lol. I think the author may need to put trigger warnings on this for some readers though. I will probably buy this author's future work.
June 10, 2016
3.5 Stars Cute romance with great characters.
August 23, 2014
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.25 stars
I was attracted to The Surgeon’s Apprentice by the humorous bent to the story, and ultimately that is the part of the book that worked for me. The early scenes where Alex is stuck sans underwear and must disrobe for a practice exam cracked me up and there are lots of other places where I found myself chuckling at his outrageous behavior or amusing side comments. So I enjoyed the humor here and found Alex to be quirky and pretty entertaining.
Unfortunately, there was a lot here that didn’t work for me. I just never really felt any character development for either of these guys or a real connection between them. After dancing around each other for a while, their relationship then happens almost instantly, and they are living together and in love in a blur. But really it isn’t so much the speed as that I really felt no sense of them as a couple at all beyond the fact that they were both lusting for each other. No romance development, no relationship building. I can live without those things in my erotica, but not if I am then supposed to believe how connected and in love with one another they are.
Read Jay's review in its entirety here.
3.25 stars
I was attracted to The Surgeon’s Apprentice by the humorous bent to the story, and ultimately that is the part of the book that worked for me. The early scenes where Alex is stuck sans underwear and must disrobe for a practice exam cracked me up and there are lots of other places where I found myself chuckling at his outrageous behavior or amusing side comments. So I enjoyed the humor here and found Alex to be quirky and pretty entertaining.
Unfortunately, there was a lot here that didn’t work for me. I just never really felt any character development for either of these guys or a real connection between them. After dancing around each other for a while, their relationship then happens almost instantly, and they are living together and in love in a blur. But really it isn’t so much the speed as that I really felt no sense of them as a couple at all beyond the fact that they were both lusting for each other. No romance development, no relationship building. I can live without those things in my erotica, but not if I am then supposed to believe how connected and in love with one another they are.
Read Jay's review in its entirety here.
September 6, 2014
3.5 stars
January 20, 2015
This was a fun, silly, incredibly sexy read. Will definitely be reading more from this author.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews