Reviewed by Sid

TITLE: Newton’s Laws of Attraction

AUTHOR: M.J. O’Shea

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 176 pages

BLURB: Rory was Ben’s oldest and best friend until senior year of high school, when they confessed they’d harbored feelings for each other all along. They enjoyed only a few months of happiness until Ben chose closeted popularity over true love… and he’s regretted it ever since.

Eight years later, Ben is out and proud and teaching art at the same high school he graduated from. When he learns the chemistry teacher is retiring, he’s excited to meet her replacement until he finds out the brand new teacher is none other than Rory Newton—the first love he’s never quite gotten over. Despite a painfully awkward start, it doesn’t take Ben long to realize he’ll do whatever it takes to win Rory back. But it’s starting to look like even his best might not be enough.

REVIEW:

Quick fun fact – Though many believe Isaac Newton was the first to discover the law of attraction, it was in fact discovered much earlier by ancient Greeks!

Uh… bored yet? Me too. To be frank, I never understood physics when I was in high school. The words always went over my head and I would sit there blank faced, feeling pathetic. School sucked. Science sucked. The laws of attraction sucked! The only thing that didn’t suck, for me, was all the physics and chemistry applied in this Newton’s laws of attraction. Because really, man. That was one hell of a ride.

Rory and Ben’s friendship kicks off in a weirdly and comically violent way and that innocent interaction creates the strong base to their new found friendship; the bond which grows stronger day by day after that. They become so attached to each other that they are inseparable. Spending most of the time with the other, doing everything together, sleeping in one bed, cuddled – and as they grow, Ben finds this relationship getting complicated. He begins to discover the attraction and the urges that he had never felt for anyone before before. Imagine his relief and ecstasy when he finds that his best friend Rory Newton returned those feelings. Their friendship turns into something more. The feelings of young love are confessed, promises made, dreams of a beautiful future is woven and then …

Then we travel in time, moving forth by eight years. It’s the school’s first day and Ben is the art instructor. He sits with his co-workers talking about guys he had been with. Guys who aren’t Rory. And to add more to the suspense, the principal introduces the new chem. teacher to them – Rory Newton. Ben experiences a mix of shock, disbelief, happiness and guilt after seeing the guy who once was everything to him and who he wanted that to be once again. But Rory, well, he can’t even spare Ben a glance.

Why? What happens that their promises of forever are broken?

The scenario is mystifying and the future is suddenly uncertain. Rory’s stubbornness via his gestures or his “Please, don’t!” gives away the extent of his past agony. But Ben’s constant attempts to make him listen to what he has to say earns a pity as well. He truly seems to be feeling the regret of his decisions made back then. I’d expect some may even hate Ben for what he did, find him annoying but I second the fact which Ben’s friend and co-worker Fen states – He was young back then and people do make rash decisions when they are young – which they grow up to regret. Ben was the typical, hopelessly romantic character in this book who I believed to have his flaws, his insecurities and his guilt. He wasn’t perfect, yet he grew on me.

Rory reasonably keeps his distance initially but slowly begins to give in as time passes. I loved to see them rediscovering their once lost friendship and love at this pace. With M.J.’s fine writing, we get to feel Ben’s pleasure and eagerness for more as their relationship makes progress towards improvement with baby steps. I was cool with that, I was even okay with Rory dating someone else. I would have been surprised if he hadn’t been because that was necessary for Ben to realize the predicament that he had created with one mistake. What I wasn’t okay with was the way author decided to make Keith (the guy Rory dates) the bad guy to get rid of him. A stale idea that is used over and over again just so that the lovers can get back together – and that was my sole disappointment.

But sudden burst of Sappy Romance hits me and all is forgotten. Well, that is my weakest point!

“What are you doing, Ro?” Ben teased. He ruffled Rory’s curls and went to turn him back toward the living room.

“It’s cold. I miss sleeping with you.”

Sober. Instantly completely painfully sober. “You can’t say stuff like that to me,” he whispered.

“But I do miss it. I sleep better when you’re there. Always have.”

“Always will,” Ben echoed without even thinking.

Their “Always have, always will” quotes settles a fluttery feeling inside my tummy every time Ben and Rory say them. It’s their personal thing and I love that they have it. Those words are no less than the sweetness of Celine Dion’s voice every time I hear her singing for Jack and Rose’s love.

Yeah, call me pathetic. I am pathetically romantic at heart.

But that is not all that makes this story so special. Love is one part of it, true friendship is another. I would die to have friends like Fen and Jeremy in my life. They are amazing, supportive, the looking-out-for-each-other kind of friends. Especially, Fen. The trouble twins – Ben and Fen. Indeed.

Fen’s one liners are the highlights of this book.

“Dude, quit looking at him like that.” Fen reached across the table and swatted Ben’s arm.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Like he’s an enormous creamy cupcake and you’ve been on a diet since birth.”

Hilarity reaches its peak when all four of them decide to hit this gay bar in town when they are drunk. Jeremy just goes along so that he could amuse his wife and Fen – well, he is just crazy. They are these cute dorks that everyone would definitely adore to pieces.

The story is wrapped up quite sensibly with not-more-not-less scenes. I was a bit exasperated by Rory’s behavior in the pen-ultimate chapter of the book but finally he comes around. “Because I took so damn long to come to come to my senses” – he tells Ben and the couple get their deserving “Always have, always will” ending!

I must say – Ben, Rory and the gang kept me quite entertained for a few hours and the time invested in them was worth it for me. I am sure Romance-readers will love them too and this cute story of their love will reside in hearts forever.

Rating:

BUY LINKS: Dreamspinner Press