Reviewed by Elizabetta

TITLE: Out of Hiding

AUTHOR: Mia Kerick

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 180 pages

BLURB: After graduating from high school early, twenty-year-old Philippe Bergeron spent the past several years lost among the stars while fishing off the New England coast. A shoulder injury ends his dream of living reclusively on the water, and he finds himself lost among the bright lights of New York City. His older brother, Henri, has asked Philippe to chaperone his seventeen-year-old niece, Sophie, on her tours of the city’s legendary dance programs.

Sophie meets with professional dancer and choreographer, Dario Pereira, to prepare a routine for her college auditions. Dario’s cool perfection and immaculate style contrast with Philippe’s awkward scruffiness, but it wakes desires Philippe thought he’d left behind. When the attraction is surprisingly returned, Dario’s confidence won’t let Philippe remain invisible. Unsure but curious, Philippe relaxes his rule of isolation, and as the summer progresses, his relationship with Dario leads him to a surprising discovery of his submissive sexual tendencies and a greater sense of self-awareness.

Tragedy threatens to destroy the connections Philippe has made and forces him to retreat into the shadows of his past, far from the radiance of Dario’s love. Ultimately, he must decide if it is time to stop hiding and set himself free.

REVIEW:

It’s clear from the get-go that Philippe Bergeron is hiding from something. He tells us so right at the beginning of the story. His long hair and full beard don’t seem to go with his character, he’s not really a bearish kind of guy. In fact, he is a quiet introvert bordering on painfully shy. Which doesn’t mean that bearish men can’t be introverts, but Philippe is using it as a cover.

And just what he’s hiding from becomes the focal point in his story.

It’s all about a young man used to protecting himself from deep hurt and fear learned at a very young age. He hides by covering his emotions and removing himself from any connection. He went as far as to remove himself to a lonely life on the sea with only the stars for company.

Things change for Philippe when, recuperating from an on-job injury, he agrees to chaperone his young niece, Sophie, for a summer in Manhattan. They are there to check out college conservatory programs for Sophie who is an aspiring dancer.

When Philippe meets Dario, a dancer and teacher hired to get Sophie in shape for the rigorous school auditions, we begin to see the layers peel off of him.

The story is very much from Philippe’s (first person) POV so Dario remains a bit of an enigma himself. We know he’s beautiful, a gorgeous dancer and seemingly supremely self confident. But we find out that Dario is more than he seems on surface. He’s also a keen observer and he recognizes something in Philippe — despite all the shy hiding away — that ignites them both. And we get to see Philippe through Dario’s eyes.

That this story takes place with New York City as the backdrop makes it all the more interesting. It’s certainly a place you can hide in plain sight while surrounded by millions of people. And that has a certain appeal for Philippe. I love this dichotomy in him — the loner who can feel comfort in the big city, even as I puzzle over it. For such a young guy (he and Dario are only twenty and twenty-one) he has built up a mass of complexity.

Seventeen year old Sophie, is really more like a sister to him, and despite her own issues, much more steady. She’s fiercely determined in her art and we see that she’s also protective of Philippe as they become closer during the summer. She’s a great character that makes the glue in the story without hindering the unfolding romance.

The story starts off strong, I’m really pulled to Philippe and how he has quickly gotten to this very lonely place. And I like Dario, a tough, street-wise, no-nonsense guy who, despite his great youth, is already looking for an anchor. I’d really like more of his backstory — what made him who he is. He seems to fall pretty hard and fast for Philippe but it is in keeping with his character as someone who goes after what he wants.

But things veer off about three-quarters of the way in when Philippe reacts to an event that sends him into a tail-spin. At this point, for me, the story takes a more melodramatic and slightly disappointing turn. There always has to be some big conflict before the end — a confirming of lessons to be learned — but this one seems a bit manufactured. Philippe’s reaction is in keeping with his very young age… but it also reminds me how very young these guys are and it all doesn’t quite jibe.

This is, at heart, a very romantic love story. It falls into fantasy-land, really, in that it wraps up very (a bit too?) neatly. The language is just different enough to make it intriguing and… charming in it’s own way. I have to admit the cover drew me in, but it is misleading; while I can believe that Philippe is just as hot as the guy depicted there, this is about so much more than beefcake, and this is just not the Philippe I read in the story. It’s a gradually unfolding, sweet romance with a very shy, troubled guy at its center. The star rating system fails me here. My 3.5 rating means that there are enough issues to keep it from a solid 4, but this is really more than an average read.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: Dreamspinner Press