Reviewed by Cindy

TITLE: Simple Men

AUTHOR: Eric Arvin

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 200 Pages

BLURB: Chip Arnold is a well-liked football coach at a small liberal arts college, but his personal life is in a bit of a rut. He goes out drinking with his colleagues, gets along well with his players, and dates all the prettiest women in town—he has the life most straight men dream of. But lately none of the women he dates seem to be igniting any passion in him. Then he meets the new school chaplain, Foster Lewis.
Romantic attraction to another man is new and terrifying, and Chip just can’t put his finger on why he’s drawn to Foster, but it’s stronger than anything he’s felt for anyone in his life. Never one to back down from a challenge, Chip decides to go for it. But love is never simple, and sometimes it’s a downright mess!

REVIEW:

In this novel by Eric Arvin you really get two stories for the price of one. The main story is about Chip, a college football coach whose comfortable but boring routine in life is disrupted by the arrived of Foster, the new college chaplain.

Chip has been drifting through life, jumping from one woman’s bed to another and the reader is left with the impression that he’s looking for something he’s unaware is missing. The first time he sees Foster, he’s left gobsmacked by him and runs from the things he didn’t know he could feel.

Foster is a man who’s looking for a new beginning. His heart was broken by a former lover and he’s trying to leave it all behind. He’s not really looking for a new relationship and he doesn’t really notice Chip until he meets him for the second time, and then he starts falling fast.

We also have this adorable little sub-story about Brad and Jason. They’re two college boys who have become the most important part of each other’s world without really understanding what it means. They find their way through their relationship while watching Foster and Chip find their way through theirs.

The story is sweet and I loved how once Chip quickly comes to terms with his feelings, he’s all in. He falls hard for the kind chaplain and is more than happy for everyone to know it.

But of course, into every novel a little angst must fall. It comes in the form of Lynn, a woman who Chip was dating who’s also good friends with Foster. Her actions come across as unreasonable and I never did warm up to her even when she came around at the end.

The changes in POV sometimes left me struggling to catch up, but I love the writer’s sense of humor and the way it comes across on the page. I found myself giggling out loud more than once and the fact that the sex is only implied rather than explicit lets you focus on the story.

A lovely tale of love found and how the road to true love isn’t smooth, but it’s worth the journey.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: Dreamspinner  ::  Amazon  :: ARe