Reviewed by Vicki
TITLE: Different Strokes
AUTHOR: Nico Jaye
PUBLISHER: Less Than Three Press
LENGTH: 69 pages
BLURB: When his regular masseuse is called away on a family emergency, Tomas does not expect Darren, her temporary replacement, to be such an attractive distraction. Tomas has always been a serious, no-nonsense type of swimmer; after all, elite competition leaves no room for unprofessional conduct. However, he finds it extremely difficult to stay on the right side of the professional line with Darren tending to his needs.
REVIEW:
Tomas is a focused athlete, a little cold, a little shy, and a little lonely. He is very much used to his routine and is startled to have Darren show up to do his massage one week. He had met Darren some time before, when forced to be social at a holiday party. Tomas thinks Darren is lovely, but when they last met, Darren had an obnoxious boyfriend. Tomas is happily surprised to find the boyfriend is gone, but feels like he shouldn’t pursue a relationship with someone who is his employee. He bides his time, trying to slowly show his interest to Darren.
Darren is attracted to Tomas, but knows it’s not professional to pursue a relationship with him. He’s also not sure if Tomas returns his feelings or not. Darren is sweet and young, but a professional massage therapist, just starting to work in LA and needs to stay focused. But Tomas is so perfect! Except for the whole lack of communication issue…
This is a sweet and gentle story, about the beginning of a relationship between these two men. There is no drama or stress, just some nice flirting, a bit of sex, and a good ending. Not a lot of history or background to these two, it’s just a quick little look at their lives. The writing was good, the plot was good but fairly basic, and the one bit of sex was well done. I sometimes find stories this short difficult to review, there’s not much action or drama, but it wasn’t needed here. It was a nice and easy read!
RATING: 
BUY LINKS: Less Than Three Press :: Amazon :: ARE
