Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: Ace
AUTHOR: Jack Byrne
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 210 pages
BLURB:
Jake Tanner is a gay asexual man who finds peace on his small Australian farm and is content to lead a quiet life taking care of his animals. Then a random act of kindness on his part sets in motion a complex series of events that results in him playing the piano in a local pub and meeting Damien Jamieson, a sexy gay biker with a penchant for leather. Damien finds Jake instantly irresistible, but that could be the worst thing for their budding relationship, as Damien is determined to bed the reluctant Jake. However, Jake has no intention of going along with his plan. If there’s a chance for anything between them, Damien will have to figure out how to turn Jake on without scaring him off.
REVIEW:
Honestly, this one worried me from the blurb. When I first initially read the blurb I think I thought this would be a story about a guy playing hard to get having had no prior knowledge to what asexual meant. I thought it would be about one MC who never really had sexual interest in anyone UNTIL he met the other MC. This is not that story. This story is so much more complex and I am so happy I put aside my issues in regards to the books I read to give this one a shot. I was not disappointed at all. This story was so surprisingly enjoyable. I’ve always known I like sex in my stories. I don’t need insta-sex/insta-love and I don’t need there to be a sex scene in every chapter but I’m drawn to stories where the sexual chemistry/connection between characters is so strong they have to fight to NOT be all over each other. That’s why I’m so surprised I liked this as much as I did because there’s very little sex but there are passionate moments. There are also moments that twist you up inside. There are also frustrating and confusing moments especially for readers like me who have no real understanding of asexuality. With that said, I was invested in this story and in these characters from basically the first chapter which I attribute mostly to the talent of this author.
When Jake Tanner first lays eyes on Damien Jamieson there’s an immediate interest between both men. Jake’s interest however, is really that simple. He’s interested in Damien. Not interested in sex with Damien because Jake’s totally indifferent when it comes to sex. That’s as basic as I can explain it. He’s had sex with both men and women, he identifies as gay, but the drive to have sex is not there. He wants to get to know Damien, spend time with him and see where it leads.
Damien however has a visceral physical sexual attraction to Jake. He wants him desperately, so desperately that he’s willing to wait it out with Jake. He agrees to take things slow, get to know each other and see if sex happens. I absolutely loved Damien! His patience, care, was so moving. He listened to Jake’s needs and put his own needs aside to put Jake’s first.
Even though this story isn’t volcanic physical passionate need that doesn’t negate the connection that these two men have. It really is beautiful and the love that forms between them was perfect….for them!
Like I mentioned there’s lots of meat to this story. We get back story on Damien and a little of Jake. I loved the side characters they added lots of depth to the story!!
This is the first book I’ve read from Jack Byrne. The writing was very well done. Strong plot, great characters, and I’m definitely interested in more stories by this author. I absolutely recommend this book! There’s just so much here that I wasn’t expecting. I love these kinds of surprises!!
RATING: 
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