Reviewed by Vicki

TITLE: Between Loathing and Love

AUTHOR: Andrew Grey

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 200 pages

BLURB:

Theatrical agent Payton Gowan meets with former classmate—and prospective client—Beckett Huntington with every intention of brushing him off. Beckett not only made high school a living hell for Payton, but he was also responsible for dashing Payton’s dreams of becoming a Broadway star.

Aspiring actor Beckett Huntington arrives in New York City on a wing and a prayer, struggling to land his first gig. He knows scoring Payton Gowan as an agent would be a great way to get his foot in the door, but with their history, getting the chance is going to be a tough sell.

Against Payton’s better judgment, he agrees to give Beckett a chance, only to discover—to his amazement—that Beckett actually does have talent.

Payton signs Beckett but can’t trust him—until Payton’s best friend, Val, is attacked. When Beckett is there for him, Payton begins to see another side to his former bully. Amidst attempts by a jealous agent to sabotage Beckett’s career and tear apart their blossoming love, Payton and Beckett must learn to let go of the past if they have any chance at playing out a future together.

REVIEW:

Awww…. I loved this story! I was planning on reading it, but hadn’t gotten to it yet, when it became available to review I decided now was a good time to read it. I’m so glad I did!

This is a story of redemption, and a lesson of  forgiveness and acceptance. In high school Payton saw something he shouldn’t have, and paid the price. Beckett Huntington got caught doing something he shouldn’t be doing, and reacted badly, becoming the bully he wasn’t meant to be. Years later, Payton, now a theatrical agent in New York City, is shocked to see his high school nemesis in his local gym. He’s even more shocked when Beckett shows up on his list of prospective actors at work. He’s convinced he’ll brush him off, but unfortunately Beckett has talent. And doesn’t appear to remember Payton from high school… I will admit that stretched my believability of this story a bit, if Beckett hated and harassed Payton as much as Payton implies, I find it hard to believe that Beckett wouldn’t remember him. But, I went with it, and really got in to this story.

So Payton agrees to represent Beckett, but of course it comes out that they have a history. Beckett has a different understanding of how things went down in high school, and a big kerfuffle ensues. Leading to understanding, acceptance, redemption, and….. maybe more! You’ll have to read this book to find out what happens!

I liked Payton, and the first person perspective. He’s a strong character, we see him not only with Beckett, but his best friend Val, and he has a work issue he deals with nicely. He’s had his own issues to deal with, going from chubby, bullied kid, with aspirations to acting, to the confident man he is now. He’s worked past his loss of his dream of acting, still able to make his living in the industry, just in a different way. Beckett was a little harder for me to get a hold of, but as the story progressed and Payton accepted him, I did as well. He is proof that you don’t always know the full story. He did react badly in high school, but we find out why. He still was an asshole, but there was a reason. Payton gets it and is able to move on.

I loved the little drama that occurs with Val, and how Beckett steps up. I loved Val and Payton together, there were some fun moments, but some sweet ones as well. I loved Payton and Beckett as a couple, once they get there (Oops! Gave that away… but it is a romance, so it’s probably not a surprise!), and they are smoking hot in bed. I liked the details about the theater industry in NYC.

I am a fan of Andrew Grey, as expected this is another sweet story from him. There is enough drama to keep it interesting, and the usual tender moments he is so good at giving us. I had a quote I was going to share, but I can’t find it now, it was a nice moment between Payton and Beckett… This was just a good story all around! I’d recommend it to anyone that likes a sweet contemporary romance between strong characters. Minimal angst, good sex scenes, and an interesting plot.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon

ARe