Guest Review by Christine
TITLE: Sweet Thing
SERIES: Pretty Boy #2
AUTHOR: Isobel Starling
NARRATOR: Gary Furlong
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 8 hours, 31 minutes
RELEASE DATE: April 18, 2018
BLURB:
French male model Simeon Duchamp has a lot of explaining to do.
Two years after a breakdown, Simeon is off drugs and booze and wants to stay that way.
On his road to reclaiming his life and modeling career, Sim first needs to apologize to the man he hurt the most – his ex-best friend and object of his unrequited affection Pieter Bayer. Pieter now has a long-term partner, artist Emily Raven, with whom he shares a baby son. Sim is amazed when Pieter accepts his apology, and invites him into his family.
Closeness to Pieter sees Simeon’s longing for his friend is rekindled. But then, when Simeon meets an attractive older man, Bastian Roth at an Art Exhibition, he realizes that there is a soul more broken than his, and Simeon feels compelled to help. Simeon’s connection with the troubled Bastian Roth turns his world upside down. He has to decide whether to allow himself to fall for the man who wants him or pine for the man he can never have.
REVIEW:
Simeon Duchamp has an opportunity to start over, personally and professionally. Hitting rock bottom after betraying his best friend and ending up in rehab after a breakdown and suicide attempt, he is back in the world of modeling to reignite his career and make amends with Pieter Bayer, his lifelong friend and the object of his unrequited longing. Along the way, however, he meets Bastian Roth, and sparks fly. Both men have demons that must be overcome in order to move forward. Can they put the past behind them in order to have a future together?
Sweet Thing is the first book I have experienced by Isobel Starling. It had the potential to be quite an emotional, highly engaging story, and though it boasted some interesting characters and steamy sex scenes, it fell a bit flat as a romance.
It was difficult for me to connect to the main character, Sim. Though he seemed to make some growth during the story, this growth was “told” rather than described. His character never really grabbed my heart and made me feel for him. His petulance and pre-occupation with sex were also a bit over the top, and unfortunately I never truly felt the emotional upheaval he was supposedly experiencing. I felt a bit more sympathetic towards Bastian, and the author’s use of flashbacks to his life with his former lover helped secure a stronger emotional reaction to his character. I did feel that his actions, along with Sim’s, during the main conflict of the story were rather unbelievable, and I had a difficult time accepting the whole conflict/resolution element of the book. All of the expression of angst and highly charged emotions happened off-page, with the listener only left with the aftermath and then the two characters picking up the pieces briefly to secure a happy ending. Again, it made it very difficult to connect with them on an emotional level and was highly disappointing when that was a perfect opportunity to garner more sympathy and respect for the characters.
The premise of the story was interesting, and the author’s depictions of the worlds of art and fashion were vivid and creative. The secondary characters of Pieter and Raven were sweet and amusing, and it was refreshing to have a variety of characters from all over the world peppering the story with diversity. However, there was never any working towards reconciliation between Sim and Pieter and apparently no need for Sim to redeem himself and earn Pieter’s forgiveness. To simply be let off the hook did nothing to help develop Sim’s character, to help him to grow, or to make him more likeable to the listener. There were also frequent point of view shifts, and it was distracting, especially as a listener, to have other characters’ points of view suddenly in the mix with the main characters’. It simply didn’t work here and took me out of the story just as I was trying to connect with the main characters and understand their inner conflicts and feelings.
Isobel Starling does deliver a steamy story with hot men doing some extremely hot things in bed. Unfortunately, I felt character development, realistically depicted relationship struggles, and a truly satisfying ending were sacrificed in the process. This story provides well-written sex scenes, some wonderfully diverse characters, and an interesting glimpse into European art and fashion. However, the main characters don’t feel fully fleshed out, are borderline cliché, and are lacking in heart. Overall, it is a good read, but I think perhaps it may not be as standalone as described. Those who have experienced the first story in the series might feel more connected to the characters than I did as a first-time reader.
NARRATION REVIEW:
I don’t recall having heard any of Gary Furlong’s narrations before, and I was impressed by his ability to make quick transitions to a variety of European accents. I felt he did an admirable job narrating the story line, though at times his delivery felt a bit stilted. Overall, I enjoyed listening to his performance of Sweet Thing and would like to hear some of his other works.
RATING: 
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