Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: The D- in 403B
AUTHOR: Jess Bryant
PUBLISHER: Blue Lemon Press
LENGTH: 266 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 4, 2020
BLURB:
Sometimes a change of address can change your whole life.
Declan Ward has been called a lot of things in his life. Drug baby, delinquent and dirty little gay boy just to name a few. As a child in foster care, he heard it all and as an adult he knows better than to worry about what other people think of him. But when he gets into a war of words with his neighbor, he earns a new nickname and this time, it’s one he likes, one he decides he should definitely live up to.
After all, the new guy never actually said what it was the D stands for in his letters, but Declan has a few ideas and would be more than happy to show him.
Brett Coburn is a mature, respectable adult. He doesn’t get into arguments and he doesn’t name call like a kid on the playground. It doesn’t matter that the guy in 403B is the best-looking man Brett has ever laid eyes on. He’s a dickhead and Brett has the letters to prove it. That’s why nobody is more surprised than Brett when their thinly veiled threatening letters take a turn for the fun and flirtatious.
Is it possible they have more in common than they realized? Can they overcome the rough start to their friendship and turn it into something more? Or if they let their relationship become about more than just the “D” are they both bound to end up brokenhearted?
REVIEW:
You should never judge a book by its cover, right? Wrong. I so did. I mean, just look at this guy and the beautiful cover design. Then there’s the title. How cute is that? It sucked me right in, too. So did I judge correctly? You betcha.
Fun defines The D- in 403B. The hook of this book is the collection of cute notes Declan and Brett write and tape to each other’s doors to express anger and annoyance at each other. They quickly evolve from friction and snark to flirtatious banter. Later, they convey some heavy emotions the men aren’t yet prepared to verbalize face-to-face. Adding to the fun factor are the reproductions of the hand-drawn notes gracing the pages of the book. My one criticism of the book is that I would’ve liked more notes. It felt like they deescalated from vitriolic to amiable too quickly for my taste, and I just wanted more of their cuteness.
It all begins with Declan, the temperamental artist who works nights, mouthing off to veterinarian, Brett, because of Brett’s dog barking all day long and interrupting Declan’s sleep. The notes soon become more innocuous and when the men meet for the first time, it’s lust at first sight. But from their first hot and steamy time together, Declan is afraid that Brett will reject him and leave. Declan has overcome a lot of adversity in his twenty-four years. He was abandoned as a baby and grew up in foster care and group homes. It’s hard for him to let anyone get close for fear that they’ll reject him, too. That’s the true conflict in the story, although there’s a bit of canine trouble, too.
There’s only one side character worth mentioning here – Star, Declan’s sister by choice and the only person he cares about in the world. Seven years his junior, she was cared for and protected by Declan in the same foster home. Star is sassy to the max and is instrumental in getting the men together.
The letters make the plot unique and will quickly engross you in the story. The snappy dialogue and upbeat pace will hold your interest, and if you like dogs, all the better. The epilogue takes place six months down the road and Bryant awards everyone in this nontraditional family – Declan and Brett, Star, and the pets they have acquired – a happy ending. The D- in 403B is a cute and cozy addition to my Quarantine Collection of feel good, low angst, make me smile books. I heartily recommend it.
RATING: 
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