Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: Ticking the Boxes
AUTHOR: L.J. Hayward
SERIES: Gold Coast Collage #2
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 261 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 15, 2021
BLURB:
Sean Sale has life worked out. It’s about ticking the boxes. Checking off the events that mean you’re alive and functioning and, well, normal. At twenty-six, Sean has a handsome fiancé, an adorable fur baby, and a job he loves. Tick, tick, tick: life accomplished. That is, until it’s all ripped away from him. Broken-hearted and homeless, he ends up at the Wild Pines townhouse complex, his last-ditch effort to find a place to live and start afresh. Meeting the hot, kind manager, Lucas, wasn’t on his checklist, but Sean’s very okay with this unexpected event.
Lucas Harrison sees life as a road with roundabouts, hairpin turns, and detours. He’s certainly taken more than a few detours in order to get where he is now, managing Wild Pines and raising his eight-year-old niece, Amy. There are things from his past Lucas would rather not have to face again, but when he finds Sean on his doorstep in desperate need of help, one of those things—a hopeless crush on Sean—crashes right back into his life. This time, though, Lucas isn’t going to let his fears stop him from having someone just for himself.
As Sean starts to build a new life, Lucas and Amy become an important part of his world, and Lucas feels the same way about Sean. However, their past experiences threaten their future happiness, making it hard for them to form a real connection. How can they each find the strength to confront their issues and be worthy of each other?
REVIEW:
Ticking the Boxes is the second book in L.J. Hayward’s Gold Coast Collage series. It’s an engaging tale of companionship, friendship, and love between two men linked by an awful incident in the past. Sean and Lucas, as the main characters, are well-developed with histories that support their present motivations and decisions. They’re at times confused and reticent and messy, but always likable.
If you read The New Normal, you’ll remember Sean as Brian’s co-worker who serves as his Blow Job Tutor (talk only, no hands on!) and advisor on all things related to gay sex and coming out. He’s a darling character whom I loved from the first description of him in that book: “He had Goku hair – on purpose.” But it’s his innate kindness and cheerfulness that really strike a chord. Sean has his life all planned out. Well, he did before his bastard fiancé cheated on him and dumped him. He wears out his welcome couch surfing but just as he begins his search for an apartment, he loses his job. Perhaps worst of all, the despicable ex-fiancé won’t return Sean’s beloved dog, Reginald. He’s forced to evaluate his life plan when it’s sent into this tailspin. See, Sean is set on ticking all the boxes of life’s “normal” milestones: get an education, begin a career, get married, have kids, and so on.
The other protagonist, Lucas, is the on-site manager of the apartment complex where Sean wants to rent. He is, in ways, the antithesis of Sean in that he’s easy-going and takes life as it presents itself, complete with its twists and turns. Lucas decides to rent to Sean even though he presently has no source of income. Is his decision motivated by kindness or is something else maybe coloring his decision? Perhaps a bit of both since Lucas had a bad crush (mild obsession) on Sean seven years prior when Sean was in college and Lucas was his teaching assistant. Sean doesn’t remember him and Lucas chooses not to divulge this information, and it causes major conflict later when the past comes back to haunt them.
There’s definitely attraction between the men, but it’s complicated. Sean was heartbroken and confused after his breakup, and partially blamed himself. Is he ready for another relationship? Lucas is prepared to go forward with Sean; it’s the right time in his life. But is he gay or straight, as Sean believes?
The over-arching theme for Sean’s character is that he needs to focus on the journey, not the destination, as he traverses life. He has been too focused on ticking the boxes and achieving the goals set forth by society as the important milestones critical to obtain a successful and fulfilling life. He – and really all of us – should focus on prescribing objectives suitable to his own dreams and enjoy life along the way.
Two notable side characters are Lucas’ eight-year-old niece, Amy, and Sean’s friend, Tyler. Lucas became Amy’s sole guardian when her mother abandoned her. Amy is a lovable child who is her uncle’s biggest fan and loves Sean. Tyler is initially presented as somewhat flighty and superficial, but I suspect there’s a lot of depth to his character. He’s a steadfast friend to Sean even though they haven’t been close in many years. I hope we see Tyler starring in his own book in the future.
Ticking the Boxes is an entertaining book with broad appeal. The message is universal and the characters are terrific. Give this one a try.
RATING: 
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