Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Strawberries for Dessert

SERIES:  Coda #4

AUTHOR:  Marie Sexton

PUBLISHER:  Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH:  244 pages

RELEASE DATE:  August 6, 2010

BLURB: 

When Jonathan Kechter agrees to a blind date with Cole Fenton, he expects nothing more than dinner and a one-night stand… but he gets more than he bargained for in Cole. Cole is arrogant, flamboyant, and definitely not Jon’s type. Still, when Cole suggests an arrangement of getting together for casual sex whenever they’re both in town, Jon readily agrees.

Their arrangement may be casual, but Jonathan soon learns that when it comes to Cole Fenton, nothing is easy. Between Cole’s fear of intimacy and his wandering lifestyle, Jonathan wonders if their relationship may be doomed from the start—but the more Cole pushes him away, the more determined Jon is to make it work.

REVIEW:

“I loved him. I loved everything about him. Every moment we were together thrilled me. He was flighty and bright and beautiful and stubborn, and I marveled at how much fuller my life felt now with him in it.”  – Jonathan  

Strawberries for Dessert has been one of my very favorite MM romances for years, so I’m delighted to share it with you in this Flashback Friday review. This character-driven novel focuses on two men learning how to love and compromise, and most of all, recognize their own fallibilities so they can heal and find their happy ending. This is book four in Marie Sexton’s excellent Coda series, but it can be read as a standalone as I did. 

Cole Fenton is unlike any character I’ve read before, which in itself makes this book unique. His lifestyle is one most of us will only ever dream about: he’s independently wealthy and doesn’t hold a job; he owns homes in Paris, Hawaii, Vail, the Hamptons, and Phoenix, with fuck-buddies conveniently stashed in every location; he spends his time traveling the world – flitting here and there for months at a time at the drop of a hat – and indulging in hobbies such as gourmet cooking. It’s a life of superficiality and loneliness, though, with few meaningful friendships, and his only relative is his mother to whom he’s estranged. The absence of loving relationships growing up has left him damaged and he has adopted a flamboyant affectation as a defense mechanism. 

Cole doesn’t know love. He holds everyone at arm’s length and has never had a committed relationship. He says he’s too restless and antsy to ever settle in one place for too long and he becomes resentful of anyone (i.e. Jon) who expects him to. 

But somehow, it’s because he’s so broken that I love him so much, despite his arrogance and lack of affection. Once you understand Cole, his hidden pain becomes almost palpable and he morphs into quite a sympathetic character. 

Jonathon Kechter is no great catch either, at the outset. Cole and Jon are set up by one of Cole’s friends and their first date is so disastrous it’s painful to witness. Even though his overriding first impression of Cole is that he’s an effeminate flamer, he does find him smart, funny, and cute, too. But Jon is work obsessed and after rudely taking numerous work calls at the table in a fancy restaurant, Cole gets up and walks out. But not before he irritates the heck out of Jon with his mocking snark, which seems fair given Jon’s blatant disrespect. It’s safe to say Cole thinks Jon is ridiculously uptight and completely devoid of any sense of humor. 

They’re both interested in sex, though, so Jon eventually calls Cole for another date. Between Jon needing to be available to his boss and clients for sixteen hours a day and Cole’s world traveling whenever he sees fit, they agree that a strictly fun and casual arrangement – always on Cole’s terms and timetable – is best. And never with kissing or cuddling. For more than a year they maintain a satisfying sexual relationship and friendship, but Cole always keeps his distance with firm boundaries and little intimacy outside of bed. “It was a strange relationship—not lovers, not quite friends even—and I didn’t always know how to handle it.” – Jon 

Jon’s blind devotion to his boss and his job is obnoxious and keeps him from fully enjoying life. Time and again he’s inconsiderate to Cole who believes in richly enjoying life’s offerings and simply can’t understand Jon’s willingness to compete in the rat race. They linger in an indefinable, static relationship without moving forward. Jon’s not a bad guy, though, and while he’s initially unlikable, I came around to developing sympathy for him, too, for how much he begins to deeply care for Cole, yet is so frustrated by Cole’s inability to settle down. He can’t recognize his own culpability in the matter. 

Although the story is told solely in Jon’s first person POV, Ms. Sexton engages a nifty plot device to share Cole’s thoughts. Throughout the length of the book, Cole writes emails to his friend Jared voicing his developing feelings, his concerns about Jon, decisions he makes about the future of their relationship, and his fears, frustrations, and at times, his raw self-loathing. 

Jon’s relationship with his dad, George, is heartwarming but often awkward. Cole’s relationship with George (who refers to Cole as a fruitcake) is sometimes strained but often hilarious. In fact, Cole’s very being provides a lot of humor in the book, with his ridiculous monologues when he’s nervous to his constant and purposeful use of silly endearments like muffin or sweets to drive Jon batty. A particular scene in a grocery store shopping for strawberries had me laughing out loud. 

It’s fascinating to see Cole transform from a man cocooned in self-preservation, not permitting anyone to see his pain, to a partner who eventually allows his walls to crumble and lets his vulnerability show. Jon’s lesson to learn is that instead of trying to change Cole, he needs to set aside his stubborn pride and change himself – better himself – to bring happiness to Cole and make their relationship successful. 

I’m not exactly sure what it is about this book that has left such an imprint on my heart. Theirs is an unusual relationship but they work hard for their happily ever after, and a sublime ending it is. I hope you, too, discover the something special about Cole and Jon and their beautiful, unique love story. 

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press