Reviewed by Stephen K.
TITLE: Picture Perfect
SERIES: Podlington Village Romance #1
AUTHOR: Helena Stone
PUBLISHER: Independently Published
LENGTH: 204 Pages
RELEASE DATE: October 15th 2021
BLURB:
The last thing Cameron Porter expects when he checks in to Podlington House is to come face to face with reminders of the three-week fling he had eight years ago with a young photographer named Eli. But there the enticing image is, hanging over his bed, and that is just one of many coincidences to bring back memories of the man he foolishly refused to stay in touch with.
Eli Comerford stumbles on Podlington House by accident while on a break from his successful career in America. The sudden images of Cameron, his first real lover and the man he never managed to completely forget are disconcerting though.
When they discover they’re staying in the same place, the attraction is as strong as ever, but so are the obstacles between them and a relationship. Eli is still located in the US and Cameron in England. Are they embarking on a second holiday fling, or can Podlington work its magic and grant them a picture perfect future…together?
Welcome to Podlington! The fictional English village where magic happens and dreams come true. This LGBTQ+ Second Chance story is part of the Podlington Village Romance series and can be read as a standalone novel. Picture Perfect features a happy-go-lucky photographer, a stuffy academic, a myriad of coincidences, and a guaranteed happy ending.
REVIEW:
Fantasy Island in the English countryside with a non-binary Mr. Rourke? Well, there’s no Mr Rourke per se, though we never learn Pat’s last name, of if they have one. They’re too busy knitting and making sure that their guests find love.
This is a magical tale of second chance love. Cameron’s a college professor who’s whose given up academia to write M/M romance novels. And Eli, the promising young photography student with whom he shared a romantic three week fling almost a decade ago is now a successful artist/photographer. This is a charming bit of fantasy fulfillment with plenty of between the sheets action. Both men are just as smitten as they were eight years ago. But both men can still be pig-headed. Yet, circumstances are a bit different now and both have learned a bit in the interim.
Apparently all that’s needed is the right rustic country inn to get the magic started. On the whole this story is pretty low angst. Both men have survived and the book’s conflict revolves around the “Will he? Nil He?” question as to whether these two can fit their lives together given this second chance.
The book does a great job of setting up the right magical realism atmosphere. The secondary characters we meet all have a bit of that magical quality to them as well. This particular title has a high sugar content (as well as a pretty high sexual content). I’m guessing that the others in the series will be about the same. Sure, there’s not much “fibre” in Candy Floss, but it’s still fun to indulge in from time to time. Enjoy, but just be sure to brush between readings.
RATING: 
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