Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: To Whom it May Concern
SERIES: For Him #3.5
AUTHOR: A.M. Johnson
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 101 pages
RELEASE DATE: February 17, 2022
BLURB:
To whom it may concern,
I can’t be sure what you’re into, that being said, if you like sexy and sweet romance with a whole lot of quirk, keep reading…
Ever since Clay Saxon’s parents passed away a year ago, he’s been stuck in a rut, running their business, and suffering from the worst writer’s block ever. But when Syrus Albie, aka yellow sweater guy, (you’ll see) walks into The End Book Store, Clay’s mundane little world turns to sunshine.
I don’t want to ruin it, but I can definitely say, when an introverted as hell narrator finally meets his favorite author and crush, all of his usual protocols go up in flames.
Set in the For Him World, this standalone is the perfect introduction or addition to this steamy MM collection.
Sincerely yours, A.M. JOHNSON
REVIEW:
To Whom it May Concern is a charming gem of a novella set in the For Him universe, starring sweetie pies Syrus, a voice actor, and Clay, a bookstore owner and novelist. He’s a client of Anders Lowe’s literary agency. Syrus, too, has a connection to the For Him world. His cousin and dating advice provider, Shane, is the boyfriend of Owen, Donovan’s brother in Dear Mr. Brody. Those connections aren’t important, though. This novella stands on its own and would serve as an easy gateway into the series.
A love of books unites the men. They meet when Syrus shops in the bookstore Clay inherited from his parents. Initially, Syrus doesn’t know Clay authored his all-time favorite book, The Branches Between Us. And all Clay knows is he wants to know more about his adorable, quirky, yellow sweater-wearing customer.
Well, it turns out they’re going to spend a lot of time getting to know each other once Syrus makes an offer to acquire the audiobook rights to Clay’s book. In keeping of the theme of the series, correspondence is used as a form of communication between the main characters. In this case, a short series of subtly flirty emails sets the tone for when they meet in person. The cute factor in these messages is off the charts. Swoon!
With the prospect of meeting again to discuss the formalities of the recording, Syrus becomes a nervous wreck – not much of a stretch for him. He’s a guy much more comfortable with his own company than others. Awkward silence and small talk are the bane of his existence. In person, it can be difficult to string a sentence together* particularly when he’s attracted to someone. He needs to translate the comfortable, personable emails to real life.
*Syrus has no such trouble talking trivia and shooting off innocuous but interesting, random facts. A guy after my own heart! I used to fill my FB feed with useless facts to entertain/bore/annoy my friends. I learned from Syrus that more people enjoy pineapple on their pizza than plain cheese. Yum!
Anyway… Clay puts Syrus at ease naturally. He breaks the ice on their first-ish date simply by uttering, “I’m nervous too.” Squee! While no stranger to sex, it’s the intimacy of a relationship that Syrus is unfamiliar with. For the first time ever, he wants to allow someone to get to know him. Syrus experiences something of a sexual awakening: sex with emotions. He never wanted it to be personal before but now he wants everything up close and personal with Clay. Well, not everything. Syrus doesn’t want anal sex. I’m pleased that Ms. Johnson shows the reality that it’s not necessary for a satisfying sexual relationship, and it isn’t a part of every gay couple’s needs or desires.
Because of its short length, we don’t get a lot of backstory, understandably, but both characters show personal growth (Syrus helps Clay move on after tragedy), and there’s an enjoyable HFN with plans for them to appear in the future. This is a great book for any contemporary readers and, of course, fans of the series.
RATING: 
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