Pricks and Pragmatism by Jl Merrow

Pricks and Pragmatism by JL Merrow

First published 21st September 2010 by Samhain Publishing

iBook, 56 pages

Contemporary Romance, m/m

Easy come, easy go...until the heart gets involved. English student and aspiring journalist Luke Corbin should be studying. Instead he's facing homelessness, thanks to the lover who's just kicking him out of their posh digs. It's not his first rejection-his father tossed him out at age sixteen-but Luke has no problem trading his favors for a home and security. Especially with rich, powerful, handsome men. Except now, with finals bearing down, there's no time to be choosy. He needs a roof over his head and he needs it now. Even if it means settling temporarily for a geeky, less-than-well-off chemical engineer called Russell. Luke's fully prepared to put out for the guy-because after all, in this world no one gets something for nothing. But Russell isn't just a nerd; he's an honourable nerd who wants to save himself for someone special. At first Luke is annoyed, but the more time he spends with Russell, the closer he comes to a devastating realization. He wants to be that someone special. Except he's fallen for the one man he can't seem to charm...

            Here’s what I thought

When I first started to write this out, I had this in mind: “It’s been a long time since I did a review” but quickly realised what bullshit that way. Yeah, it’s been like 3 months. The thing is I had it in my mind that I shouldn’t review books since I’m an author myself, and how fucked up is it that I say shit, criticise someone else’s book when I probably couldn’t do any better (I don’t know either way, I haven’t had anything in the sold public yet, so we’ll see)?!

And for the most part I have stopped reviewing, I’m going to focus on books that most probably I like. Or more so those books that make me scream and shout—for good or bad. Because I’m passionate about books, and about the ones that I read.

Okay, so enough about my own bullshit, you probably don’t care.

So, this book is about a kid who’s in Uni and has been kicked out of his father’s house for being gay. To survive and still go to Uni he’s been jumping from one sugar daddy to the next.

Needing a place to stay for the three weeks leading up to finals, after his last sugar daddy finds a new playmate, Luke gets in contact with an old one who sets him up with his husband-to-be’s friend.

The new guy, Russell doesn’t want anything from Luke like he’s meant to—this whole book in Luke’s first person POV—but wants him to stay until he’s finals.

This starts a quick friendship between the two men. Both seemingly falling in love with the other while they think the other doesn’t like them. and yeah, you can tell that while you’re reading it. not that it’s heaps clear with Russell being that it’s not in his head, but you see that connection forming, it’s not that subtitle and yet, maybe if you can’t read between the lines you wouldn’t see it.

But then it’s a romance, you know there getting together and a forever-after at the end of the book, your just here for the ride so maybe that’s why I saw it.

Anyway, there isn’t all that much drama in the books since they aren’t a couple when things sorta turn to shit, so to speak, but it’s really well done. It’s real. Realer than anything else because that’s not there. That full body conflict. More so a manipulation that wasn’t spoken about but was there none the less.

Now onto some of my history: I have wanted this book since I first read about it. Which I guess was around 2011 when I got into the mm world. But I’ve never been able to get my hands on it until this point. I was pleasantly surprised when it was a short. I don’t think it would have made for something bigger. The point would have dragged out something chronic.

I found that it wasn’t what I originally thought it would be like, and wasn’t disappointed by that. Merrow is a brilliant writer and this story just reeked of personality and characters that messed well, in a environment that was basically there house and the waif along with one or two outings, which I found nice, since there wasn’t a lot other than them to pay attention to.

Anyway, I’m not sure I have anything else to say.

It was brilliant, a little English—but I could feel that way ‘cause I grew out with an Englishman and none of what they said or did really seemed out of the ordinary for me. (If you want something truly, English read Chris Quinton’s Home and Heart. that one had me tilting my head at some of the language used. Or Josephine Myles' Boats in the Night, but that’s more English and the Class differences.)

So, to clarify I recommend this book!

Thanks for the time