Going Down

I enjoyed reading this. Glad to finally say that considering my last couple of reviews. This book did have a few errors but I didn't pause while reading it which is good. There was the use of the word bowels that took me out of the story a bit. But beyond that, I enjoyed reading this.

The technical thing that stood out the most was after a night of being too drunk to immediately remember a party it takes a few days to remember the party and another few to remember the guy who saved him from the morning hangover that same night with a hangover remedy. I assumed just over a week might have gone by so a week is doable but the author says they were talking more. They hadn't talked in a week so the saying when they next met they were talking more seems like they had been talking already. 

A time or two I felt the wrong word was used too but not enough to care.

What I like is the genuine confusion and inability to assess if he, Blake, is actually offended. The first time when Jared asks him if he's had any guys the internal monologue he goes through is easy to follow, confusing and somewhat contradictory as it should be, and somehow rolls to what I would expect the character to conclude. It's the wrong assessment of his own character but it fits Blake which is what it should do.  

The internal struggle he has from this point until their next meet does a good job of describing the type of guy Blake believes he is and his struggle to convince himself it's true when his brain and body say otherwise. Realising how thoughts from his earlier years may have been not so innocent as he believed them to be. All the truths about who he is come undone despite his best efforts to shut them down and knowing this he's still convinced meeting up with Jared again is a good idea.

What really sells the book in the second half is that it does focus on the bet. On the teasing the wimpy denials and draws you into it. You know where it's going but still want to go along with it. The pay off in the end is worth the ride.

This is a short story, and they only really work if you pick something and focus hard on it because there isn't' enough time to delve into it like a normal length novel. Choosing the first half to set up the meeting with the love interest and use the internal monologues to express Blake's conflicting issues does a good job of solidifying him as the focal character. Then, centring the second half around the simple idea that guys do it better and using that idea as a new focus for the same internal battle gives it a more physical representation and takes it from this idea he's losing in his head to something tangible in the real world. It's a nice transition from an internal battle to an external battle. By choosing a very clear point of conflict from beginning to end it keeps the reader engaged.

After all of that, the pay of scene was so much fun to read. I was all smiles reading this book. It definitely delivered on what a short story should be. Maybe it could've used a bit more editing but nothing jarring enough to bring you out of the story. The pacing was perfect. It actually felt like a slow burn but it's a short story. That's another good thing about this story the buildup had good timing.

If you're looking for a short read that sticks to the point, doesn't try to step out of short story parameters, has a nice steamy ending and a good conclusion this is the book for you. A sweet, slice of steamy fun without all the angst and drama.