Same Page (Book One: How the Light Gets In)

Title:  Same Page (Book One: How the Light Gets In)

Author:  Lily Velden

Publisher:  Dreamspinner Press June 2013

Rating:  B+   Cher   

Blurb:  Book One: How the Light Gets In

He was like the only splash of color in a black-and-white photograph.

The man was beautiful.

At an exhibition opening in Sydney, jaded Hollywood heartthrob Jaxon Moncrieff lays eyes on publicity-shy artist Liam Lassiter for the first time and is immediately captivated. But he doesn’t get far into their first conversation before he realizes what he’s feeling is attraction, which brings him up short. Jaxon has always been a womanizer.

Despite his reservations, Jaxon makes a play for Liam, but Liam has his own issues. Unlucky in love and orphaned at sixteen, he is reluctant to open his heart to anyone, and dismisses Jaxon out of hand.

Driven by a need he doesn’t understand, Jaxon organizes a return to Sydney to film his next project. If he can’t be with Liam, maybe they can be friends. Of course, that creates a whole new problem. Now Jaxon is falling in love for the first time. How can he move their relationship from friends to lovers without destroying the trust he’s worked so hard for?

Review:  I have a lot to say about this book. First, thank goodness this is book one in a series! One book of these men isn’t enough. Must. Have. More!

Second, you are going to think this is a gay-for-you plotline, but it isn’t. It’s the story of what love at first sight looks like for these men. One openly gay and the other finding his way.

Third, all the beautiful rich people are not jerks. They are nice, and real, and fun. I never once thought that these two beautiful men were out of reach, fake or self absorbed.

Liam is a brilliant artist, but also a down to earth man full of joy and laughter. His love for his friends and deep desire for a family also made him vulnerable. I loved that we saw his art before we were given his description. His beauty was both visible and worth the time and effort to dig deeper to see more of him. He needed a man to take the time to see past his physical beauty and get to know him.

Jaxon the famous actor is swept off his feet with one glimpse of Liam. The self struggle, the worry, the hunt to find out more about Liam and his own sexuality was striking. There were several times unexpected tears flowed. I felt his struggle with self identity. It was the struggle that made this book and the happy ending beautiful. He went through the internal wrestling and came to some life changing conclusions. Then Jaxon was ready to pursue Liam.

I was snuggled deep in my reading chair lost in the words of this story and looked down at my e-reader and saw only 61% and panicked! Oh no, I thought, there is too much book left for all the goodness happening right now. With one eye open I kept reading, waiting for other shoe to drop. Instead it got better.

If you are looking for wailing and gnashing of teeth, there are plenty of books out there like that, but this is not one of them. It’s a sweet, fun and beautiful read. I was a sighing, smiling, and fanning myself most of this book. It was a terrific read.

Reviewed by Beans