Judith’s review of Pulled Long (Long Shot series #3) by Christine d’Abo
For months, coffee shop owner Ian Long has fantasized about a customer he knows only as “Blue Eyes.” Until he learns Blue Eyes is in the midst of a divorce—the last thing Ian wants is to be the rebound experiment of a straight guy. Giving in to lust, he invites the man into the cafe after hours and they indulge in a little exhibitionist play, but Ian is unwilling to get involved.
But when he’s forced to see Jeff again to return his briefcase, Ian finally agrees to go out on a date. Dinner quickly becomes an erotic encounter in a special room at the sex club Mavericks, and Ian realizes Jeff satisfies desires he didn’t even know he had. The more he gets to know Jeff as a person, the harder it is to resist falling for him.
Jeff makes it clear he’s interested in more than just sex. He wants to go public with their relationship in more ways than one. But can Ian open his heart, when he fears it will be broken?
There are people who seem to just waft through life, taking their pleasure wherever they can find it, taking no responsibility for the wreckage they leave in their wake. And then there are people who go to the other extreme, taking responsibility for everything negative that happens to their loved ones, to people who are significant in their lives, or for happenings in their business or personal life. Ian Long was one of the latter variety. He is a gay man who has been “out” ever since he was seventeen and whose sexual orientation has been the cause of the rift between him and his dad. He has also been terribly hurt by a partner who wanted a relationship with Ian but who couldn’t get past his struggle with his own sexual preference. Ian is a man who loves his family, especially his sisters with whom he is in business in the coffee shop. Yet he even takes more than his share of the responsibility in that context. Ian is his own biggest enemy. At Long Shots, their specialty coffee business, Ian is the master of the expresso machine–he is the one who knows best when the brew is “pulled long” In that business’s terminology, it means that he knows how to get the maximum amount of “zing”–caffeine content–out of the coffee grounds. It is a metaphor for Ian’s hope that someday he can have a relationship that will provide the maximum of everything he is seeking–love, commitment, excitement, security.
For over eight months the mysterious “Blue Eyes” has been coming into the shop, flirting with Ian, teasing him with his interest, all without ever revealing his name. The tantalizing nature of this budding relationship is first chronicled in the first book in this series. Now Ian is given his first negative jolt when he finds out that Jeff–that’s his name–has been married, and Ian’s fears really kick in and he essentially tells Jeff to “take a hike.” This is really the beginning of their on-again-off-again relationship, marred by Ian’s fears and some secrets from his past that he is reluctant to reveal to his lover.
I don’t read a lot of M/M stories, but I was anxious to find out how Ian and “Blue Eyes” had moved forward, having been teased about their budding attraction in two previous books. I have become a fan of this author’s style and her evident talent in telling a good story, so was delighted to delve more deeply into Ian’s issues as to read about the bumpy progress these two men experienced as they tried to find their way toward each other. There are positives as Ian grows in his respect for his two sisters and their new wisdom in dealing with romantic relationships; there are occasions when Ian must deal with his sense of taking responsibility for nearly everything bad that has happened in his family; there are some people who seem bent on keeping these two apart or making them ashamed of themselves as gay men. Yet with all the detractors, Jeff and Ian’s attraction for one another seems more substantive and it is that sense that draws the reader forward. Is a relationship between a newly divorced bi-sexual man and a very conflicted gay man possible? It is the question that drives this story.
Built on a foundation of family dynamics, this series of stories has been so well written. All the siblings have figured prominently in each story without taking over. This third in the series is no different. It is a short novel so it is not a major time commitment to read. But it is so well written that no issue is given short shrift nor does the reader have the sense that something important has been left out. It is a very good read and one that fans of M/M romance will enjoy. It is also a fitting sequel to the two preceding stories.
I give it a rating of 4.25 out of 5
You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.
This book is available from Carina Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
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