alisonalisonalison's review
3.0
Very pleasant. This is a lovely little story. It's low on drama and high on English small town charm. It's pretty classic Charlie Cochrane, really, and it's quite enjoyable to read.
veritytease's review
4.0
3,5 stars rounded up to 4
When I read the synopsis of this book it sounded like Vicar of Dibley meets The Moving Finger, so I giggled when I read:
"It wasn't even homophobic, really. More like a crackpot. 'The Moving Finger' sort of thing."
"If you mean Agatha Christie, that story ended up in a murder,"
Steve, a resident of a sleepy Hampshire village, receives a nasty poison pen:
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Things are complicated as Steve is hellbent not to let his crush on the new vicar show and is worried someone has seen through his facade. What's worse, he's not even sure it isn't the new vicar sending him anonymous letter packed with righteous babble.
Vicar Dan feels the strain of the responsibility of his new position, made worse by loneliness and having to hide in the closet. He's struggling to ingratiate himself to the parishioners, especially a grumpy PCC member he's been dreaming of but who keeps giving him the evil eye, that's when he bothers to look his way at all. Spurred on by an ex, and adopting/adapting the motto: 'Carpe the fucking diem' Dan decides to throw caution to the wind and see if there's more to Steve than a brash facade.
" Life didn't pan out like a gay romance e-book, not least because neither he nor Steve resembled the oiled, chiselled, six-pack bearing guys who always seemed to feature in them."
This is a sweet novella, although it ends much too abruptly without a satisfying end. Most loose ends remain loose and as a reader that usually feels like I've climbed a mountain but wasn't allowed to linger at the summit admiring the view.
The MC's are very English, stiff upper lip and all that, so don't expect roaring libidos, kinks and chandelier sex. This is more of a 'things get sexy, a fade away, time for breakfast' type of MM romance. The insta-love is also a bit much, but then it all makes for an adorable read, low on angst and packed with enough sugar to almost give you diabetes. It's also an interesting glimpse into the lives of those residing in a tiny community where nothing remains a secret for long and worrying what others think is common sensible. It also raises the question of gay men and the Anglican church.
All in all, this was an enjoyable sweet read.
ARC was kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
When I read the synopsis of this book it sounded like Vicar of Dibley meets The Moving Finger, so I giggled when I read:
"It wasn't even homophobic, really. More like a crackpot. 'The Moving Finger' sort of thing."
"If you mean Agatha Christie, that story ended up in a murder,"
Steve, a resident of a sleepy Hampshire village, receives a nasty poison pen:
Things are complicated as Steve is hellbent not to let his crush on the new vicar show and is worried someone has seen through his facade. What's worse, he's not even sure it isn't the new vicar sending him anonymous letter packed with righteous babble.
Vicar Dan feels the strain of the responsibility of his new position, made worse by loneliness and having to hide in the closet. He's struggling to ingratiate himself to the parishioners, especially a grumpy PCC member he's been dreaming of but who keeps giving him the evil eye, that's when he bothers to look his way at all. Spurred on by an ex, and adopting/adapting the motto: 'Carpe the fucking diem' Dan decides to throw caution to the wind and see if there's more to Steve than a brash facade.
" Life didn't pan out like a gay romance e-book, not least because neither he nor Steve resembled the oiled, chiselled, six-pack bearing guys who always seemed to feature in them."
This is a sweet novella, although it ends much too abruptly without a satisfying end. Most loose ends remain loose and as a reader that usually feels like I've climbed a mountain but wasn't allowed to linger at the summit admiring the view.
The MC's are very English, stiff upper lip and all that, so don't expect roaring libidos, kinks and chandelier sex. This is more of a 'things get sexy, a fade away, time for breakfast' type of MM romance. The insta-love is also a bit much, but then it all makes for an adorable read, low on angst and packed with enough sugar to almost give you diabetes. It's also an interesting glimpse into the lives of those residing in a tiny community where nothing remains a secret for long and worrying what others think is common sensible. It also raises the question of gay men and the Anglican church.
All in all, this was an enjoyable sweet read.
ARC was kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
hartd's review
3.0
I like Charlie Cochrane's books because I know she'll always deliver a sweet and hopeful romance, often with a lot of humor. This book made me laugh a few times. I also appreciate the way she throws my American self right into the deep end of British culture. I always end up having a great time wandering around Wikipedia and slang dictionaries when I read her books.
The main character, Dan, is a gay vicar who is still getting to know some of his parishioners. Dan is very serious about his relationship with God, yet it's just an everyday part of who he is. He seems to think of God as his friend, and his belief definitely inspires him to do good in the world. I'm an atheist, but this type of religious belief is easy for me to understand and admire, and it's also interesting to learn about. It's a much more intimate and positive type of Christianity than I'm used to encountering.
On the negative side, the character development was a little bit lacking. I'm really not sure I could describe either main character's personality too well. Also, at certain points, Dan and Steve's actions made it hard for me to like either of them. I'm not sure what was going on with the point of view; although there were a few sections from Steve's PoV early on, I think it would've made sense to continue giving his perspective as the story progressed. The plot was pretty good and was wrapped up nicely.
The ending is happy-for-now, but I can imagine these two eventually achieving a happy-ever-after together. I liked the side characters, especially Harry, and I have such a clear mental image of Margaret.
If you like this author's books, I'm sure you'll enjoy this one as well!
The main character, Dan, is a gay vicar who is still getting to know some of his parishioners. Dan is very serious about his relationship with God, yet it's just an everyday part of who he is. He seems to think of God as his friend, and his belief definitely inspires him to do good in the world. I'm an atheist, but this type of religious belief is easy for me to understand and admire, and it's also interesting to learn about. It's a much more intimate and positive type of Christianity than I'm used to encountering.
On the negative side, the character development was a little bit lacking. I'm really not sure I could describe either main character's personality too well. Also, at certain points, Dan and Steve's actions made it hard for me to like either of them. I'm not sure what was going on with the point of view; although there were a few sections from Steve's PoV early on, I think it would've made sense to continue giving his perspective as the story progressed. The plot was pretty good and was wrapped up nicely.
The ending is happy-for-now, but I can imagine these two eventually achieving a happy-ever-after together. I liked the side characters, especially Harry, and I have such a clear mental image of Margaret.
If you like this author's books, I'm sure you'll enjoy this one as well!
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