Rainbow Reviews

BOOK BLURB:
Simon Patterson expects professional, discreet behavior at his workplace ~ but that never seems to happen with Doug Harper. Doug is annoying and frustrating and the thorn in Simon’s side. And Doug dislikes Simon’s arrogance just as much in return ~ doesn’t he? When their friends lose patience with the two men feuding and lock them away in the janitor’s closet together, anything could happen. There may be homicide ~ or there may be hot secrets exposed!

BOOK REVIEW:
This is a pretty short story in which all the action happens in a closet. The kind of tongue in cheek humor of putting two gay men back in the closet, but this time for some hot sex, was evident throughout this cute romantic comedy offering. Unfortunately the plot was close to the dated, overused tropes from romance books of the 80’s, leaving this an unfortunate miss. While technically proficient with tight writing and well developed characters, nonetheless the men came across as empty stereotypes and the final romantic sex scene at the end was awkward and uncomfortable. This may be a story that appeals to some and not to others.

Simon and Doug are colleagues who have gotten on each other’s nerves. Their difference in style, fashion and work, have led to a minor feud where the two men provoke each other in hopes of getting an entertaining reaction. Their endless needling of each other has apparently caused their co-workers to devise the brilliant scheme of locking them in a very small closet in the basement until they work out their differences. This tired and obvious ploy in combination with the office setting at SupaWash Corporate Headquarters dates the plot instead of giving a fresh and interesting new take on office romance.

Additionally the characters of Doug and Simon are portrayed as having latent sexual desires for each other (that they’re not aware of) and this is the underlying reason for all their snipping and arguments. This may be true but it harkens back to the old trope of picking on someone who’s attractive because you can’t actually express your feelings any other way. Perhaps this was a popular plot device but it leaves me cold as a reader towards the characters employing this. Furthermore their resolution of the conflict, actually talking about their perceptions is done well but too easy. A short, mature conversation at any point would have cleared up their misconceptions but of course leaving little conflict.

As mentioned the ending sex scene, which was cleverly written, manages to have Doug and Simon in almost a marathon of sex in a very small area with an abrupt ending. The sheer volume of sex that was alluded to was certainly questionable, unless both men have some considerable stamina, and the actual scene also tended to be awkward considering the practical problems they were facing in said closet. Additionally the idea of high level executives having to face their co-workers naked and dirty when discovered would seem to cause more alarm from the men then was shown.

Ultimately I didn’t enjoy this story but that was mostly due to the plot than the actual writing. The author has a solid writing style and clear sense of humor that is cleverly woven throughout, which would shine in the right story. If perhaps she’d chosen a more interesting setting or even had a refreshing set of characters, this would have forgiven some of the dated themes that were used. So unless you’re a fan of the author’s or really enjoy office romance themed stories, pass this one by. Go for something else on London’s book list.

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