Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Finn McMurphy convinces himself his spoiled dogs are all the company he needs. Then he meets Crawford, his sexy new neighbour, and everything changes.

Patient soul Finn McMurphy teaches music and drama to middle schoolers. By the time he's finished with after-school rehearsals and the private lessons he teaches to make ends meet, he's too exhausted to think about dating or even hanging out with friends. He’s resigned to life with his music, his students, and his ludicrously spoiled Yorkies.

Then he meets Crawford Bixby. Crawford may be the most perfect man Finn has ever met—kind, good with kids, gorgeous, and completely unconcerned with Finn's lack of ability to be coherent around him. Finn falls hard for him, but he's terrified of what he feels. Will he be able to step out of the controlled world he's created for himself and take a chance on love, or will he keep making excuses—rehearsals, papers to grade, dogs to walk—and push Crawford away?

Reader Advisory: This story has been previously released as part of the 50s Mixed Tape anthology by Totally Bound Publishing.

 

Book Review

'Rush around the Clock' is a good title for tis book, and not just because the story takes place around a music teacher and the musical with fifties rock songs he puts together. The core of the story is about rushing through life rather than taking the time to smell the roses, and I think Silvia has done a great job illustrating the dangers of dig so. Luckily, there is also a solution, but the main character has to go through some serious angst, make several stupid mistakes, before he can finally relearn to focus on what is really important.

Finn, who loves music and teaches at a school only to make a living, truly "rushes around the clock", keeping himself so busy he doesn’t have time to feel guilty over ignoring his mother before he found out she had cancer. Her death was a heavy blow for Finn, and he overcompensates with activities to the point where he doesn’t have time to live. Of course, that is not a good place to be in. But his many anxieties keep him from getting close to anyone, but when Crawford appears in his life, Finn begins to truly regret this for the fist time in years. Conquering all of his fears is not so easy though, and there were several points in the story when I feared for Finn's happiness.

Crawford has the patience of a saint. Not only does he manage to deal with Finn's excitable Yorkies (untrained little beasts Finn inherited from his mother), he is truly interested n Finn. The truth is that Crawford is lonely, but that's only part of it. As he approaches Finn and they get to know each other, it becomes clear he doesn’t mind the hectic pace of life, but he is also able to slow down Finn and help him relax. A true achievement!

If you like stories about super-active men who learn to slow down, if you enjoy watching heat build rather quickly between total strangers, and if you're looking for a fun, hot read, then you will probably like this short story.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. The anthology this story appears in has been provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Short Story, 46 pages/13619 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	03-January-2014
Price	$2.50 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/rush-around-the-clock