Ferry-Tale
Review originally posted at Sinfully.Ferry-Tale is a very sweet romance between two regular, somewhat awkward yet totally endearing guys, and I found myself smiling through most of it.
The story is told from the POV of Adam, a thirty year old copywriter living on Staten Island with his pug. Adam and his anxieties were very relatable for me and I just adored him from the start. Shy, introverted, a bit insecure and not quick to trust, Adam tries to keep his crush on Timmy compartmentalized so he doesn’t jeopardize their friendship since he’s also not clear on Timmy’s sexuality. He’s got a bit of an “Ice Queen” persona until you get to know him, but he’s had a tough time in the past. He has dealt with it and is in a good place, but he isn’t just going to let his guard down for anybody.
Timmy took me just a little longer to warm up to. You’re not really sure at the start what his situation is and what his intentions are when it comes to Adam. Is he just a really nice guy and trying to be a good friend, is he looking to experiment, is he hiding something or is he really into Adam, but not quite sure what to do?
Initially there are some misconceptions to work through and they have a difficult time communicating about anything that might have to do with feelings, but once they man up and talk their feelings out, the unromantic pair get pretty romantic. There’s so much heart in this book; in Adam, who I just wanted to give a big old hug. He doesn’t know what Timmy could possibly see in him and he couldn’t see through the friendly gestures that showed Timmy crushing on him just as much in return.
When I said earlier that these are just two regular guys I meant it. There is not an ab muscle in sight, they have boring jobs and we see their day to day existence. They deal with family, friends and exes and there is nothing crazy going on – unless you count semi-public sex on the Staten Island Ferry to be crazy, but I’m sure those bathrooms have seen worse! There are ups and downs as Timmy slowly cracks the through Adam’s defensive walls, and Adam tries to gather the strength to lay it all on the line for the man he’s quickly falling for. There is no major angst, but there are some hurt feelings along the way that need to be fixed before on both ends before they can even think of moving forward.
This is the first novella in the new Landmarks series of books by Kade Boehme and Felice Stevens and you don’t have to be a New Yorker to enjoy it. The story is a standalone and has a happy ending with a nod to a classic fairytale moment, but I’m hoping future books will give us an update on Timmy and Adam.
