Review: Lovers Leap by JL Merrow

Author: JL Merrow

Pages/Word Count: 217 Pages

At a Glance: This wasn’t my favorite JL Merrow book, but by the end you will love these two guys, especially together.

Reviewed By: Carrie

Blurb: If they looked, would they ever leap?

Good-looking, confident, and doted on by his widowed mum, Michael is used to thinking only of himself. Getting shoved off an Isle of Wight pier by an exasperated ex ought to come as a wake-up call—but then he meets Rufus and he’s right back to letting the little head take charge. Rufus is cute, keen, and gets under Michael’s skin in a disturbing way.

Would-be chef Rufus can’t believe his luck when a dripping wet dream of a man walks out of the sea on his birthday, especially when Michael ends up staying at the family B&B. Life is perfect—at least until Michael has to go home to the mainland.

Rufus can’t leave the island for reasons he’s entirely neglected to mention. And though Michael identifies as bi, breaking his mum’s heart by coming out and having an actual relationship with a guy has never been his plan. With both men determined to keep their secrets, a leap of faith could land them in deep water.

Review: Lovers Leap is a quirky, fast paced, character driven romantic comedy from JL Merrow. I laughed outright while reading this book, I scowled outright at Michael, I frowned at Rufus, and I grinned with the secondary characters. Never has my face been so expressive while reading a book. I wanted to write an incredibly clever, witty, snappy review for this story but unfortunately, I was not gifted with the art of prose the way JL Merrow was, so I have to resort to just saying that I really liked this book.

Merrow says that she first planned for this story to be a dark comedy, and there are whispers of that forgotten first draft still inside this comedy. The darker plot points could bring this story down, but they are kept from doing so by a quirky dialogue which is so well written that it keeps you entertained as it brings you along on a journey of self-discovery for the two very British main characters.

Michael lives at home, is doted on by his mom, and has a good job. Life is good—life is all about him. He’s a jackass. Then he gets shoved off the Isle of Wight pier by his now ex-girlfriend, and life starts to go downhill (?) from there. Meeting Rufus is life changing for Michael, and learning to put someone else first can be a painful process, but I rooted for Michael to find his happy, and frankly, by the end of this book the romance makes you feel all squishy and warm inside when he does.

Rufus loves his home on the Isle of Wight. Taking a solitary walk along the beach on his birthday, February 29th, he’s pleasantly surprised by the gift Poseidon heaves into his path. Being a leap year baby means it’s only the fifth birthday he has ever had, and the Adonis coming out of the waves toward him only justifies his belief that leap day is special.

Rufus probably should have realised Michael was giving him a funny look, but in his defense, he was a bit distracted.

“Oi. Are you perving on my dick?”

Rufus’s face, which, let’s—hah—face it, had been feeling pretty warm already, went red-hot. “No.” It was possibly the least convincing lie he’d ever told. In a long, sad line of unconvincing lies that went all the way back to “No, I never play with dollies.”

“You’re perving on my dick, aren’t you? Jesus. Here I am, only seconds away from near-death of hypothermia, chafed so bad I practically need a skin graft, and you’re perving on my bloody dick.”

That was totally unfair. Rufus wasn’t just perving on his dick.

Rufus has his own issues, mostly surrounding his family and the bed & breakfast they run. He finds his courage in Michael, and it is his humor and personality which carry the book forward. Frankly, you may not always like these two guys. They each have some issues to deal with, and this wasn’t my favorite JL Merrow book, but by the end you will love these two guys, especially together. If you are looking for a witty rom-com, then you will totally enjoy this story. It’s an easy read…and don’t be surprised when you find yourself snorting out loud!

TNA_Signature_Carrie