A Package Deal by Mia Kerick

Title: A Package Deal          

Series:   NA

Author: Mia Kerick

Genre: Contemporary

Length:   Novel (257 pages)

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (October 31^st, 2013)

Heat Level: Low

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Reviewer:   Eli/Mandingo

Blurb:  Robby Dalton is the perfect all-American boy. He played the sports his father chose for him in high school, attended the college his father selected, and has worked hard to conform to his father’s macho views. But emotionally he doesn’t fit anywhere, and he can’t connect with a woman beyond a few uninspired dates. Robby’s not in the closet, because he’s never guessed he’s gay. Now he owns a small commercial construction company, and one night after work he runs into Savannah Meyers. He finds her fascinating and agrees to a date, thinking maybe this woman would be different. 

But Savannah has her own agenda. She is looking for a love match for her roommate, Tristan Chartrand, whom she rescued from the streets years ago. He’s like a brother, and her only family, so she wants him safe and happy. Her plan seems to begin well, because when Robby meets Tristan, he’s surprised to find it’s Tristan he wants, not Savannah. But some people in Robby’s life don’t approve of Tristan’s lowly station in life, and some don’t approve of Robby being gay. Some people are full of hate and violence, and Robby and Tristan will need courage and strength if a loving future is to be part of the deal.

Purchase Link:   http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4337

Review: Package Deal? Well what can I say? It was certainly a package deal with my emotions.  I don’t often mention authors, but Ms Kerrick certainly does know how to wring emotion out of her readers. Every now and again you start reading a book thinking it’s going in one direction and then you get yanked in another and you have zero complaints about the new direction.  There is no way for me to explain how I feel about the book without giving away plot secrets and I simply refuse to do that and rob a reader of the exact same pleasure I had as the characters of Robby, Tristan and Savannah are revealed.  The m/m genre is often full of beautiful men having unbelievable sex; or broken men who have to claw their way back to life. This book takes all those things and then adds a subtle twist that makes it stand out and drag the reader into the plot.

The characters of Robby, Tristan and Savannah are very real and you realize that the HEA will never be possible without these three people, because true happiness is about acceptance of self and of others and being in a good place emotionally. Readers will watch these three characters evolve in breathless anticipation. In the novel, the first theme is that of relationships – the relationships formed by the main characters demonstrate how complicated our lives and relationships can be and become, especially as we try to navigate the ravages and trauma of childhood, loss and abuse and then align them to our current reality. 

There are many ways in which the story of a straight man falling for a gay man can be done. In this story, it’s done as an effortless exposure into Robby’s psyche, and as part of his slow revelation about who he is and who he wants to be as a man. Watching Robby come into his own was especially fulfilling in light of where Tristan was on his own journey of self discovery.  The second theme in the story is that of family – the families we are born into and the families we make. All are important because they ultimately define who we are and who we can become.

When one reads a book, the aim is to climb into the pages and live the life that you are reading about.  To feel what the characters feel and for that moment be transported to that place that they inhabit. This book takes the reader from the rough visceral edge of pain felt by its characters to the gentle feelings evoked by the love they feel for each other.  It becomes especially compelling because the story is narrated by three main characters, each with a unique perspective that allows the reader to experience the emotions of that character.

The book is an exceptionally good read.  It’s not a ‘feel good’ romp, but instead it’s a masterful piece of writing that allows great character sketches to tell some very human stories which allow the reader to begin to love the characters and truly trust that everything happens for a reason because we are all destined to be happy in the end.