Barging In by Josephine Myles

Title: Barging In

Author: Josephine Myles

Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (September 20, 2011)

ISBN: 978-1-60928-592-0

Genre: Gay Contemporary

Length: Novel

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5Hearts

Reviewed By: Artemis

From the Publisher:  

When the boat’s a rockin’, don’t come knockin’!

Out-and-proud travel writer Dan Taylor can’t steer a boat to save his life, but that doesn’t stop him from accepting an assignment to write up a narrowboat holiday. Instead of a change of pace from city life, though, the canal seems dull as ditchwater. Until he crashes into the boat of a half-naked, tattooed, pierced man whose rugged, penniless appearance is at odds with a posh accent.

Still smarting from past betrayal, Robin Hamilton’s “closet” is his narrowboat, his refuge from outrageous, provocative men like Dan. Yet he can’t seem to stop himself from rescuing the hopelessly out-of-place city boy from one scrape after another. Until he finds himself giving in to reluctant attraction, even considering a brief, harmless fling.

After all, in less than a week, Dan’s going back to his London diet of casual hook-ups and friends with benefits.

Determined not to fall in love, both men dive into one week of indulgence…only to find themselves drawn deep into an undertow of escalating intimacy and emotional intensity. Troubled waters neither of them expected…or wanted.

About the Author:    English through and through, Josephine Myles is addicted to tea and busy cultivating a reputation for eccentricity. She writes gay erotica and romance, but finds the erotica keeps cuddling up to the romance, and the romance keeps corrupting the erotica. She blames her rebellious muse but he never listens to her anyway, no matter how much she threatens him with a big stick. She’s beginning to suspect he enjoys it.

Her first novel, Barging In, a gay romance set on the English canal, will be available from Samhain Publishing in September 2011.

My Review:   Dan has spent his life being out and proud and sleeping with just about every available guy that will drop his pants for him. Robin, on the other hand, isn’t completely comfortable with his sexuality and he REALLY dislikes the fact that he wants Dan with something akin to obsession. Dan is on assignment as a magazine photojournalist and is determined to mix a little bit of pleasure in with his business trip. There is just no way he is going to let Robin’s tattooed and pierced body get away without sampling the goods! These two characters are so completely different but the author does an amazing job at bringing each of them to life.

Robin’s comes from money but a troubled past has him ditching the wealth and taking up with a community of boaters…picture gypsies on narrowboats floating from port to port in the canals of England. Dan comes from a family that had very little growing up but he is the carefree, live life to the fullest character. I enjoyed the way their developing relationship allowed Dan and Robin to balance one another out as the story progressed.

I thought the setting of the story was truly unique and I have never seen another book like it. Now, I love cowboys and FBI agents as much as the next girl but after a while you want to see something a little bit new! Ms. Myles did a great job of describing life on the water, including all the technicalities of living on a boat. There are no long hot showers or gourmet meals when you are living with a small water tank and a galley kitchen. I really got the feeling that I understood what living on the canal would really be like.

The physical relationship between the two is both sweet and hot. Dan and Robin decide to just enjoy the week that Dan is visiting with no strings attached. Their time in bed is passionate and intense and when the week is up, neither one of them is ready to say goodbye.

I will say that I was surprised at which character accepted the intensity of his emotions first and actually had the courage to utter the ‘L’ word. I won’t say who it was but for some reason, it wasn’t who I expected!

Overall, an amazing book. I loved the characters, the descriptive setting, and the passionate interactions between Dan and Robin. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

 

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