Title: Housekeeping
Series: N/A
Author: Kim Fielding
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novella (98 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (November 12th, 2013)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥ 3 Hearts
Reviewer: Eli/Mandingo
Blurb: When Nicky Hauser walks in on his restaurant-owner boyfriend having sex with a waiter, Nicky loses his lover, his job, and his home all in one night. Although he’s nearly thirty, he’s never settled on a true career, and he has nothing to show for his years with Tom. Depressed and unable to find work, Nicky ends up couch-surfing with friends until he lands a house-sitting gig for a wealthy family.
When Nicky’s clients discover that he loves to clean, demand for his services skyrockets. Word of mouth leads him to Spencer Cartwright, a busy computer consultant and a slob. Spencer and his wife divorced when he came out, but he’s never found the time or courage to settle down with a man. As Nicky sets Spencer’s house to rights, the two men find friendship. But Nicky’s past experiences make him wary of risking everything on love.
Purchase Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4394
Review: The world we live in has very clear rules about gender and what men and women ‘should’ do. Throw in being gay and the rules become even more confusing for those who are stuck in the rule game. Nicky Hauser likes to clean and makes a living cleaning and housesitting. He’s stuck wondering what he should do with his life when he has no marketable skills. He doesn’t value himself as much as he should. Enter Spencer who is a mess of a man who needs someone like Nicky to help organize his life and make sense of his chaos.
Nicky and Spencer begin a friendship that will become the basis of their relationship. Your lover should be your best friend and this story explores how the two men become friends and thus create the solid foundation for an eventual relationship. The theme of the importance of friendship and acceptance of self and from others is key in this story. It is only when Nicky accepts himself and the simple things in his life that he’s able to accept that he and Spencer can be more than simply employee and roommates. He must get past his hurt and his feelings that he’s not deserving in order to accept himself so that he can accept the love that Spencer wants to give him.
There’s not a lot of heat in this book between the lovers but there’s a lot of heart. So if you are looking for a hot loving, this is not the book for you, but you will get a hot scene in the beginning, but since you know it’s not ‘real’ to the story, it really doesn’t rev your engine. The heart of the story, however, is great and it focuses on how these men really find each other and how Nicky comes out of himself so that they can be together. So get a cup of cocoa and settle in. It’s that kind of story.