Title: Roses Are Red And Thorny…Ouch!
Series: Holiday Jobs that Don’t Suck, #11
Author: Jackie Nacht
Genre: Romance / Holiday (Valentine’s Day)
Length: Novella (57 pages)
ISBN: 978-1-77111-876-7
Publisher: eXtasy Books (February 1st, 2014)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3~3.5 Hearts
Reviewer: Thommie
Blurb: Asking someone out for Valentine’s Day is simple, getting them there without a vehicle? Not so easy.
Shaun works at the local flower shop while going to college full-time. As Valentine’s Day approaches, he has to watch all the people come in and get flowers for their significant other. Wishing he had a Valentine, he didn’t expect a sexy man to walk right in the shop and ask him out.
Ian has watched his friends find their partners all year, and when one forces him to go to the flower shop. He spots the sexiest geek he’s ever laid eyes on. Asking him out is easy, going on a date without a car…oh crap!
Purchase Link: http://www.extasybooks.com/jackie-nacht/roses-are-red-and-thorny-ouch/
Review: This story is a sweet and perfect for a Valentine’s read. It has romance, it has sweetness roll all over the place, it has college boys, but best of all it has a geeky MC that is simply adorable, while he continuously manages to surprise you.
Shaun is shy, he’s your average geek, he’s the guy who works at the flowers shop in the corner and even babysits for his professors. He’s also nineteen years old and has never been touched. How could he when he’s never even been on a date before? That becomes a bit depressing as Valentine’s Day nears and Shaun keeps arranging flowers for loved ones.
Ian is… well, Ian is quite interesting. For a moment there, I thought he’d be your classic jock type, but no, thankfully he was much more. Going through a double major Ian has no time for a job or sports. No, he has his priorities set. The only thing that is missing is a nice boyfriend to fill his heart, and that becomes oppressing as his study group friends all match up and the sugar levels around him keep rising.
But love is in the air and when Ian escorts his friend to the flower shop so he can get his boyfriend a nice arrangement Ian wouldn’t dream the vision that popped right out of the flowers. Shaun is so cute and adorable that has Ian tongue-tied in seconds.
Yes, this is a very sweet story if not a bit unreal. I mean the amount of gay college boys was so high that for a moment I thought I stepped into a parallel universe where being gay was just another fact in life and something that can get you miserable when in college. But it was nice, a change in pace and went hand in hand with the light-heartedness needed for this special holiday. It gave me hope that maybe someday real-life can be like in the books.
The flirting and first date right on Valentine’s Day was lovely to read. It had the awkwardness I remember all around me having when I was that age. It made me laugh, it made me smile, and it totally made me go mushy. I admit though that the intimate scene, though it followed in a decent time frame, it was a bit awkward. Shaun being a virgin and all, I don’t know, but I expected a different lovemaking between them two. Does your first time ever go so smooth? It was perfect, too perfect perhaps.
Nevertheless this story is a blast to read and it definitely will make all fans of romance go “aww” a couple of times, the level of cuteness makes it hard not to. I’d recommend this for all the romance readers as its cut and dried for Valentine’s!