Title: Breaking News

Author: Michael Murphy

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novel (178pgs)

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (26^th December 2012)

Heat Level: Low

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Coleman Young sacrificed his personal life to achieve his professional goal: chief White House correspondent for his network. While others his age have spouses, children, and personal lives, Cole has only his faithful dog, Riley, and his lonely closet, so his producer hires a matchmaker to help him find Mr. Right.

Forced to do something radical—leave work at a reasonable hour to prepare for his first date—Cole is shocked to walk into his house and find someone there: Marco, the grad student who walks and feeds Riley. It’s too bad the matchmaker hadn’t set him up with sweet, caring, adorably cute Marco—it would have saved him from a string of disastrous dates. But Cole doesn’t know if Marco is gay, and he’s not sure how to ask.

Then the biggest news story of the political year breaks and Cole gets a unique opportunity to make a stand—one that could break his career and maybe do his asking for him.

Purchase Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3473

Review: Cole is at the top of his game as the chief White House correspondent for his network, but even he admits that maybe he needs more to go home to than his dog Riley, his producer hires a matchmaker to find him Mr. Right but it doesn’t go quite as planned. When Cole gets home early from work to get ready for his first date he finally meets his dog walker of four years Marco, who he finds incredible attractive, but his luck wouldn’t swing to Marco being gay, would it? When the biggest political news story of the year breaks, Cole faces the biggest decision of his career and of his personal life.

This is a story that is very focused on the career and personal life of Cole with his main love interest very much in the background. Cole’s professional life is perfect, he loves his job and is good at it, and unfortunately, the same can’t be said for his personal life, which is barren of any love other than that of a dog for his master. After admitting how bleak his personal life is to Sarah, his producer, she charges in and sets him up with a date through a matchmaker. Meeting Marco on the evening of his first date makes Cole wish Marco was gay, but as the weeks pass by and more dates that are disastrous follow, Cole and Marco become friends.

I really enjoyed this story with its disastrous dates, growing friendship and political slant, the way the story is all about Cole and his career and limited personal life. Although we do see Marco quite a few times throughout the book he is more on the peripheral, they do spend time together but it is more of an easy friendship, and although we are given hints that there may be an attraction between them it isn’t until near the end that it is acknowledged because both characters though the other was straight. The political storyline was really good and you never know what will happen in the future.

The detail that was given for a political correspondent is well drawn out, the descriptions of the dates were great and Edward the waiter was a gem, Sarah was a great supporting character who was battle-axe and sweet grandmother combined and I can’t fault any of the other characters at all. My only regret is that we didn’t get more background details other than the basics for Marco, and that we didn’t get to know him better. What you won’t find in this story is an out of control romance and tons of sex, what you do get is a great story of a man trying to find someone special while juggling his high pressure, high demand job.

I will recommend this to those who love fumbling bumbling dates, political news, growing friendship into more and a very happy ending.