Title: Theory of Attraction
Author: Cleon Lee
Genre: M/M Romance
Length: 118 Pages (August 11th, 2012)
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥3Hearts
Blurb: Ethan Roberts is a TA and the resident gay Don Juan of St. Phillips University. Getting tired of one-night stands, he decides to pursue a serious relationship. However, the only guy he really wants is Aaron Marcus, a shy and nerdy Sociology TA.
His upbringing and his past relationship have made Aaron Marcus insecure and paranoid. He thinks Ethan is just another guy who wants to make fun of him with his over-the-top courtship. However, his perception of Ethan changes when Ethan takes him home and takes care of him after Aaron gets drunk in a bar.
It is up to Ethan to reassure Aaron that despite Ethan’s inexperience in relationships and Aaron’s neuroses, they can make their relationship work.
Product Link: http://spsilverpublishing.com/product_book_info/products_id/1180/
Reviewer: Madison
Review: Theory of Attraction is a light romance based on an “opposites attract” storyline. Ethan is used to being able to turn on the charm and win over any guy he sets his sights on. At the moment, that happens to be Aaron. Aaron is a fellow grad student who is also working on a dissertation for his Ph.D., but the two men couldn’t be more different. Ethan is gorgeous, outgoing, and confident. Aaron is nerdy, introverted, and insecure. Despite the fact that Aaron is not his usual type, there’s something about Aaron and his shy, quiet demeanor that Ethan finds endearing.
Ethan’s initial attempts at wooing Aaron are rebuffed. Aaron is simply not interested. He doesn’t see any reason why Ethan would genuinely like him, so he steers clear of him. Eventually Ethan convinces Aaron to give him a chance and the two connect.
I enjoyed Cleon Lee’s writing style. The dialogue flowed nicely and her use of imagery drew me into the various settings:
Morning sun was a bitch. She rose too early and shone too brightly. Aaron’s head hurt and he felt as if something had crawled into his mouth and died there.
“Nggh…”
He heard a chuckle. He opened his eyes and looked in that direction but promptly regretted his action as sunlight stabbed his brain.
I also liked the alternating points of view, although more could have been done with that. I would have liked more character development. Perhaps in a full-length novel we would have gotten that. There are hints of Aaron’s backstory, but I never fully understood why he acted the way he did. We discover that he’s come out of a bad relationship and that he had family issues, but neither of these events were fully explained. Why was Aaron so gun-shy? It was mentioned several times that Aaron felt Ethan was making fun of him, but I never got that sense. How is giving him flowers or chocolates making fun of him? I would have liked more backstory from Ethan as well. What was it about Aaron that attracted him so much that he went for months without sex, just waiting for the chance to go on a date with Aaron? It was a little hard for me to believe. Don’t get me wrong, I liked Aaron. A lot. I just didn’t get why Ethan liked Aaron so much.
In the end, they do finally connect, and they make a sweet couple. The scene where they become intimate was refreshingly different from what I’d expected, though it could have been a little steamier for my taste.
Once I got to the end, I turned the page, expecting another chapter. It ended a bit too abruptly. Overall, I liked the characters and I liked the premise, but I wish there had been more to it. With a bit more depth of character, a bit more angst, a bit more “happy couple” in the end, this would have been a more satisfying read.
If you’re in the mood for a quick, light and fluffy romance, I think you’ll enjoy this one.