Title: Making Home by Dev Bentham
Bay Valley U Series Book One
Publisher: Loose Id
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, Gay, Romance
Length: Novella/Word Count: 30,000 (approx)
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by the Author
Summary:
In his real life, Manu Contrares makes a decent living as a videographer in New York. But when his mother goes into hospice, he heads home to Bay Valley to help take care of her and ends up back at his first job on the janitorial staff of the local college. It feels like a long step down for a proud Hispanic man.
Chris Hall loves teaching but hates research. That’s becoming a big problem because his third-year faculty review is coming up and if he doesn’t make something happen soon, he’ll be out. He’s spending his nights working in the lab on a Hail Mary attempt to save his job.
When the two men meet, it’s explosive. And complicated. Chris is lily-white and culturally tone-deaf and Manu’s only in town for a short stay. It’s a recipe for heartbreak. Still, the pull between them is too strong for either to ignore. Can they overcome their different backgrounds and somehow surmount the geographical problems, or is this a fling that will leave them both more exhausted and lonely than before?
Review:
With a poignant storyline, an appealing cast of characters and sizzling hot love scenes, Making Home by Dev Bentham is a captivating romance between two unlikely partners.
Manu Contrares is back in Bay Valley for a heartbreaking reason and he has enough on his plate without a romantic entanglement complicating his life. He is also not a relationship kind of guy so he is disconcerted by his strong attraction to Professor Chris Hall whose cultural insensitivity is particularly irritating. So why is Manu suddenly eager to catch a glimpse of the biology professor during his nightly rounds cleaning the college?
Chris loves teaching but he is struggling to produce the research he needs for tenure. Despite his efforts to concentrate on his current project, he finds himself too easily distracted as he waits for the nightly appearance of too sexy for words Manu. With his professional future riding on making significant progress on his research project, the last thing Chris needs is to give in to his unexpected attraction to Manu.
While their initial meetings get off on the wrong foot, Manu and Chris cannot deny the sexual chemistry that simmers beneath the surface every time they see one another. Both men have compelling reasons to ignore their mutual attraction, but they find it surprisingly easy to eventually agree to a no strings fling. After indulging in several explosive encounters, neither Manu nor Chris can deny their feelings go deeper than casual sex. But with Manu planning to return to New York and Chris chasing tenure at Bay Valley U, will they find way to overcome the obstacles that are preventing them making their relationship permanent?
Making Home by Dev Bentham is a scorching hot romance that fans of the genre are sure to love. Manu and Chris are endearing characters with all too realistic flaws and imperfections. The storyline is quite emotional and both protagonists undergo significant growth. An absolutely outstanding beginning to the Bay Valley U series that will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.
