Dev Bentham

Originally posted at Romance Around the CornerTwo words: shy hero. How could you not want to read that book?! Way too appealing, I tried to resist because my TBR pile is huge, but I couldn’t resist. So I read it and I’m glad I did, because I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet love story about a guy finally confronting his issues and finding love. Oh! And there are dogs, and the other hero is a dancer. Yep, I pretty much could end the review here, but I won’t because I love torturing you show more with long reviews.Mark Apolostolos suffers from crippling shyness. He gets panics attacks and can’t talk or think, his therapist even suggested he take some drugs for it, but the side effects were too bad for him to risk taking them. His triggers are multitudes and guys he’s attracted to, which couldn’t be worse since he’s a teacher and gay. He deals with it by teaching online courses and just casually hooking up in bars because as long as he doesn’t have to talk or have a relationship he can deal with it, so sex with random guys it is. But he is so miserable that he decides to give up sex altogether, instead of going through the humiliating sexual encounters. So for the past year he’s been celibate. When his brother calls him to ask him to stay with his pregnant wife because he’s about to be deployed to Afghanistan, he accepts. After all, he works from home and he doesn’t really have a life. So he moves there and keeps his daily routine of exercising, jogging with his dog and teaching when his sister in law invites him to join a Zumba class at the gym. He reluctantly agrees but things get interesting when the instructor walks in. Seth is everything Mark fears, sexy, hot and very male, so he panics. But faith keeps throwing them together and Seth is obviously interested, so will Mark be able to get over his shyness?I loved Mark. His issues went beyond the shyness. He was half in and half out of the closet. He hadn’t told his brother about it, at first because their father was homophobic and he was afraid, but after he died, Mark was too afraid of his brother’s reaction so he kept postponing it. The shyness was a real psychological condition that was almost incapacitating, but he also used it as a wall to hide behind, as well as an excuse to deny his family issues and his own fear. His life became a prison but also a safe heaven and he had to come to terms with all of this before trying to have a relationship. Even by the end of the book he kept looking for excuses to not live. But I never felt sorry for him, angry, yes, but never sorry. And it was admirable how he kept trying to get better.Shane was swoon-worthy and exactly what Mark needed. He was able to recognize Mark’s insecurities and knew how to work through them, and most importantly, how to be patient. This is Mark’s book and Shane is a secondary character, a very important one, but secondary nonetheless. However, we do get some insight into his life and issues which meant that he wasn’t just an instrument for Mark to recover, but a real person with feelings and a past. We never get his POV but it wasn’t necessary and by the end of the book I had a good idea of who he was.The secondary characters are just as important and interesting. Mark’s brother and sister in law, and a woman he meets at the gym who plays an important role in his self-discovery. The book isn’t long but packs a lot of interesting stories and I wouldn’t mind revisiting all the characters.Moving in Rhythm was very romantic and sweet, but the main story was about Mark dealing with his shyness and loneliness, so the romance develops slowly –as it should- and it doesn’t act like a magical cure. Yes, love and Seth help him, but that’s it, he has to do all the hard work and by the end of the book he remains a work in process. There’s a happy ending, but there’s also a tough road ahead of him. If you love sweet love stories, unusual heroes and contemporary romance, you should read this book because it’s all that and more. I’m very happy I read it and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Ms. Bentham. Source: we received an e-ARC of the book through NetGalley for review purposes. show less

Driving into the Sun by Dev Bentham is a beautiful romance of healing and new beginnings for two men who have finally begun to triumph over their disastrous pasts. This incredibly engaging story is an interesting study in contrasts between the men, their backgrounds, and their careers but the one thing they share in common is how much their personal choices have cost them both professionally and personally. It is also very fascinating that although their issues are completely different, the show more emotional impact is very similar.

Driving into the Sun opens with Dusty Walker at his lowest point as he begins preparations to leave Chicago and return to his hometown in northern Idaho. Unhappy does not even begin to express his feelings about moving back in with his parents, but he gets a bit of a pick me up when he hears the sexy voice of the man he will be riding with on his trip home. Joe Black has worked hard to repair his career and now with a clean slate, he is on his way to Seattle where he is looking forward to beginning a new job. But while Joe has made huge strides in his professional life, he is still carrying some pretty heavy emotional baggage in his personal life.

Both Dusty and Joe are fantastic characters and while both are immensely appealing, Dusty is still a frustrating mess in the beginning of the story. He has not really dealt with the fallout over the spectacular crash and burn of his career and he is continuing to make some pretty horrible decisions. Fortunately Joe is pretty unflappable and easily forgives Dusty's questionable choices, but it is his calming presence that makes the biggest difference for Dusty as he sorts through his tumultuous emotions. But Joe's past is not completely resolved and it is a huge shock to Dusty when his offhand suggestion leads to surprising revelations from Joe and their side trip leads to an unanticipated outcome for both men.

What makes Driving into the Sun such an refreshing read is the backdrop of the road trip as Dusty and Joe literally and figuratively travel from the past into the future. Joe knows what is ahead for him and he is eager to embrace what lies ahead. Dusty also knows what is next for him but he is dreading what is waiting for him at the end of his journey. Since Dusty has not fully reconciled his mistakes, he sees no other future for himself and this leads to a bit of anxiety regarding his relationship with Joe.

A richly developed and believable romance that resonates with strong emotion, Driving into the Sun is a superb novel that is quite captivating. Dev Bentham brings together two very complex and damaged characters who find love despite their insecurities and rather messy lives. The close confines of the car and the stops along the way provide an intimate setting for Dusty and Joe to divulge their secrets and explore their attraction. The sex scenes between them are exquisitely detailed and are a perfect blend of sweet and sexy.

Driving into the Sun is an outstanding novel that I highly recommend to readers of contemporary gay romances. show less

If the category workplace mystery - analogous to murder mystery - existed, this book would be a great example of what that looks like. Corruption in governments, large corporations, and even international sports organizations exists and is more or less well known since regular accusations and cases are well covered by the press. I admit that I am not very familiar with law firms and their potential dark machinations, so this book was fascinating for that reason alone. Lawyers are supposed to show more help uphold the law and make sure justice prevails, but they are also human beings and just as susceptible to crookedness as the rest of us. The other great things about ‘Whistle Blower’ are that it has wonderfully complex characters, an interesting plot with lots of twists, and a moral dilemma that is not easy to solve. Add a deliciously slow-burning romance between two men who are an entirely unlikely match, and I was one happy reader.

Jacob may have reached partner level in his firm and be financially secure, but the price he pays for staying at this level is considerable. Long workweeks, following corporate policy and billing to ensure they make a profit, no personal life, and no friends other than his personal assistant, Seong. He has never really thought about doing anything else, but when the manila envelope arrives with photos of an environmental disaster caused by one of his firm’s multimillion-dollar clients, Jacob’s world begins to unravel. He isn’t sure what is going on at first, but his curiosity is piqued, and he begins to dig for details, ending up in a northern Wisconsin fishing resort during his investigation. The decision he has to make about staying true to himself and doing the right thing by exposing one of his colleagues on the one hand and staying silent to keep his career intact is not an easy one.

Ben is a very different man. About fifteen years older than Jacob, he has lost his lover to cancer and is more than reluctant to start a new relationship. The thought of making someone else go through losing him has stopped him so far. Jacob may be a jaded New Yorker, a city boy on a mission to find the truth, but he gets to Ben in a way that makes it hard for Ben to resist. Opening up and becoming vulnerable (again) is not easy, but Ben is so lonely that I kept hoping he’d be able to let go of his worries and dive in again.

‘Whistle Blower’ is a good mystery about a couple of things. Who keeps sending Jacob information? How corrupt is his boss? Can Jacob uncover it all before it's too late? But it is also a journey for Jacob and Ben - both as individuals and as a couple. Jacob challenges the way Ben thinks about relationships, and Ben prompts Jacob to be honest about what is going on at work and enables him to deal with the mess. The addition of quirky secondary characters like Jacob’s assistant, Seong, and Ben’s sister-in-law, Miriam, provides depth and relief from the tension.

If you like stories about corruption and those who feel a calling to fight it, if a slow-burning romance between men who don’t seem to be a good match are your thing, and if you’re looking for a read that is suspenseful, a little out of the ordinary, and full of emotion and passion, then you will probably like this novel.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. show less

From enemies who don't really know why they hate each other, to friends and then to lovers, this story covers several years of Cory and Teag's lives. Much like an endurance race in skiing, there are no quick solutions, nor are there any huge surprises. But one of the things I really liked was the fact that, like in real life, they sort of fell into their relationship as enemies due to lack of information and a ton of assumptions, then came out of it because they'd done a little growing up, show more started to talk, and figured out that all the other stuff in their lives wasn't half as important as what they ended up feeling for each other.

Cory is a fighter. He isn’t rich, can barely afford the training, but wants to ski and win so badly he can taste it. Competition is in his blood, and seeing Teag, one of his key competitors, have everything handed to him on a silver platter, so to speak, just gets to him. But when they end up on the same team for the world cup, things change. Suddenly they have to work together in the relay race, and Cory begins to learn a few facts that make him reconsider the truth of what he always thought he knew about Teag.

Teag may be the "rich kid", but he has a damned difficult life. An overbearing father, who doesn’t think he should be skiing, a health condition that makes every race even more of a challenge than it would be anyway, and the need to hide who he really is make everything a challenge. Add to that the fact his father sponsors other skiers, rather than his own son (saying he wants to avoid being accused of nepotism), one of them his arch-rival, Cory, and Teag doesn’t have it easy either. He, too, ends up making assumptions and has a lot to learn.

If you like testosterone-fueled men who are all about the competition until being teammates becomes more important, if you enjoy reading about athletes and the tough training they put themselves through to win, and if you're looking for a read that is as filled with intense, understated emotion as it is with heat and passion, you will probably like this free short story. show less