Hard Tail

Hard Tail is the story of Tim Knight. He struggles to get back on his feet after losing his job and his wife. Tim agrees to mind his injured brother’s mountain bike shop in the meantime. This story is told in first person through Tim’s eyes.


Tim’s wife leaves him for his best friend and it’s time he faced the fact that they were really no more than friends. He admits he used his wife and marriage to deny to the world and to himself, he’s gay. Working in the bike shop in a small town out in the country, Tim starts to face who he really is and what he wants out of life. It certainly helps that Matt, the bike mechanic working in the shop, is gay and cute. Matt is clumsy, but he also has secrets he’s keeping. That secret is an show more abusive boyfriend.

Tim figures as long as he lives at his brother’s house and works in town, he may as well get involved in the community. He doesn’t know how long his brother will be in the hospital. So he enrolls in a karate class to keep up his skills. There he meets a karate bully who factors into the story. Tim starts to cycle with Matt’s friends.

Tim voice comes across loud and clear. He’s sarcastic, not only about others, but also about himself. He’s a bit of a prude and unsure about how to handle his interest in men, particularly Matt. He’s a bit insecure because his parents have always favored his older brother, who for most of his life was never very reliable or good at staying in one place. Matt is adorable, clumsy, and it was clear he was attracted to Tim, but he was living with his boyfriend. I should probably mention one thing. Tim is still married to his wife when he and Matt begin their relationship. But Tim's wife has already moved out to live with Tim's ex bestfriend and they are preceding with a divorce. The break-up is amicable and his wife later comes to help Tim with an issue that crops up. So both of them are already moving on.

The pace of this story wasn’t particularly fast. I can understand since a lot of the interaction took place in the bike shop and in the calm country atmosphere. Speaking of country, the author did a great job of conveying the landscape and especially the bike trip that Tim went on. The description of the town was also well done. There’s a self-deprecating humor that runs throughout this whole story. It’s not heavy, but enough to keep the book amusing. The situation with the abusive boyfriend wasn’t overdramatic thank goodness, but it did raise the topic of how men can also be abuse victims.

Hard Tail was a fast, entertaining read with almost flawless writing. I only spotted one sentence that broke the fourth wall, yes in first person, that when I read it, jolted me completely out of the story. It was that obvious. The characters have distinct voices, some of the best I’ve read. I give this book 4 Stars

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I thought this book was really fun. First off, I have to say I have a love of all things British, so this book that was so very British thrilled me from the first paragraph. Being inside Tim's head was delightfully funny. He made me laugh several times.

I found all the side characters rather delightful as well. From Adam, the man of few words, to Kate, the soon to be ex-wife, everyone was well drawn and interesting.

By far my favorite secondary character was Wolverine. The cat that basically moves in to Tim's place whether he likes it or not. There were several times that Wolverine reminded me of my own cat.

My only complaint about the book was that I wanted more of the relationship between Matt and Tim.

Overall a really fun read. I show more have three other books by this author on my TBR that have now been bumped up because I liked this one so well. show less

Another enjoyable book by JL Merrow. It was nice to read a longer book - the other two I read were novellas, so we got a lot more character development and more fleshed out secondary characters. I really liked the MCs and thought their relationship built nicely though it felt a bit rushed at the end. I'll definitely be continuing my JL Merrow glom!

I really liked the build up to the romance the author provided. My favorite character? Wolverine the cat. Just hilarious. It was the right amount of angst, drama and hilarity. I definitely recommend to anyone who's a fan of really good 'gay-for-you'

I always enjoy Merrow's books; they are well-written with quirky humour. The MCs' path to love isn't immediate but watching them work it out, and in Tim's case ~ come out, is a lot of fun.

I greatly enjoyed this small town romance, the British flavor was delightful, so different from the more popular US/western romance, and yet, despite the common European background with me, the reader, so particular and original to make it a very interesting and whole reading experience, well beyond the "simple" romance.

Tim is in a precarious situation, downsized and looking for a job, after years of living the high-speed life of the City (London), he is plunged in the sleepy Southampton, no so glamorous like Brighton, not so small like other seaside small town, basically average, like Tim's opinion of his own persona. But there Tim is also far from his previous life, and maybe the constrictions that had him denying his homosexuality. show more With a new life in front of him, and new opportunities, Tim is also ready to admit his interest in Matt, and why not, trying to do something about it.

The novel is pretty much centered around Tim, Matt is a very nice character, but we have little chance to understand his reasons; maybe this is a reflection of Matt as a character, he is shy and silent, not really the chatty type. He could be more imposing than Tim from a physical perspective, but if I have to tag them, the domineering character is Tim, even if maybe he doesn't realize it. From being almost a wallpaper flower to his older brother, who is everything with an "er" at the end than Tim, Tim has to take the front stage and being there for Matt when Matt needs him. Being strong for him, when he has never been the same for himself.

Of all the character, I love Wolverine the cat, probably cause he was an orange tabby like my own cat, and like him, Wolverine decided Tim, and Tim's home, were his next home, and not viceversa; he found someone, and something he liked, and he decided to take it, home and owner, in one package.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1619210576/?tag=elimyrevandra-20 show less

I really enjoyed this a ridiculous amount. It's all about a 28 year old man, Tim, that has been laid off his job and whose wife has just walked out on him. Then he receives a phone call from his mother letting him know that his brother Jay has broken his leg while falling off his skateboard. So, being jobless and wifeless, he allows himself to be talked into taking care of Jay's bike shop. Which is where he meets Matt, the charmingly klutzy bike mechanic.

This was a story about self-acceptance, domestic violence, and a razor toothed cat with attitude.

I recommend this book.