Genre: Contemporary, Holiday
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Maryann
Get It On Amazon | Universal Buy Link
About The Book
A later-in-life M/M holiday romance short story.
As he waits in the bar of a San Francisco restaurant for the rest of his work group to arrive, ex-Navy JAG counsel Ren Itano sees someone arrive. At the end of the evening, Ren gives ex-Navy Legalman Jimmy Rubio a ride home. Jimmy invites Ren in for a cup of tea. After a night together, they begin a conversation about meeting again.
By Christmas day, both men suspect they’re on the brink of being boyfriends. Can a chance meeting lead to the gift of a future together?
Adult situations, themes, and language.
The Review
Jimmy Rubio has made his way back to San Francisco. He’s a former Navy man, and his service was spent in San Diego. He was lucky to work for a firm that could transfer him. He’s now been working with the paralegal group for six months. He sort of knows his co-workers, only from conversations around the break room coffee machine, discussing cases over lunch, or hanging out for snacks or for drinks. He’s been too busy to miss his old Navy friends or his work colleagues in San Diego.
Jimmy also needed to come home for his mother, Beverly. She was by herself, and has non-Alzheimers dementia. He helped clean up his late father’s hoarding and his late brother’s accident. He used what he could, got rid of a lot, and made himself a place to live in her basement. He isn’t totally alone – he has a Himalayan cat named “forty-niner,” – an historic reference, not a football one. Having only been home for a short time, he still wants to look into a place of his own. Even though he has lots of relatives, he only depends on his cousin Lee. She is always willing to come mom-sit, if needed.
At an office gathering, Jimmy doesn’t know that he has caught someone’s eye – Ren Itano spied the cute Filipino. There were a couple different work gatherings going on at the bar, and he was early for his. When he sees Jimmy head for the rest rooms, he follows. As they wait, they strike up a conversation. Ren gives Jimmy his business card, and Jimmy text his number to the Japanese-American silver fox lawyer. As they both go their separate ways, Ren gets a text from Jimmy and they make a date to meet for drinks after their dinners.
A View From The Bridge is a wonderfully written story, filled with different types of love – for family and especially between a mother and son. It also reflects a friendship and love that grows between two different cultures, and the connection they both have as Navy men. Ren and Jimmy surprise each other, as they didn’t expect to become boyfriends. It all makes for a beautiful, steamy romance.
I highly recommend this short, sweet, lovely story for the holiday season.
The Reviewer
Hi, I’m Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the “Doctor Dolittle” books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the “Uncommon Cowboys” series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read “Zero to the Bone”by Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now I’m really into mysteries, grit, gore and “triggers” don’t bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and it’s right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.
