gay contemporary erotic romance
The best things in life aren’t free…they’re freely given.
Ben Lethbridge doesn’t have many vices left. After raising his little sister to adulthood, he wasted no time making up for the youth he lost to responsible parenting. Two years of partying it up—and ignoring his diabetes—has left him tethered to a home dialysis regimen.
He can do his job from his flat, fortunately, but most of his favourite things are forbidden. Except for DVD porn…and fantasizing over Ollie, the gorgeous, purple-haired skateboarder who delivers it.
Their banter is the highlight of Ben’s lonely day, but his illness-ravaged body is the cruel reality that prevents him from believing they’ll do anything more than flirt. Not to mention the age gap. Still, Ben figures there’s no harm in sprucing himself up a bit.
Then one day, a package accidentally splits open, revealing Ben’s dirty little secret…and an unexpected connection that leaves him wondering if he’s been reading Ollie wrong all this time. There’s only one way to find out: risk showing Ollie every last scar. And hope “far from perfect” is good enough for a chance at love.
Warning: Contains superhero porn comics and a cute, accident-prone delivery guy with colour-changing hair. Readers may experience coffee cravings, an unexpected liking for bad mullets, and the urge to wrap Ollie up and take him home.
24th April 2012, Samhain Publishing
ebook novel – 51,000 words
Cover art by Kanaxa
Buy links:
Kindle US | Kindle UK | Nook | Kobo | Samhain
What they’re saying:
Handle with Care is the comical and clever and utterly charming story of two men who’re falling in love for the first time—not just being one half of a couple but being in a partnership—though the journey is all about the making of and making up for mistakes, until they finally get it right. Handle with Care is a “so nice, I read it twice” book, and it was every bit as sweet the second time around.
5 stars from Lisa at The Novel Approach
Josephine Myles demonstrates her versatility as an author… she doesn’t cover up flawed people with excuses and while she fully develops her characters she doesn’t give away everything… This is one of the best written first-person books I’ve read, really taking advantage of having only one POV and making us sympathize with Ben’s predicament.
5 Blissful Sweet Peas from Becky Condit at Mrs Condit and Friends Read Books
Another really wonderful story from Myles. I think she does “opposites attract” so well and this book was no exception. Myles has created really interesting and unique characters in Ollie and Ben, and made me really care about what happened to them. This story was sweet, romantic, hot, and full of hope. I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.
4.75 stars from JayHJay at Joyfully Jay
This seemingly simple story touched my heart… Ben being on dialysis is really well-portrayed; we are not spared some of the uncomfortable details of his illness and I was very happy that writer went that road… I also loved how Ben’s insecurities were portrayed and how sweetly his crush on Ollie is depicted. I just liked both of them pretty much almost as soon as they appeared on the pages… Highly recommended.
4.5 stars from Sirius on Reviews by Jessewave
Ben has a healthy wry sense of humour and a sense of the ridiculous and his narrative goes a long way to giving the book a light feel, despite what could be seen as some heavy themes… Overall, I really liked this book. It didn’t shy away from the realities of living with duff kidneys, but it also went straight to the heart of Ben. He may be a victim of his past misbehaviour and thoughtlessness, but he makes up for that in spades in his relationship with his sister and Ollie… I highly recommend it with a grade of ‘Excellent’.
Jenre at Well Read
This was a delightful read that covers something you don’t see very often… Even though some may find this story has a more serious theme than some of [Jo's] other works, it doesn’t come across as dark and depressing at all, and still has much of the trademark humour that keeps readers like myself coming back for more. And hey, I learned something when I read it, so that’s never a bad thing to be educated AND entertained. I recommend you pick this one up and give it a go.
Tam at Tam Reads, Writes & Rambles
It’s a real character driven story, and [all] the characters are excellent and provide such a wonderful foundation for our main characters to shine. Awesmazing book from the author once again.
4.5 stars from Darien Moya at Pants Off Reviews
Josephine Myles has amazing storytelling ability. She has a knack for making you fall in love with her characters… and makes you want to root for everything to go the right way for them at least once in their lives. It has everything a good book needs- humor, romance and lots of passion. It’s so much more than just mm erotica.
Victoria Cross at Night Owl Reviews
The more I read Josephine Myles, the more I love her work… [The humour] provided a good balance to the parts of the story that were more serious… The story wraps up really nicely with Ben helping Ollie to realize one of his dreams as he recovers from surgery. A really nice ending to a lovely story.
Helyce at Smexy Books
Since this is the fourth book I’ve reviewed by this author all I have left to say is that you can’t really go wrong with her stories. There is always enough laughter and romance even for the demanding individuals. The lady sure knows how to write.
Valentina Heart at The Romance Reviews
Ollie is what really takes this book to page turner level for me… such a great character… This is the second book I’ve read from Josephine Myles, and I will definitely be hitting up her back list at this point.
Samantha at Fiction Vixen Book Reviews
This is a sweet story, with just adorable Ollie and the cantankerous Ben and his porn collection. There is a point where Ollie’s embarrassment is so naïve and so sweet, I wanted to just hug him. Recommended.
Lucy at Hearts on Fire Reviews
Handle with Care by Josephine Myles is a really sweet story… Ms. Myles is a good author and I really enjoy her style. I look forward to her next tale of quirky English boys and the guys they find to love!
Gennie G at Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
