Review: In the Middle of Somewhere by Roan Parrish
SYNOPSIS:
Daniel Mulligan is tough, snarky, and tattooed, hiding his self-consciousness behind sarcasm. Daniel has never fit in—not at home in Philadelphia with his auto mechanic father and brothers, and not at school where his Ivy League classmates looked down on him. Now, Daniel’s relieved to have a job at a small college in Holiday, Northern Michigan, but he’s a city boy through and through, and it’s clear that this small town is one more place he won’t fit in.
Rex Vale clings to routine to keep loneliness at bay: honing his muscular body, perfecting his recipes, and making custom furniture. Rex has lived in Holiday for years, but his shyness and imposing size have kept him from connecting with people.
When the two men meet, their chemistry is explosive, but Rex fears Daniel will be another in a long line of people to leave him, and Daniel has learned that letting anyone in can be a fatal weakness. Just as they begin to break down the walls keeping them apart, Daniel is called home to Philadelphia, where he discovers a secret that changes the way he understands everything.
REVIEW:
I had high, high hopes for this book but in the end it left me disappointed. I took a couple days after finishing it to reflect before writing my review; and the more the I think about it, the more disappointed I am. It just wasn’t what I was expecting and as my first Roan Parrish book, it will probably be my last as well.
I think my first grievance is that these chapters were way too long, it would take me 30-45 minutes to read one chapter, there was no taking a break in work, have a cup of coffee and reading a chapter because the chapters droned on and on. Which this is obviously a personal preference but in my almost 10 years of reading and reviewing romance, I have never read such long chapters in my life (outside of my chemistry textbooks).
Then there were the characters, I just didn’t feel a connection between Daniel and Rex. While initially, it seemed their chemistry was based on mutual attraction…after several chapters it appears they didn’t have chemistry and were just attracted to each other. Daniel is so confused about even processing deeper emotions that I am not sure he should be in a relationship…he should probably be in therapy. And Rex, while sweet and charming, I have many questions about his backstory that leads him to where he is.
The character contrast was awkward too. Rex is a movie buff and Daniel is a book nerd, they have no common ground other than orgasms. Mutual orgasms turn to a need to take care of the other but there is a lack of substance holding their relationship together. Throughout the book, the whole vibe is will Daniel stay or leave town after a year, and I am p*ssed that we didn’t get closure on that. As a major drama point throughout the story, it ends with this type of cliffhanger and we all know how I feel about those at this point. So hard pass on the rest of this series and this author.
LINKS:
