Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Never judge a book by its cover.

Michael Campbell can’t hold a job for more than a few days. He’s lucky his foreman is giving him another chance with the solar panel project at an elementary school in Atlantic City. When he spies a man walking strangely in front of the school, Michael laughs, assuming he’s drunk or high. Little does he realize that Joshua Stone, a teaching assistant, has cerebral palsy, and he’s having a bad muscle control day. Taking a tumble right in front of the handsome construction worker is just his luck.

When Michael learns the truth, he feels bad for his cruel behavior. He offers to give Joshua—and his tricycle, the Racing Rhonda—a lift. Joshua accepts the help, and suddenly there’s a gorgeous man breezing into his life, turning his world upside down. But Michael has more issues than his inability to hold down a job, and neither man is sure if they’ll be able to overcome their fears in order to be together.

 

Book Review

Appearances can be deceiving, and in this story, both main characters start out by judging each other based on external factors and a few assumptions. Since both men are complex and multilayered, things do not go well at first. As they gradually get to know each other, driven by curiosity and a need not to give in to their worst fears, both are surprised with what they find. What I found most fascinating is that they don’t just learn about each other, but also about themselves in the process. The result is an interesting story with emotional depth and some great moments of hilarity as Michael and Joshua fall in love.

Michael is out to have fun. He isn’t very serious about much of anything, other than to get laid as often as he can, never with the same guy. He hasn’t held a job for more than a few days, and with no education or real job training to speak of, that makes his life very difficult. But then he meets Joshua. In typical Michael fashion he assumes Joshua is drunk and starts to laugh and make fun of him when he sees him stumbling along. After being told off by his colleague and getting to know Joshua, things change. Michael still says stupid thigs because he doesn’t think before he talks, and because he has no experience with disabled people. He has his foot in his mouth more than once, but he also sincerely tries to understand, and Joshua responds to that. Not that Michael thinks he stands a chance in the long run, after all, he is stupid and Joshua is an intelligent teacher’s assistant, right?

Joshua suffers from cerebral palsy and a few other things, and some days are just worse than others. His motor control isn’t good to begin with, and his speech slurs when he is nervous. Michael pisses him off at first, but his persistence and honesty, once Joshua recognizes it as such, go a long way toward helping Joshua relax. Not that he believes he stands a chance in the romance department – he thinks everyone sees him as a cripple and after one very bad experience with a man who also seemed interested in him, Joshua is very, very careful. Trusting Michael to be different, especially since Michael is such a hunk, is a very tall order for Joshua.
 
If you like books about men who struggle with their perceptions about themselves, if you want to know more about what it takes for both partners to fall in love when one of them struggles with a physical disability, and if you’re looking for a read that is as honest as it is emotional and touching, then you will probably like this novella. I think it’s a great story about two wonderfully flawed characters who truly deserve their happy end together.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and audio
Length	Novella, 114 pages/34178 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	03-June-2015
Price	$4.99 ebook, $14.95 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/despite-the-odds-by-chris-t-kat-2663-b