Genre: Contemporary
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Maryann
Get It On Amazon
About The Book
When all your friends have plus-ones but you’re still figuring out step one.
From the 2025 winner of the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Romance comes a tale of two housemates in love. If only they realised.
Alaric: Turning thirty doesn’t mean you have to grow up and be boring, right? Except if you ask all my friends, it does. They’re all busy coupling up and settling down, while I’m stuck cuddling up to strangers for a shot at a good night’s sleep. Only this state of utter desperation would lead me to move to middle-of-nowhere Sutton Common with the world’s most peculiar, boring man. He even walks an imaginary dog!
Gerald: I never thought I would want a housemate, and after meeting Alaric, I’m even more convinced. The man’s a walking disaster who sleeps on the floor and won’t stop making fun of my book club reads. I could never trust him with my secrets, like my dream to dance with my neighbour’s dog at the prestigious Crufts dog show. I should be glad when he decides to move back out as soon as possible, right?
Only it turns out Alaric might appreciate a firm hand… and I might like being the one holding the leash.
This is book 2 in the Mis-Shapes series but works perfectly as a standalone.
The Review
Alaric Alvin is in his thirties and lives in Landon with his roommate and oldest of best friends, Steffan Henderson. Alaric is very smart, well educated and has worked his way up to being a Doctor of Urology. Now, Alaric is in a situation – he has to move out of his comfortable home with Steffan. Steffan has a fiance, Marcus, and now they want the second room for a work study.
Alaric, talking with his friend Luke, suggests renting a room from Gerald Mason. Alaric isn’t too excited about that. He was living the life at Steffan’s, and doesn’t want to move. But he knows he has to – there is no other choice.
Gerald Mason has things he wants to do, but his expenses have gone up. He would really like to save for a bigger place. Renting out his spare room is his only choice. He really doesn’t want to. He likes living alone, and his solitude is something he loves. He’s very organized and works as an optometrist, making special lenses for those who had invasive eye operations. He also conducts a reader book club. And he has something special he’s working out with a sweet dog named Elsa.
When Alaric moves in, Gerald has no idea what he’s getting into, but neither does Alaric. They are opposite personalities, and just have to try and survive one other. Alaric kind of hyper, a flashy dresser, loud, talks constantly, asks questions, doesn’t clean up after himself, and never stops to think before he talks. Gerald is grumpy and always seems stern, but his life has been filled with grief from a trauma which led to an estranged relationship with his father.
Will Gerald and Alaric be able to learn and understand each other? Or will fate lead to the parting of two men whose hearts are filled with love?
Hill brings another outstanding story to warm the heart with Fool’s Gold, the second book in the “Mis-Shapes” series. I’ve read many a book by Hill and she always infuses her tales with humor and heartwarming moments, no matter what country she takes us too. ool’s Gold is filled with British humor, especially from Alaric.
She also pours her heart into every story she writes.
The first book in the “Mis-Shapes” series is Maybe, and is well worth the read. I’m hoping the author will be giving Luke his own story soon!
Hill never disappoints – wonderful story!
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.
