Roan Parrish

"An irresistible queer romance." —Publishers Weekly, starred review It’s not long before their pet-centric arrangement sparks a person-centric desire… Simon Burke has always preferred animals to people. When the countdown to adopting his own dog is unexpectedly put on hold, Simon turns to the PetShare app to find the fluffy TLC he’s been missing. Meeting a grumpy children’s book illustrator who needs a dog walker isn’t easy for the man whose persistent anxiety has colored his whole life, but Jack Matheson’s menagerie is just what Simon needs. Four dogs, three cats and counting. Jack’s pack of rescue pets is the only company he needs. But when a bad fall leaves him with a broken leg, Jack is forced to admit he needs help. That the help comes in the form of the most beautiful man he’s ever seen is a complicated, glorious surprise. Being with Jack—talking, walking, making out—is a game changer for Simon. And Simon’s company certainly…eases the pain of recovery for Jack. But making a real relationship work once Jack’s cast comes off will mean compromise, understanding and lots of love. Garnet Run Book 1: Better Than People Book 2: Best Laid Plans Carina Adores is home to highly romantic contemporary love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters. Discover a new Carina Adores book every month!

An LGBTQ Romance

Better Than People

Aishling

3.75/5 stars 


That was a cute read I liked Simon a lot more than Jack, since Jack was being a baby about his leg. I also understood Simon’s fears about where their relationship would go.

Read the full review on The Queer Bookish.

It is a very quiet and… unhectic read but it hit me in the feels every other page. The way Simon feels – actually feels – his anxiety and how it shapes his life left me feeling touched and sometimes frustrated because it mirrors some of my experiences with anxiety. So much so that I have to quote some of my own notes here because I can’t find any better words.

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Lauren Sullivan

Content warnings: (view spoiler)[anxiety, depression, panic attacks, MC breaks leg in a fall (on-page), ableism, MC’s parents died when he was a child (off-page), MC’s grandfather died recently (off-page), grief (hide spoiler)]

What an absolutely lovely and angsty hug. Forced proximity between two hurting animal lovers with absolutely exquisitely crafted emotional responses? Yep, sign me up!

When Jack breaks his leg while walking his small pack of animals, he’s forced to hire Simon to take them for their twice daily walks. Jack is resentful of having to ask for help, but there’s something about the withdrawn Simon that makes him crave more time with him. For Simon, who prefers animals to people, the joy of spending time with such a menagerie of animals is overshadowed by having to interact with grumpy Jack. Neither man expects a friendship – or perhaps something else – could grow from such a simple arrangement.

The plotting of the book is excellent. It’s a very tight and focused story – there’s little external conflict, and most everything happens in either Jack’s house or Simon’s grandmother’s house. Everything revolves around the slow building of trust between Jack and Simon. They both have to come to terms with their own issues, whether it’s Simon’s lifelong anxiety or Jack’s inability to draw after a shocking betrayal, while simultaneously navigate the other’s. Jack struggles in his own way with words, as well, having been dependent on his “friend” to write the stories for the children’s books he illustrated. He knows how powerful they are and how distressing the lack of them is, but has some missteps with Simon initially. There’s a difference between accommodating a person’s differences and trying to fix them, and the author does an excellent job showing that.

“This—this right here was why animals beat people, paws down.
They were sensitive. They cared. They wanted to be loved and they gave love back. Animals never betrayed you the way people did. They were loyal.”

I thought Simon’s anxiety was handled well. He’s frustrated and tired of everyone trying to fix him, telling him that if he only tried harder he’d be able to overcome it. It makes him touchy and sensitive to certain phrasing. After all, no one wants to be someone’s project to “fix.” While Simon’s had a multitude of bad experiences with people reacting to his anxiety in the past, everyone in the book is exceedingly kind and patient with him, even grumpy Jack. Jack is dealing with a betrayal of his own, and coupled with a broken leg that forces him to rely on others, including his brother that raised him after their parents died, he’s, well, grumpy. He’s fiercely independent – but does relying on others make him weak, like he thinks? And can he accept that the good things in his life, like Simon, aren’t going to leave or betray him? Their relationship is quite sweet and builds somewhat slowly, which is understandable as Simon is a virgin. For Simon, communicating through touch is

“Dick pic, dear?” Grandma Jean said sympathetically. “The bits not quite what you’d hoped for?”
“Grandma, no! God.”

The secondary characters are so much fun, especially Simon’s grandma and Jack’s brother Charlie (I need a novel for him, stat!). As you’d expect from the cover and blurb, there’s a whole petting zoo full of animals, from a St. Bernard named Bernard to a lab named Puddles to a cat named Pirate (Jack is… not so good at naming animals). And while they’re certainly there and prominent in the book (including tripping over dog toys and shooing them off the bed prior to sexy times) they never veer into cutesy trite plot moppet (plot pupper?) territory. There’s even a little bit of surprise Christmas magic – though magic is a misnomer, considering it’s each character’s kindness, empathy and ability to listen that ultimately brings them together rather than anything supernatural. And also a Christmas-tree-shopping-inspired blowjob!

Overall, this was a fun, enjoyable and emotional read!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Better Than People An LGBTQ Romance

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