Lovely reader, let’s have a small spotlight on Cate Ashwood’s Textual Relations.
Textual Relations by Cate Ashwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
*~~*ARC kindly provided by the author to me in exchange for an honest review *~~*
Evolutionary psychology professor Henry Hathaway is ready to spend his birthday the same way he does every year: a good teeth cleaning followed by lunch with his brother. But when he receives a wrong-number text confirming the details of a date, he does what any considerate person would—he goes to meet them and explain why they’ve been stood up.
Asher Wescott hadn’t expected his blind date to go well, because when do they ever? Henry shows up instead, and things are suddenly looking up. Socially awkward and attached to his routines, Henry is nevertheless one of the most charming and kind men Asher has met in a long time.
Too bad he’s not Henry’s type.
An accidental date, an impulsive kiss, and a few conflicted feelings later, can Asher get Henry to see the world—and him—in a different light?
This book by Cate Ashwood, which is my first title by the author had my attention when I read the blurb. I really like when scientists fall in love and explore feelings they often analyse with a clinical distance. Same goes for Henry who have been in relationships but still found something was lacking. That Henry is a creature of habit is a mild description of his clocked behaviour and routines. 🙂 Henry is kinda nerdy but oh so sweet. He has a innocence, seems pure and untouched.
When he met Asher on his birthday, after getting a random, unintentionally sent message he get’s out his comfort zone and after one funny evening more follow.
Both guys realise soon they have a chemistry – but Henry overanalyse it again.
I really liked Henry’s struggles, his thoughts, on the other hand he soon adapts to his attraction to Asher and do the only “logical”: he let his emotions take command over his brain.
It’s actually totally sweet how Henry reacts to Asher, and how Asher is giving Henry his space, after he senses Henry isn’t first open for more.
The subtrope of the book is gay for you (the term sounds not really pleasant, still it’s how the term is used) but I would say it’s more that Henry developed this feelings for men, for Asher in particular, but is maybe not solid in his lable, if he is gay, bisexual or any other kind of the spectrum. And this fact is also mentioned in the book, which I liked. It doesn’t matter for Asher, if Henry is, both enjoy their time together and their shared, mututal feelings.
What I also liked was the way how the “clinical”, scientistic way of thinking was combined with the emotional part. Means: Henry is a full-blood scientist, he believes in facts and can explain a lot, still he is lost when he is confronted with his own emotions and need advice from his friends. It’s kinda sweet how innocent Henry appears there, and how eager he is to learn more.
For me this book has a lot of great events and although it’s short the book contains a lot of action, has a solid story plot and the whole lenght and speed in the book is believable, as well as the way how Asher and Henry deepen their relationship.
The book gets 5 out of 5 stars. It has a sweet topic, charming, pleasant characters and the Henry’s super interesting, but kinda nerdy job gives the book a certain spice.
SPOTLIGHT
Title: Textual Relations
Author: Cate Ashwood
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: M/M Romance, Contemporary (GFY)
Release Date: August 10, 2017
Cover Design: Cate Ashwood Designs
Lenght: 32.000 words (novella)
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Author bio – Cate Ashwood
Cate discovered her love for books of all kinds early on, but romance is where her heart truly lies. She is addicted to the happily ever afters and the journey the characters take to get there. Currently residing in White Rock, B.C, Cate loves living just a stone’s throw from the ocean. When she’s not writing, she can be found consuming coffee at an alarming rate while wrangling her children, her husband, and their two cats.
Cate loves to hear from readers. You can contact her at cateashwood@gmail.com or on her website http://www.cateashwood.com.
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