Seth Landau is a model, occasional guitarist, and aspiring painter. He’s quirky, flighty, and wise beyond his years. Life has taught him some tough lessons, then given him opportunities he never dreamed of. He’s learned to appreciate the fragility of life and to express it in his work. Seth’s flare for the absurd combined with a supple mind and a beautiful body are too alluring for Paul to ignore. Against his best intentions, Paul is drawn to the younger man whose particular brand of crazy challenges Paul to accept that things aren’t always as they seem. Sometimes taking a chance is better than being safe.
Comment: This is the 4th and final installment in the Better Than series by Lane Hayes, which I have been reading for some months. There are novellas following this book, but not other full length books.
In this novel Paul Fallon, a successful fashion advertiser, is at a good place in his life, but it is also true he feels lonely sometimes. Being friends with the man he considered dating months ago has opened up his connections and that is why he accepts to go on a blind date with Seth Landau, a model he saw at a photo shoot, even though he had told himself he would not date artists again. Things don't go well and he feels more relief than sadness over it, which is why he is surprised when Seth contacts him gain, so that they could give it another go. Although he didn't plan on doing such a thing, he finds himself drawn to Seth and his antics and after a while it's quite obvious they are into each other. But Paul has had some bad experiences and one of them suddenly shows up and makes him rethink his fears...
Paul had been a secondary character in the previous book but he seemed to be a great person, very put together and confident. Well, confident in his professional abilities and in who he is, not as much in how he trusts others to see him. I liked his personality and attitude and I could easily understand some of his thought process and why he made certain decisions.
Obviously, all this had to contrast with Seth, who seems way more independent and carefree in what he chooses to do. I liked Seth as well, but since we only have Paul's POV, it is easy to say that Seth didn't seem as characterized as Paul although the author did a good enough job to show us how these two could work and why they seem to complement one another.
The plot is quite linear and focused on how they go from a terrible first date to be in each other's sphere, even if at first the contacts were meant to be simple friendship. Things change because there is sexual attraction between them from the start and Paul is a little wary of this, because we are aware he had a relationship with another artist and it didn't end well. It's no surprise to learn this person will be part of the story from a certain point on, and that his presence will cause Paul to stress out and to reveal some things about why they broke up.
I will say that it was still a little shocking to see how terrible that other person had been to Paul, and seeing him trust Seth and tell him about it - obviously after some tense scenes - was a good way to let us see how in sync they could be and how different Seth was from that other guy, being art the only thing they had in common. I did like seeing how this revealed Paul's mind-frame in regards to some things and why he is mostly a wary and thoughtful person, even in his personal life. I was quite happy he had Seth, someone who would not treat him that way the other guy had.
Seth and Paul didn't seem to have much in common at first, but something that always endears me in these "opposites attract" couples is how they find ways to respect the other person and even admire them for their skills or whatever. Although Paul's work isn't the kind one sees right away how brilliant it is, the way the plot played out made it easy to see how competent he was, but not in an obvious way. Seth does many things, like modeling and playing guitar, but his art is what makes him who he is, and since he can do exhibitions, this side of him feels more prominent than Paul's, but one could say it's the same world, kind of, and they see the other's value in this aspect too.
When the story ends, the HEA is sweet and seems solid, but not in a sugary way. I could see how they would work out as a couple but nothing was done to exaggerate this and it even feels as if their relationship is a work in progress, always evolving as their lives keep combining. I did like this feeling, that they are happy but not static in what they feel for one another.
No comments:
Post a Comment