"Pen Name – Dr. Chicken", Your Real Life Is Calling

“In dreams begin responsibilities.” ― W.B. Yeats

Title: Pen Name – Dr. Chicken

Author: KC Burn

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Pages/Word Count: 200

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb: Sometimes Stratford Dale feels like Doctor Chicken consumes his life. It’s his pen name for a series of wildly popular children’s books. They were his brainchild; he meant for them to be a way to pay his many bills while he pursued his dream of publishing graphic novels. But the Doctor Chicken contract was a raw deal. Instead, he churns out book after book for a pittance, leaving him broke and no closer to his dreams.

Stratford’s dreams of love have fared no better, but he’s still trying. After yet another disastrous date, he’s intrigued by a man going into a cooking class—so he takes the class too. Vinnie Giani is a successful, self-made man who is charmed by Stratford’s bow ties, sharp humor, and clumsiness—which leads to an opportunity to take Stratford in for stitches. Vinnie is, above all, responsible, having taken on the care of his mother and sisters from a young age. Perhaps it’s natural when he begins to treat Stratford more as a child who needs a parent than as an equal partner. But when Vinnie tries to “fix” Stratford’s career woes—including the Doctor Chicken problem—and ends up making the situation worse, their fledgling relationship may not withstand the strain created by blame and lies.

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Review: After experiencing one of the worst first dates in the history of first dates the hits just keep on coming when Stratford Dale misses his bus and ends up having to walk home in the freezing cold. While walking along he sees the best looking man he has seen in a while through the window of a local cooking class. Stratford was so taken with the hunk that he got caught watching and then got scraped up while trying to run away. After thinking about the hunk in the cooking class Stratford decides to take a chance so he signs up for the same class and ends up working with the hunky Vinnie Giani, the good looking man he saw through the window.

Vinnie Giani has spent his entire adult life taking care of his family. After his father passed away when Vinnie was a teen he took over the family business and helped to support his mother and sisters. Now that his sisters are grown Vinnie has started to live his own life and his is looking for “the one”, the perfect man for him. When Stratford walks into the cooking class he is taking Vinnie believes he may have just found his dream man. They end up paired together in class and Stratford’s clumsiness lands him in the ER with Vinnie as an escort.

Vinnie has been very successful in business and in the past he has had men try to use him for his money. Due to this he isn’t completely honest with Stratford about what he does for a living or how much wealth he has accumulated. On the same note Stratford is responsible for creating one of the biggest sensations in children’s literature, but his contracts at his job have kept him from being able to cash in on the success of his products.

Eventually, Stratford’s secret comes out and Vinnie is shocked that he makes so little money for his work. Stratford has a plan though. In two short years he will have all his student loans paid off and he will be able to leave his job for a better one. Vinnie however isn’t satisfied with that and he uses some of his business contacts to get a meeting with Stratford’s “big boss”. Things don’t go quite how he hoped and his meddling could cause the end of their budding relationship. Plus he hasn’t shared the secret of his wealth and he is afraid that will only put a bigger wedge between them. It will take a leap of faith and some brutal honesty to get these two back on track.

I have to say this was a great opposites attract story. Vinnie is a strong, secure wealthy man that holds family close to him. Stratford is a struggling graphic artist who has no real family and is living from paycheck to paycheck. I liked how these two men found their way to one another even when it seemed like everything was fighting them the entire way.
Both of these characters were very well written and believable. Not only was there a great love story and some very touching moments between them, but there was some laugh out loud moments that you won’t want to miss. K.C. Burn has a wicked sense of humor that was clear throughout the entire book.

I highly recommend this book. Of course there is a happy ending, but the trip getting there was an amazingly entertaining one. This is one you won’t want to miss.

You can buy Pen Name – Dr. Chicken here: