“Any fool with steady hands and a working set of lungs can build up a house of cards and then blow it down, but it takes a genius to make people laugh.” ― Stephen King
Title: Paulie
Author: John Inman
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages/Word Count: 200 Pages
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Blurb: To the casual observer, Paulie Banks lives the perfect life. After all, he’s young, handsome, and rich. But Paulie has a secret. He’s madly in love with Ben, his old college roommate—and Ben is straight! Now Paulie has arranged a two-week reunion with his three closest friends to rehash their college years and get to know each other again. Jamie and Trevor are coming, along with their new lovers. And to Paulie’s amazement, even Ben has accepted his invitation.
Beautiful Ben. The one non-gay apple in the old college barrel. Paulie will soon find out if Ben has forgiven him for overstepping the bounds of friendship on the last drunken night they spent together.
With his La Jolla mansion spotless, a stunning new houseboy hired for the duration, and his heart pounding in both fear and anticipation, Paulie welcomes his old friends back into his life. Thanks to a whole lot of liquor and a clothing-optional dress code, boy, do the festivities begin!
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Review: I absolutely adore what I’ve read from John Inman so far and Paulie is another winner for me.
It’s been a year since Paulie’s beloved grandmother has passed away, and he’s preparing to be reunited with his friends from his college days. Paulie is especially anticipating seeing Ben again, a straight friend he thought he lost forever after an unexpected drunken encounter during their last night together before graduating.
Paulie is hopeful that during the next two weeks at a La Jolla mansion by the sea, with the newly hired houseboy, the stocked liqueur cabinet, and catered dinners, everyone will enjoy their stay. Not to mention, Paulie is hoping that Ben will forgive him for his trespass.
While I enjoyed the blooming romance between Paulie and a certain someone, it was the secondary characters that stole the show. Dang, at one point I actually snorted coffee through my nose with their antics! (BTW, very painful, wouldn’t recommend it.) I never thought snorkeling could be so interesting.
What I’m going to do with this one is give it a 4.5 Star rating, mainly because of the humor involved. Oh, and let’s not forget Hammer, the mutt. I’d highly recommend Paulie for a good laugh! The only reason it didn’t receive a 5 Star rating was the romance seemed too easy going compared to Trevor, Jamie, Danny, Jack, and Jeffrey’s dalliances.
You can buy Paulie here:
The Novel Approach Reviews 
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