“Too often, we miss out on opportunities in this life because we were too busy waiting for them to fall into our lap that we missed them tapping on our shoulder.” ― Daniel Willey
Title: I Survived Seattle (Coming About #1)
Author: J.K. Hogan
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Pages/Word Count: 161 Pages
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Blurb: As if being a deeply closeted gay man living in the South isn’t enough, Justice Crawford also suffers from a crippling anxiety disorder. Flying cross country to be the best man in his best friend’s wedding probably isn’t the best idea, right? Forced back into the closet after being rejected by his family, Justice has given up on the idea of finding acceptance and love. He has allowed his disorder and his troubled past to keep him from taking a chance, but love might just find him where he least expects it… in Seattle.
Sailor and charter boat captain Nic Valentine is still reeling from the unexpected death of his father, when the man of his dreams—literally—falls into his lap. He thinks he’ll never see the man again, but fate has other plans. Nic tries to resist the charms of adorably quirky, nervous Justice, because he has no desire to get tangled up with another closet case. But when life keeps throwing them together, will Nic decide that Justice might be a keeper after all?
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Review: I love romance. I am a hopeless romantic. I play the part of a cynic with a skill and dexterity deserving of an Academy Award, but now you know the truth about me. I love thinking that once-in-a-while the “Missed Opportunities” section of Craig’s List actually brings together a couple. That’s what I Survived Seattle represented for me. I looked at as if it could have been on that Craig’s List page: To the man in whose lap I landed during the turbulent flight to Seattle…
Justice Crawford (only in the South!) lives in a closet in the South. Not a small apartment. I mean he is a closeted gay man. You knew that. He did try to come out once and his family had such a bad reaction he scurried back in there as deeply as possible. He also has horribly disabling anxiety about bunches of stuff. One of those things is flying. He’s heard all the statistics and won’t have any of your logic, thankyouverymuch!
Flying across the country to his best friend’s wedding in Seattle isn’t his wisest move, but he feels strongly that he needs to be there for him. He wouldn’t have asked Justice, knowing of his phobia, if it weren’t really important to him that Justice stand up for him, right? He is going to try to stop his anxiety from running his life and run it himself for once.
Enter cute plane guy. Nic Valentine is a charter boat operator who is flying home to Seattle from a funeral following the unexpected death of his father. He and Justice make eyes at each other on the plane, hilarity ensues (read it to see), and by the time Nic is able to get far enough up the gangway to chase down Justice, he is out of sight.
When Justice arrives, he is told that he was supposed to have planned a bachelor party for the groom. He didn’t know anything about that; it was all he could do to get on the plane and get himself to Seattle. Who would have a venue and be able to cater the event on such short notice? Funny you should ask. Did I mention that Nic owns and operates a charter business? That’s when we get our Craig’s List moment.
I have anxiety issues of my own, not surprisingly. It was gratifying to see Justice try so hard to overcome his. It was hilarious to watch the wanna-be best man try to use Justice’s disorder against him and… read it, I don’t want to be all spoilery! I loved how patient Nic was with Justice. This was a solid story. It was a little amateurishly written, which is why I am looking forward to the next in the Coming About series. I am anxious to see this new author mature. J.K. Hogan is a name to watch in M/M fiction!
You can buy I Survived Seattle (Coming About #1) here:
