Review: A Selfless Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion

Title: A Selfless Man (Men of Manhattan: Book Six)

Author: Sandrine Gasq-Dion

Length: 132 Pages

Category: Contemporary

At a Glance: For me, this is the weakest story in this series, and I had a hard time connecting with the characters and believing in their relationship.

Reviewed By: Sadonna

Blurb: Ryan Carter always hoped his life would turn around for the better. He has a job that he loves, and another one that he hates. Becoming a rent boy was never his life plan, but circumstances forced his hand. When his life falls apart, hunky firefighter Michael Callahan comes to his rescue. Ryan knows better than to believe someone as wonderful as Michael would ever want to be with someone who sells his body. But spending time with Michael gives Ryan something he’s never had before.

Hope.

For months, New York firefighter Michael Callahan has been thinking about the hot guy he rescued while working crowd control during a robbery standoff. His brother is very happy dating a man, and Michael wonders if he’s finally ready for a relationship of his own. An apartment fire brings him face to face with the young man who’s been haunting him for months. Their friendship starts strong, but will Ryan’s alternate life put out the flicker before it has a chance to flame?
Can Michael convince Ryan that he wants him no matter who he is? Or will the relationship turn to ash before it even begins?

Review: While this is the sixth book in this series, it works OK as a standalone; although, I think it’s a better story if read in series order.

Firefighter Michael Callahan is in a rut. He’s been sort of a little obsessed with this cute guy he got out of harm’s way a few months before, during a robbery. Then, during an apartment building fire, he rescues the same guy. Michael makes sure he’s OK and that he’s got a place to go—which turns out to be with friends of Michael’s brother and his boyfriend.

Ryan is intrigued by Michael and definitely attracted, but he’s not convinced that Michael would want to have anything to do with him, especially if he knows about his other job as a go-go boy and sometimes rent-boy. Ryan has a lot of insecurities and very low self-esteem. He does have a good friend in Bobby, another rent-boy who looks out for him.

Michael and Ryan become friends, and then more, but when Michael finds out by accident about Ryan’s other life, he doesn’t reject him. He is afraid for him, but he does not try to control him. But when rent-boys keep turning up dead, there is a lot of worry on both men’s parts (and I’m sure we’ll see more of this in the next book).

When Ryan finally accepts that Michael is not the kind of guy who will just run out on him or decide he’s not worth it, then they can finally move on in their relationship. There is also some drama with Ryan’s family that just seemed like a filler in this story. There are some fun moments with other couples, particularly at Casper and Slater’s wedding, and times spent with Michael’s brother, Tiernan, and his boyfriend, Dario, and his family.

Overall, I felt like this was the weakest story of this series. I didn’t really connect with Ryan, and I found the relationship with Michael to be a bit too unbelievable. I had a hard time understanding why, after Ryan had a “real” job, that he continued to put himself in harm’s way. I’m sure a therapist would have a field day with that. The story felt rushed to me, and honestly, the parts I enjoyed were not necessarily the parts with Ryan and Michael. Casper and Slater’s wedding, I think, was my favorite part of the book. I am looking forward to the next story, and I hope that Bobby gets his own HEA.

You can buy A Selfless Man here:
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