Review: The Mature Man’s Guide to Surviving Change by Chris Scully

Title: The Mature Man’s Guide to Surviving Change

Author: Chris Scully

Length: 59 pages

Category: Contemporary, Holiday

At a Glance: This is a heart-warming friends to lovers, second chance love story, with sweet and humorous moments that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Reviewed By: Sadonna

Blurb: In the sunny playground of Palm Springs, growing up was something confirmed bachelor and bad-boy chef Joel avoided at all costs—until a close friend’s death made him reevaluate his priorities. Ever since, he’s been dedicated to helping his widowed friend Perry get back on his feet by teaching him to cook and providing a shoulder to cry on. But when Perry announces that he’s ready to start dating again and then begins receiving gifts from an anonymous secret Santa, Joel is forced to confront the feelings he’s suppressed for so long.

As Joel struggles with jealousy and guilt amid the holiday season, he must decide if he’s ready to grow up and reach for what he’s always wanted but never thought he could have.

2017 Advent Calendar collection Stocking Stuffers.

Review: Joel has spent the last couple of years helping his friend Perry deal with the death of his husband, Joel’s best friend. He’s been there to feed Perry, make sure he gets out of the house, and generally, keep on living. When Perry tells Joel that he’s ready to start dating again, in the middle of another friend’s party, Joel couldn’t be more stunned. And he’s rocked by the jealousy he feels.

When a former lover of Joel’s starts sniffing around Perry, Joel is furious because he doesn’t want Perry hurt. Joel has no trust in this guy to be anything but a user, and Perry is still vulnerable. And Joel feels very protective. But when Perry starts getting gifts from a secret Santa, Joel becomes even more disturbed. Despite advice that he needs to decide what he really wants, and if he really wants more with Perry, Joel is both afraid that he’s not good enough, and guilty because of his deceased best friend. But when push comes to shove, Joel really does have to decide to either make his move or let Perry go.

These mature characters were such a treat to read. This is a heart-warming friends-to-lovers, second chance story, with sweet and humorous moments that I thoroughly enjoyed. I think somehow, when we’re young, we think as we get older that we’ll get all the answer and things will be so much easier. The truth is that while some things may be easier, some things get harder, and that includes trying to negotiate relationships when there is a lot of history involved. In this case, because of Joel’s history of no-strings relationships and his guilt around the potential of having a relationship with the spouse of his deceased best friend, things are definitely more difficult.

I really loved this story. I have been a big fan of Chris Scully’s writing since Fourth and Long, a story in the 2012 Dreamspinner Daily Dose package, Time Is Eternity. I love the realism of grief in this story and, ultimately, the redemptive quality of the support and love that Perry receives that allows him to move on with his life. Highly recommended.

You can buy The Mature Man’s Guide to Surviving Change here:
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