Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Review & Giveaway: WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE by Matthew J. Metzger-TOP RECOMMENDATION!

Matthew J. Metzger - What It Looks Like



Release Date: August 20 2016

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Length: 80,615 words


Blurb

Eli Bell is the only son of a police chief inspector and a forensic scientist. He's grown up wonky in a world that only deals with the straight and narrow -- and his new boyfriend isn't helping.

Rob Hawkes is six feet of muscle, tattoos, and arrest warrants. A career criminal and a former guest of Her Majesty's Prison Service, he'd rather hit Eli's parents than sit down to dinner with them. One wrong move, and Rob could destroy Eli -- and his family -- without a second thought.

But this isn't what it looks like.

Rob's not in control here -- and Eli's the one to blame.


Carra's Review

So, the first thing I have to tell you is the writing is virtually flawless.  Not even a handful of pages in and already this book was more descriptive than 75% of the books I have read before it.  And I don’t mean that it’s wordy or goes on and on…I mean it in that it makes me feel like I am right there with the characters, able to picture everything in my head so clearly it’s like watching a high definition movie.  Metzger drew me in to the story right from the start, and I remained fully engrossed virtually the entire time I was reading.

I really liked both Eli and Rob.  I thought that Eli was quite intelligent and handled his situation with a lot of maturity, especially given the frustration he was experiencing with his family.  If I was in his place and went through what he did over and over again with his parents, I would have snapped pretty early on.  I was not expecting to find out Eli was transgender based on the blurb (and not thru his last surgery yet), but finding this out made me like Rob even more—he knows this and doesn’t care, he’s with Eli for Eli, period.  Rob’s character is a classic example of not judging a book by its cover, and proves time and time again exactly who he really is as a person.  He may seem like a bad boy-and at times he can be-but what he seems and what he’s been don’t define who he is now.

I can sympathize with Eli with how his parents act regarding his relationship with Rob.  While I know many young men and women have run into the situation of one or both parents not approving of their boyfriend/girlfriend/significant other, and Eli’s father in particular is excessively stubborn and honestly does not give Eli the respect he deserves.  This does lead to a lot of confrontation between Eli or Eli and Rob and Eli’s family-and his family isn’t always to blame either.  Rob can be just as prickly, mostly due to his upbringing and attitude toward people in authority, which contributes to the continued conflict.

Both Eli and Rob can be quite emotional and passionate in their beliefs and feelings, which in turn leads to some powerful scenes-and not just in the bedroom.  Case in point-Rob’s Christmas present #2 to Eli.  Yes I’m teasing you with this, but believe me, it is so very worth the tease.  And those scenes in the bedroom?  They range from dominating and kinky to strangely intimate.  There’s an interesting dynamic between Eli and Rob where at times Eli is the one in charge and at others it’s Rob.  But overall it felt to me that Eli had more control-but it is thanks to Rob that he is able to do so.  That may sound confusing, but once you read it you’ll understand.

This story will put you through an emotional grinder, but just like with that tease, the journey will be well worth it.  The events that happen in the last quarter of the book deliver one hell of a punch with tension and worry, and for me I refused to put it down from about 70% straight through to the end.  This is one of the best stories I’ve read so far this year, and is a clear 5-star read…and it’s going on my top recommendations list.  This story is strictly for readers 18+ due to copious amounts of adult language and sexual content.  It does cover adult topics, and while a transgender character may not be everyone’s cup of tea (particularly given the sexual content), the story is powerful, emotional and will take you on one hell of a ride.

Two quick side notes…first, I wanted to give a nod to Danny’s character (Rob’s brother).  He added some laughs and a touch of crazy that made the story even more enjoyable to read.  Second, while I don’t know if the author is considering following up with these characters in the future, I really would love to hear more about how things go after the epilogue just to hear the rest of Eli’s journey.






Author Bio

Matthew J. Metzger is the front for a British-born author dragged up in the south of England as part of a typical nuclear family with three kids, a mortgage, and no dog because a dog would get hair on the carpet. A brief escape to the north to study focused his writing from daydreaming rambles to his first novel, Our Last Summer. It is unquestionably better than the dissertation he produced at the same time for his university degree, but probably not as inventive as the excuses he provided for missing classes so often.

Matthew has since returned to the London area, and therefore lives mostly on the public transport. He suspects that his next few pieces will probably involve homicidal characters on the London Underground.

For more information, please visit matthewjmetzger.wordpress.com.



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