It's Not Shakespeare, Amy Lane

A lighter Amy Lane read.

- Review by Cindi

This is not your normal cry your eyes out and hope you have enough tissues to get through it Amy Lane story.  While there is a small bit of drama, there is no real angst in this book.  It is simply a love story between two men who are polar opposites who manage to find common ground and make it work.

James Richards is a 43-year-old college professor who moved from Maine to California three years prior to escape the fall out of the ending of a bad, long-term relationship.  His parents are relatively wealthy.  He is highly educated.   He loves his job and he loves his dog, Marlowe, but everything else in his life falls flat.  He doesn't date or allow himself to get close to people.  He is miserable.

Rafael Ochoa is not quite thirty.  His only real education is hands-on learning.  He comes from a large Hispanic family whose wealth is determined by hard work, not material things.  He has the tattooed, bad boy vibe.  He is the complete opposite of James in every way.

One day James' favorite, yet toughest, student introduces James to Rafael.  There is instant attraction but James is too sensible to allow himself to even consider having a relationship with a man so much younger than him.  He tries to fight it but it does not take long for him to give in to what he is feeling and he goes with it, differences be damned..  He wants Rafael and he wants him bad.  He does not allow himself to dare think that he and Rafael could ever share anything more than sexual intimacy.  They are simply too different.  James doesn't care about Rafael's lack of wealth or education but the cultural differences between them are glaring. After a quick reality check, James finally opens his eyes and realizes that none of that matters.  They love each other and the rest will either work itself out or it won't.  As long as he and Rafael are together it will be okay.

This is a very nice story.  As mentioned above, there is none of the traditional Amy Lane angst. It is simply a nice love story between two men who are worlds apart in differences.  I am a big fan of opposites attract stories as well as books where the two main characters have considerable age differences.  This book covered both and covered them well.    A very enjoyable read.

Also, check out You Can't Make An Omelet, a quick Halloween short that takes place shortly after the end of It's Not Shakespeare.  This short is also part of Dreamspinner Press' Halloween Howl series.