Blank Spaces

Blank Spaces (2016) Cass Lennox (Toronto Connections)

Vaughn Hargrave is tired of dating. He doesn’t want what every other guy wants, so he’s decided he’ll just stop trying.

Devon took a hefty gulp, then pressed his mouth to Toned’s. Vaughn saw liquid dribble from one corner as the gulp passed from mouth to mouth. His stomach rolled. That couldn’t be hygienic.

Jonah Sondern grew up foster care and learned quickly to look out for himself, because no one else was going to. Now he has a good job, is paying off his school loans, and can do whatever he wants. And what he generally wants is to calm his nerves with casual sex–he adores knowing that people want him.

The day of the interview, Jonah had squared his shoulders and eyed the building, saying to himself, You are mine and now is my time. Of course he’d aced the interview; he’d dreamed of working somewhere like this since he’d been twelve and his third foster dad had told him he would never amount to anything.

When a piece of art is stolen from the gallery where Vaughn works, Jonah and his supervisor come to investigate, because three thefts in a year seems a bit much.

One of the things I liked about this story is that how she makes Vaughn likable–despite the fact that he has a lot of qualities that are off-putting for me.

“Do you have any idea how many calories are in lasagna?”

Give me strength. Vaughn lifted the piece he’d cut off and chewed it deliberately, eyes locked on Jonah’s. He swallowed. “I can’t say I do, no.”

But the fact that Jonah recognizes when he is wrong and apologizes for it also helps.

There is also a small mystery here–trying to discover who has stolen the art–which I also liked, especially since they accidentally stumble upon the answer.

But the most compelling part of the story is trying to figure out how on earth Jonah and Vaughn are going to make any kind of relationship work, with Vaughn discovering that he as Ace, while Jonah wants and needs sex several times a week (or even day).

It’s really a marvelous story.

Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Rating: 8.5/10

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