Tuesday, July 10, 2012

On the Dotted Line by Alexa Snow




Summary:

When college drop-out Paul LeBlanc first meets pediatrician Dr. Cameron Fraser at the emergency room, he isn't hoping for anything more than good news about his best friends' James and Alison's baby. He's more involved in baby Gabby's life than the average guy his age might be, but there's a good reason for that -- she's his biological daughter, a gift given to his friends when it turned out James wasn't able to father a child.

Cameron asks Paul to go for drinks, but Paul doesn't want to hope for more than a few dates and maybe some hot sex. As it turns out, Cameron isn't into casual sex, but Cameron also knows right away that what he wants with Paul is anything but casual.

Paul's life is complicated. He has a mountain of debt that no one knows about and just paying the bills is a struggle. He's sick of rummaging in the couch for change to do a load of laundry and worrying about when his junky car will break down next. Still, he suspects that the added complication of a boyfriend might be worth it if that boyfriend is Cameron
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 Reviewer: White Daisy


I really liked Paul’s character in this story. He is a careful, serious person, I could only feel respect for him. The night Paul comes to Saint Mary's Hospital as a support for his two best friends, James  and Alison, he meets doctor Cameron Fraser. James and Alison have brought their newborn daughter Gabby to the hospital, scared something is wrong with the child but everything is fine. Paul is actully Gabby's biological father; to support his friends who have been trying for years to have a child without success, he offered to be their sperm donor. 

From the start we could see that Paul doesn’t have much. I would say he was low on cash, living on little money as he struggles to pay off a huge debt. The more I read about Paul, I got the feeling he  was emotionally closed down, even broken from events in his past. Paul is really happy to date Cameron and they were really cute together.
Alison goes off the handle when Gabby is ill. She casts everyone in a light of culpability—Cameron because he doesn’t figure out  what might have made Gabby ill and James because he smokes around their daughter. I mean really! to ban your husband from the house because he is an occasional smoker is really, really stupid. At least the banishment is only for a night and then they make up. 

It nearly broke my heart when Paul said to Cameron:

"I'm kind of fucked,"
Cameron asks what Paul means. Paul says again:
"You know," Paul said. "Fucked. Screwed. Devoid of a reasonable future."

From this point on, the story turned for the better emotionally. Paul is happy with Cameron, which was amazing to watch unfold. I felt happy for them. 
 "I  think we're lucky we found each other; the last thing we need is to be telling ourselves we don't deserve each other. I don't believe that, okay?"
 
I loved that sentence! It’s Cameron’s to Paul.  The harmony between Cameron and Paul is warm and deep. I can only repeat myself, Paul is a damn strong character, carrying so much weight on his shoulders. This made me think a lot about the unpredictability of life and its hardships. This story had a touch of reality, emotionally speaking. The writing style was good and clean, I was pulled into Paul's troubles and life right from the start. How can a reader wish for more? We have got it all with a cherry on the top in On the Dotted Line. I'm giving 4 stars. 

Publisher: Torquere Press                        
Source: Manic Readers

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