Meanwhile, Bo Lansing, a total stranger to Larry, toils at a dead-end job as a fry cook while attending night classes to become a certified chef. When the school closes its doors without warning, leaving Bo in the lurch for thousands of dollars in tuition, his dream of becoming a chef is shattered and his financial troubles spiral.
Desperate for a new beginning, each man answers an ad for live-in help posted by a wealthy recluse, and wonder of wonders, they are both hired! Just as their lives begin to improve, a young Kumeyaay Indian named Jimmy Blackstone joins the workforce at the Stanhope mansion.
When Mr. Stanhope’s true reason for hiring the young men is discovered by one of the three, a fourth entity makes its presence known.
Greed.
With all these players vying for position in a game of intrigue orchestrated by one lonely old man and a mischievous ghost, can a simple thing like love ever hope to survive the fray?
It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of John Inman’s words. His books always make me feel good regardless of their genre. Even his “horror” stories can give me warm feels and don’t get me started on the love pollen. His good guys are easy to root for, faults and all and in Love Wanted the author took that comfort I’ve come to love and presented it in a completely new and unique way.
When I first read the blurb I didn’t really know what to expect once I started reading. Honestly, this story could have gone in so many different directions and while the build-up was a little slow, actually I should say, it was “quiet”, the pace fit the story overall because I needed to read every angle and POV to appreciate all the characters fully. This story is told in a multitude of POV’s so you do have to pay attention but the story was more completely told because of the way it was written. I don’t think many authors can pull that off well, but John Inman can.
The story does not take the easy way out for an HEA for anyone and the conflict made the story much more realistic and the characters much more believable. The added option for a love interest for Larry gave a vehicle for the author to explore love and happiness from many more different angles elevating the story to much more than a love story between two MC’s and the whimsical dreams of an old man; it was a character study of love itself in its many forms.
Larry was my favorite from the get go even though he was more reserved than Bo. Then Jimmy shows up and Larry really started to blossom. While it was a love triangle per se, it wasn’t overly angsty, it was actually just more interesting. I’m not usually a fan of the triangle because I end up sad for someone, but this one really worked for me because the author dove deeply into the emotions beyond the actions.
All of my ramblings make this sound like a really serious tale, but there is a balance between the heavy ideas and the whimsical side of love and relationships. There are characters that provide the lighthearted side that the story needed mainly by way of Roger, Jeremy and Mrs. Price. I didn’t know what to make of Roger at first, I mean his ad that he placed for live in help could have been super pervy, but once you get to know the guy, you can’t help but like him and love his intentions. And his love story is just as good as Larry’s. Roger and Jeremy add the sass to the sauce and I loved it when I got to their page time.
Love Wanted is an incredibly well written and easy to read love story and it’s a perfect feel good tale that we all kind of need right now. Reading Love Wanted will remind you how amazing love can be.
**A copy of this story was provided for an honest review**
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