Guest Review: Chasing the Dream (Everyone's Mechanic #1) by Anne Marie James

When Lee meets his fantasy man, his shy nature makes him want to run. But what will he do when his dream guy won’t let him?

Saul Valencia. Tall? Check. Muscles? Check. Everything Lee Clark ever dreamed of in a man? Check. Bad case of nerves and feeling like an idiot whenever he’s around? Sigh. Check.

Being kicked out of the family home for being gay would have been bad enough, but Lee Clark also worked in his dad’s garage. Losing his family, his home and his job all in the same day left him floundering. He can’t believe his luck might be changing when he finds a job at Everyone’s Mechanic, another garage, where he’s accepted for who he is.

Then Saul, a former linebacker for the NFL Raleigh Raptors and a friend of Lee’s boss, walks into his life. The man is the embodiment of all his teenage fantasies, but Lee doesn’t dare hope Saul will ever actually notice him.

Intrigued from the start by the shy man now working for his business partner’s boyfriend, Saul struggles through bad advice and misunderstandings to convince Lee that he’s serious about wanting a chance with him. Getting Lee to give him a shot at romance was difficult enough, but when drama and blackmail from outside sources are added in, the relationship becomes almost impossible.

It will take the combined efforts of Lee’s garage family and Saul’s real one to set things right.

Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of violence and homophobia.

2.75 Hearts

Reviewer: Annery

Lee Clark is one of those characters prevalent in classic bodice rippers and assorted contemporary romances, regardless of gender or romantic orientation: he’s young, beautiful, and talented at everything he does. In Lee’s case, despite his youth, he’s a top-notch mechanic whose talent, when revealed, garners a faithful clientele which only pales in comparison to fans of his artwork, which wows and leaves dumbstruck those who see it. Lee has no formal training but his drawings are amazing. However it can’t all be a bed of roses for our boy. His saintly mom is dead, his father kicks him out when Lee is forced to come out as gay, and his older brother, a cartoon villain, just plain hates and persecutes him. What’s a boy to do? Fret not. Prince Charming is around the corner.

Saul Valencia is a retired NFL player, who though out in his private life, has yet to make his orientation public, why should he have to? He’ll do it for Lee. Saul meets Lee at a BBQ or rather their eyes meet and Saul knows Lee is the one. That should’ve been my cue or rather confirmation that this was not a story for me. I don’t need or like made up drama but IMO this just coasted on lots and lots of wishful telling with minimal attempt at real world verisimilitude.

The book starts with Lee, having just left home with all his worldly possessions in his truck, interviewing for a job at Everyone’s Mechanic, owned by Kirk Smith. Not only does he get hired on the spot, but he gets a place to live, is pretty quickly embraced by a chosen family of friends, and meets the rich, famous, & delectable former NFL star Saul Valencia, who falls head over heels for Lee at first sight. Literally.

We’re also dropped in the midst of a world and multitude of characters, which made me think that maybe this was Bk.2 or 3 in a series, but I don’t think it is. I had no trouble following, the writing is pretty clean and clear, but I can see how some would be disturbed by all of these folks with pretty extensive back stories popping out of the woodwork. I think it’s meant as set up for future volumes in a series, but perhaps it could have been done another way.

Ultimately I didn’t care enough about this to form any strong opinion about it. There was no real conflict. Lee is too good for this world, he’s a bit tentative or insecure about why Saul loves him, makes him wait or prove himself, and later doubts Saul’s affections etc. As I said, a standard contemporary or old style bodice ripper. If you’re in the mood for some a forgettable and almost wholesome read this could work for you: there are friends who are family, actual family, little girls, puppies, and a rescued Prince.

It didn’t work for me because of my aforementioned terribleness as a human being but YMMV.