Review! If I Must by Amy Lane

If I Must

Amy Lane

Dreamspinner Press, LLC

Pages: 69 pages 

ISBN-13: 978-1-61581-337-7

Joel Martinez, a practical and organized computer programmer, is roommates with Ian Cooper, a certified IQ-in-the- stratosphere mathematical genius who literally can't find his own underwear in the mess of his day-to-day life. When Joel uneasily leaves Ian for the holidays, he ends up telling stories to his sister and discovers he feels much more for Ian than he thought. So when Ian calls, distraught because the only other thing in his life that loves him (a half-feral cat named Manky Bastard) is going to have to be put down, Joel hurries back home hoping that opposites really do attract.

I started this book with big reservations. I had never read a M/M book ever and I admit, I might have been a little wary. Right off the bat, the story hooked me up. Joel and Ian are absolutely adorable together and the perfect fit. Joel's rational and neat and very linear while Ian's forgetful and pretty much a slob even though he's a genius and they balance each other out nicely. Ian was my absolute favorite, I loved how, no matter how much of a genius he might be, he was so vulnerable.

There were tender moments that had me tearing up, really hot sex that had me blushing, and funny scenes that made me laugh out loud. It's surprisingly good paced considering it's such a short story - only 69 pages! Yet not at any moment did I feel the story was rushed or too slow at all. And the M/M part? Absolutely didn't bother me one bit! If anything but.  

All-in-all, If I Must is a wonderfully tender story about two characters finding each other and I absolutely recommend it! 


P.S.: There's a cat called Manky Bastard in this book. Based on that alone, you should totally read it!