Book Review: Pride, a novel by Samantha Ryan

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Rattling Good Yarns

Pages: 231

 

Rating:★★★

Ben Bennett owns and manages a failing bookstore. Although he’s had offers to buy his shop, he somehow hangs on because he loves his quiet life, a snug existence surrounded by literary books, a single employee to keep him company, and his feisty sister Mal to stir things up. But that all changes when he crosses paths with Avery Fitzgerald, a close friend of his sister’s new boyfriend. Avery is vexingly handsome, absurdly wealthy, a savvy business developer, and very outgoing, everything Ben Bennett is not. Avery has one other attribute, he takes a shine to unobtrusive little Ben Bennett, and the more Ben refuses to give Avery the attention he seeks, the brighter that shine glows. 

 

Can complete opposites really attract each other? Not before their lives unravel in ways they never expected.

 

The more Ben tries to resist Avery’s advances, the more Avery finds new ways to weave himself into the fabric of Ben’s life until sparks fly and hearts collide. This is a modern, queer twist on Pride and Prejudice. And like P&P, if follows the romance formula of two people who are meant for each other but can’t seem to get it together until the very end. The road to love is never easy, especially for a geeky bookworm swimming in a sea of self-doubt.

A wonderful debut novel… I confess I was not looking forward to reading another romance novel, but this story has true grace and vividly drawn characters that entice the reader into this beautifully crafted yarn. The emotions and concerns seem genuine, and carry the reader along.

What struck me even more than the story’s insightful observations was the writing voice. Samantha Ryan tells a simple yarn with the refinement of a seasoned professional.

I did have one minor issue with this story. In order for the protagonist, Ben Bennett, to wander through most of the story oblivious to Avery’s obvious advances, the author makes Ben out to be rather dense, to the point of often being stupid. I found myself rolling my eyes in several spots. I feel she could have found better ways of handling the protagonist’s refusal of Avery.

That issue aside, I highly enjoyed Pride.