Reviewed by JustJen
Title: A Casual Weekend Thing
Author: A.J. Thomas
Heroes: Christopher/Doug
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 310 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: May 13, 2013
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes
Blurb: Doug Heavy Runner left the life of an openly gay Miami police officer and returned to his home on the Salish-Kootenai Indian Reservation when his mother got sick. In the two years since she passed, he’s carved out an empty life as a small-town deputy, relying on out-of-town one-night stands to keep him sane. Then he meets Detective Christopher Hayes, and they share a wild night so incredible Doug breaks his own rule and allows a one-night stand to grow into a weekend of amazing sex.
When Christopher travels from San Diego to Montana to deal with his abusive brother’s suicide, he doesn’t expect to find the man he spent the weekend with to be handling his brother’s case. He certainly doesn’t mind spending more time with Doug—but then an arsonist destroys the house Christopher inherited from his brother, and Christopher and Doug discover they are the primary suspects.
As they investigate, they discover Christopher’s dead brother has set them on the trail of a psychotic pedophile who will stop at nothing to silence his last victim. However, the search for the victim goes horribly wrong, leaving Doug hospitalized and Christopher at the mercy of the killer…
Review:
This ended up being a bit different than what I was expecting. I love characters with issues, and these two certainly have plenty of their share. We learn a little about them, but most of the trauma is glossed over or off the page. Christopher was sexually abused as a child, and Doug was abused by his ex-boyfriend. When they meet, they share a night of hot sex after meeting up in a local bar. There was definitely a connection with these two, as they both realized and continued their fling when meeting up by accident the following day.
The main gist of this story, aside from their “relationship,” is the mystery surrounding the death of Christopher’s brother, as there are much bigger things at play. Child abuse, ex-cons, pedophiles, and murders, oh my! So, there is a bit of twisting and turning and who dunnit to keep your attention. On top of that, is the big connection between Christopher and Doug. They both agree to enjoy their casual hookup for what it is and that Christopher will be leaving. However, it turns into another weekend, and things happen that bring them closer.
The one somewhat odd thing here was the deal with Christopher’s work partner who wasn’t gay, but then maybe he was, or at least bi. He ends up hitting on Christopher which pushes things between them up in the air. This seemed kind of unnecessary, but I actually ended up liking his character in the end, even though he still confused me.
So, I liked different aspects about this story, and the guys together were very smexy and hot. I loved how they helped each other with their various issues. There is not a ton of sex, and the insta-love aspect just worked in this story. I’m glad I finally got the push to read this one, as it was well written and a pretty solid story from a first-time author. I will definitely be looking to read more from Ms. Thomas.
Overall Impression: I really liked it
*I purchased my own, personal copy of this book for review.*
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