Book Review: The Blinding Light by Renae Kaye

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: The Blinding Light
Author: Renae Kaye
Heroes: Jake/Patrick
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 212 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: July 14, 2012
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and All Romance eBooks
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Jake Manning’s smart mouth frequently gets him into trouble. Because of it, he can’t hold a job. Combined with some bad luck, it’s prevented him from keeping steady employment. A huge debt looms over him, and alone he shoulders the care of his alcoholic mother and three younger sisters. When a housekeeping position opens, Jake’s so desperate he leaps at the opportunity. On landing, he finds his new boss, Patrick Stanford, a fussy, arrogant, rude… and blind man.

Born without sight, Patrick is used to being accommodated, but he’s met his match with Jake, who doesn’t take any of his crap and threatens to swap all the braille labels on his groceries and run off with his guide dog unless he behaves.

Jake gets a kick out of Patrick. Things are looking up: the girls are starting their own lives and his mum’s sobriety might stick this time. He’s sacrificed everything for his family; maybe it’s time for him to live his life and start a relationship with Patrick. When his mother needs him, guilt makes his choice between family and Patrick difficult, and Jake must realize he’s not alone anymore.

Review:

Jake’s in desperate need of a job. Finally getting one as a housekeeper, he’s tasked with cleaning the house of a rude, fussy and blind man named Patrick. But Jake’s determined to not give Patrick any reason to complain about his work. What starts out as a simple job turns into more when Jake and Patrick develop a relationship strictly through notes. When Patrick gets sick, Jake takes it upon himself to take care of the stubborn man. It isn’t long before the chemistry between the two turns into something more but Jake has a lot of baggage and won’t put up with Patrick’s excuses of being blind. Can these two find a way to work through their issues before it tears them apart?

Oh, man! How I ADORED this book! I will be completely honest and say that I didn’t read the blurb before I started this one. In fact, I was a total cover whore and picked this book just based on that awesome cover. I was hoping for something sweet and light and that is EXACTLY what I got! I absolutely loved the characters. I found Jake so hilarious and kind. There wasn’t a time when he didn’t either make me laugh or smile. He’s in a shitty situation, dealing with a debt that shouldn’t be his. He’s just trying to make the best out of everything and stay positive. I really loved that about him because he didn’t just give up on life when it became too hard, he pushed through it and dealt with it.

At the same time, I loved how self-sufficient Patrick was. As a blind man, he obviously has more of an issue with certain things than others do. Because of that, he’s very picky on how things should be done with his housekeeping. And while Patrick was rude and impolite at first, he slowly started to warm up to Jake and became a sweet man that just wanted to be loved. And I really loved how Jake was so understanding of Patrick and the way he acted so naturally around Patrick to the point that Patrick being blind was never an issue. In fact, Jake constantly forgot that Patrick was blind.

My only little niggle came towards the end and the talk of being a househusband. I love househusbands but the fact that Jake would be paid to be a househusband rubbed me the wrong way a little. I felt like that was just a step up from being a prostitute, which he was adamant he would never be. Although that scenario changes quickly so it wasn’t a HUGE deal but it still caught my attention.

Overall, this was a fabulous story. It’s light-hearted and sweet but also funny and entertaining. I just adored the characters and I loved the way they gradually advanced to an intimate relationship. Patrick’s blindness and Jake’s understanding of that really gave the story some depth. It was a great story that I really loved reading. Definitely a favorite of mine for this year so if you’re looking for something to read that’s light but with great writing, give this one a try because you might just enjoy it as much as I did 🙂

Overall Impression: I loved it!

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*