Soul Restoration

Title: Soul Restoration

Author: Carol Lynne

Publisher: Total-E-Bound

Publisher URL: www.total-e-bound.com

ISBN/BIN: 978-1-78184-275-1

Genre: {M/M} Contemporary Series

Rating: 3.5 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer: Dragon Minx

Pete Braxton was disowned by his father after he graduated from high school. It hasn’t been easy but after years of hard work, he’s built a life for himself. Pete’s wanted to reconcile with his brother but that hope is dashed when his brother dies. It’s a shock to learn he’s inheriting the family fortune and the home they grew up in. But an even bigger surprise is the condition of the house. His brother nearly destroyed the interior and it needs to be restored, which requires a craftsman.

When Dylan Oliver moves across country to restore Pete’s family mansion, he thought his time in Kansas City would be just another job.  He never expected the instant attraction to the owner and he certainly didn’t expect to fall in love. When the job’s finished, will he and Pete have enough reason to stay together or will he return home?

Soul Restoration is the second release in Carol Lynne’s Brookside Athletic Club series but it can be read as a standalone.

I like this premise and there are enough personal details on Pete and Dylan’s lives for me to know that I like them both. Circumstances didn’t make life easy for either but they still prospered and are upright, good men. Pete, inheriting the family home and wanting it renovated, is the only way of getting Dylan into the story, since they otherwise couldn’t have met. It’s a smooth transition, with enough vivid details on the sad condition of the house to understand how much Dylan’s needed.

There’s so much potential in Soul Restoration, yet portions just didn’t work for me. Please don’t forget that I do like these guys—but after their immediate attraction/ sexual escapade, the story fell flat. The only thing I can attribute the problem to at this point is the serious overbalancing of the story in sex vs. plot. Yes, I got snippets of their relationship but I didn’t feel like I really understood the basis of what made them work as a couple. I’m a huge fan of Ms. Lynne but this one—well, I found it disappointing, but I’ll still give the next one a try.