Lovers Leap

February 1, 2016
In this screwball romantic comedy, a vacation fling turns into something deeper as a commitment-phobic guy meets the man of his dreams while staying on the Isle of Wight. After Michael O’Grady chooses the worst possible way to break up with his girlfriend, she pushes him off a pier; emerging from the ocean, he encounters Rufus Kewell, a talented chef working at his family’s B&B. In short order, Michael and Rufus fall into bed, where much fun is had by both. But fun is all Michael wants, and Rufus is ready for something serious. If their relationship is to work, Michael has to deal with his internalized fear of settling down and his homophobic mother, while Rufus has to conquer his fear of leaving the island and his family. Merrow (Out!) delivers a fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek tale full of memorable secondary characters, romantic chemistry, and local scenery. The writing has a British sensibility in its dry humor, and the satisfying story bounces between zany and sweet.

February 15, 2016
Sweet stories sweetly told without artifice can bridge many differences and never go out of style. Just such a tale is Merrow's romance about mismatched British gay lovers during a leap year on the Isle of Wight in the English Channel, four miles off the coast of Hampshire and known as a holiday destination since Victorian times. There, would-be chef Rufus loyally helps his elderly dad and his ineffective, much younger second wife at their B&B but is thrilled when a handsome bloke walks out of the sea, presenting all kinds of possibilities. Somewhat predictable quarrels and separations across the channel ensue, but Rufus' BFF, Liz, a lesbian and single mom because her transitioning lover didn't use a condom, provides contrast and comedy as an attention-getting character perhaps used too sparingly; her sparked-up energy illuminates her scenes with the fellows, who reveal their secrets, eventually becoming each other's bloke in Merrow's gentle love story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)