Acrobat

Mary Calmes has a way with her writing, I'm not quite sure exactly what it is to explain it, but the books are always so enthralling and comforting at the same time. The characters always seem to have the same kind of personality but still they're all so very different. And of course you will either love or hate every single one of them at some point in time.
I love Nathans Character in this book. Everything about his personality is extremely likeable and he is basically the perfect guy (who doesn't really exist in real life). Older professor, single dad, awesome person all around, he gets along with everyone he encounters and everyone loves him. Andreo "Dreo", (ex)mobster, who lives with and takes care of his nephew Michael, has been Nathans neighbor for years has now set his sights on trying to make their friendship into more. There's a little mobster drama and some ex-bf drama and some kid drama. But not enough to overpower the story of these two men. And their story is Sexy and Sweet.
Audio - *Fans Self* Sean, Oh Sean.. Those Italian phrases captured in this book sound so amazing coming from his voice. He is such and overall fantastic narrator that when I saw he did this book it was pretty much an auto purchase for me. And now that I have it I'm sure it will be a re-listen more than once.

Overall
I went into this book hesitant, as my previous Calmes's book didn't really grab me and while I liked elements of it, in other parts I found it lacking. Sadly, I felt similarly about this one. There are large parts that I like and there's an overall good sense of humor throughout, but the irritants I came across kept me from thoroughly enjoying the story.
Review
The biggest annoyance is the main character. Not that he's a bad guy or anything--he's not. He's actually rather likable. However, he has no sense of his own attraction, and never seems to have had one, despite everyone in the book saying how attractive he is. Part of his issues is with his age, which was understandable, since he seems to be drawn to younger men, but instead of him being focused on age and how he's not as attractive as he once was, he's constantly surprised and denying his own attractiveness. While I can buy him denying that he looks as good as he did when 20, it's hard to believe he never realized he's actually a sexy beast when we've been given no reason for him not to realize it.
Along those lines, because he's such a sexy man who is super nice, people fall all over him. This isn't too noticeable in the beginning, but when he's being introduced to various Italian families, it becomes too much--at least for me. Maybe it's because I'll never be that person who everyone is falling over to be nice to, but I find the humble beauty queen to be somewhat irritating.
The plot isn't bad, and it does add some suspense and move events along, but it didn't feel real. I won't say much, because it'd be giving it away, but the mob and police involvements seemed a little too ridiculous for me to take seriously. (OK, some of the mob scenes \"felt\" real in an appropriate mob movie kind of way [totally acceptable], but some of the politics fell flat). If you're hardcore about contemporary stories being realistic, this will probably leave a weird taste in your mouth.
On the other hand, while it's probably unrealistic, I do love how the mob politics were handled in regard to Dreo trying to get out. I really loved Tony who, despite being a mobster, is a really cool guy. I thought it was nice to minimize some of the kerfluffle on that end, plus it shows the contrast of old school and the advancing perspectives (even if it was only acceptable because Dreo was getting out).
I loved Dreo with his single-mindedness and Italian whispering, his possessiveness and the moments when he backs off to not be a controlling jerk. Classic tough guy with squishy insides. Many of the characters come together to make this a fun little story, and I do like Nate, despite some of my qualms with him, and he comes to some very poignant conclusions that are very thoughtful (I actually highlighted them on my reader). The characters are fun to watch, funny, and have a variety of personalities that come together nicely. They are what really make the book work.
Readers who love Calmes's work will probably like this one as well, but her 'style' rubs me wrong, so I don't know if I'll ever really appreciate her works as much as others.

Acrobat by Mary Calmes is a different kind of romance then so many others I’ve read lately (that’s not good or bad, just refreshing). Nate is a great guy. He’s a loyal friend, a great ex, a loving dad, a cool prof . . . BUT don’t date the guy, lol. He is many things but willing to commit for the long haul, as in willing to work at a relationship to make it work, he has always, totally failed at managing (we won’t count his ex wife as that was him being a good man and friend.).
Enter Dreo and Michael. Michael is Dreo’s nephew (he did adopt him but they still refer to each other as uncle/nephew) and Nate’s neighbour. He’s also 16 and is often left alone due to Dreo’s work (being a mob boss’ bodyguard means lots of weird hours) so he ends up hanging out with Nate. Nate having been a dad himself and a prof, takes this in stride and helps out – probably thanks to missing his own son who is now grown.
Now, Nate and Dreo have lived next door to each other for 4 years and while Dreo has been in love with Nate, Nate has been oblivious. It takes Nate being beaten up and then seeing him with a would-be suitor for Dreo to man up and start to show his feelings for Nate. Problem – he’s mob muscle so being involved with Dreo is NOT healthy for Nate.
Now that you have to basics, lol, I will tell you that Acrobat is a wonderful read. The characters are fun, hot, frustrating, and at times annoyingly real. Acrobat isn’t instant love, nor is it friends since childhood but rather a quirky mix of the two. Feelings are there, but they are so under the surface that Nate, poor twit that he is romantically, doesn’t notice for so long. Of course, there is the age difference – which at first Nate freaks over. I do understand his POV on this but they are both grown men with their own lives, jobs, and families by the time they meet so no, it’s not a ‘real’ problem, just a perception issue.
I have liked most everything I’ve read of Mary’s but I loved Acrobat! And Dreo was the best character in the book, IMHO. He was alpha, sweet, protective, possessive, and just all around yummy (and Italian!). He also works to change his life to be a better father-figure to Michael and to be a descent partner for Nate – without being asked to change!
If you love M/M Romance, do not miss this one! Acrobat was fast paced, explosive, emotional, and hot. I read it in one sitting and have already reread it once, lol. A truly wonderful read.

I read this book about a month ago and just now realized that I didn't review it, so I reread it (I know....such a hardship, right?!) and you know what I found out? It's even better the second time. The relationships that Nate has with each character is handled differently. With Mel it's a fun laugh-out-loud kinda thing they've got going on and with Michael it's sort of a fatherly role. Oh, but with Dreo it's a shaky one to begin with then turns into quite the scorcher. Some parts were a little far fetched, but for the most part you really don't notice it because the writing is just so delicious. You really want to get to know the characters in this book, even Dr. Sean had his moments. I love reading anything Mary Calmes writes. Each book just surpasses the last. Can't wait to see what she writes next!