The Boy Who Came In From the Cold

By my opening statement, it should be obvious, I NEVER expected to find anything so LESS "cliche," when it comes to a M/M romance, than this novel. And, M/M is all I've been reading lately.

What a wonderful world this read takes you to. Not a world of a meet, screw, fall in love, live "happily ever after" world. But, a world of meet, become intrigued, get to know, explore, learn, experience, expand, grow, accept, fall in love first, have great sex, pay-it-forward, and - finally - live "happily ever after." And, along the way, meet only the greatest "cast-of-characters" you could NEVER even IMAGINE.
This book is "SIMPLY THE BEST!" EACH and EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER is completely thought and fleshed out. TRACY is all love and determination. PETER is as HUGE, of a LARGER-THAN-LIFE, flourish-of-a-human-being as I've EVER SEEN put to paper! Only a COMPLETE JOY to BEHOLD! And, I do mean "BEHOLD!"

GABE is the kind hearted man who sees a suffering human being, not a homeless, low-life, piece-of-trash, huddling against the side of a building, trying desperately to keep warm, in a full-blown snowstorm. GABE lets him into the lobby of his building to warm up while "waiting for his ride." Realizing he's still there an hour later GABE brings him lunch and most importantly HOT COFFEE and offers him a place to stay, just for the night. The HIM, all this time, is TODD. To be fair GABE did offer to pay him for sex too, once TODD was inside and he got a better look at him. There apparently are many male hustlers around there and seeing a good looking boy who's down on his luck, he only thought it to be a normal conclusion though, odd that he would make such an offer because, he's never done anything like that before, in his life. But, that being the wrong conclusion about TODD, got a spewing mouthful of hateful things thrown at him and "his kind."
Later, when the apartment manager bangs on his door demanding to know if this guy, loitering in the lobby, really is his boyfriend, GABE does take a little bit advantage of the situation. He makes TODD kiss him. And, not just a little peck, either. But, uncomfortably, DEEPLY. And in front of the manager. Not only to make TODD be the one to prove to the manager that he is his boyfriend - if TODD wants GABE to protect him and keep him from being thrown back out onto the street (in the middle of a blizzard) but, to also just make him pay for all the unkind things he'd said about him and "his kind." His kind being "gay" men.

And the rest is a wonderful ride - no, really a trip, a wonderful trip - into the world B.G. THOMAS has built through his wonderful imagination...and the pay-it-forward theme is just icing on his cake. And, the larger-than-life PETER, makes an appearance in at least one other book, that I've read though not as much time is spent with him, he does make a big impact on that man's life, as well.

Don't miss this book - PLEASE!

It truly will warm you, whether you're in the middle of a snowstorm or a heatwave, you can't help but feel good!
MTULIPK

This is a quick story but the love is strong. I love a story when the good guys win.

I would be happy to recommend this story to anyone, the storyline was solid, and it was every bit of the stellar work I have come to expect from this author!!I loved the whole book, but the scene that nearly did me in was
when Todd's mom and stepdad showed up, my heart broke for Todd, but I was proud of him too, and I believe he really came into his own in that scene!
I loved the narrators mastery of all the accents he had to use in this one, he was very very good and you believed you were really hearing the story as it played out, and that is hard to do!I must admit I only took a break from listening to this one to cook and spend some time with my kids, this is such a good story I wanted to listen all at one time!
You will love this book too, both the author and narrator did an amazing job!!

I can't imagine being alone in a city, with no friends, no luck getting a job, just getting evicted from my apartment, and now there's a blizzard coming and I'm outside freezing with nowhere to go. The unfortunate truth is that this isn't just a scenario created by a talented writer, it's a fact of life for so many young men and women across our country. The majority of them don't get a savior like Gabe, instead, many of them die. Todd is so incredibly grateful for this small-town kindness that he doesn't even know how to respond. This is only my second book by B.G. Thomas but it will not be my last.
Todd was born and raised in a small, conservative, right-wing town where most of his classmates got married at eighteen and they've already started families. He left to get away from his very non-maternal mother and his homophobic, evil stepdad. Of course, any possible thoughts along the gay spectrum were beaten out of him years ago and he, literally, can't be gay. He saved his money and moved to Kansas City because he wants to train to be a chef. Unfortunately, he couldn't get a job, his van was hauled away and he couldn't pay to get it out, and now he's been evicted and the landlord wouldn't even let him back in to get his belongings. That's how he ended up in the lobby of Gabe's building and how Gabe offered him a couch to sleep on for the night. Todd is seriously freaked out that his body is responding to Gabe and he's terrified that maybe his stepdad was right about him all along.
Gabe works too many hours because what's the point of being at home when there's no one there to welcome him. He's not into one-night stands and easy hookups so it's just as easy to hide at work. He has absolutely no idea why he's so attracted to Todd, and Gabe has no clue what to do about it. He's pretty sure Todd is gay, but obviously extremely confused and scared. Gabe may be excellent at reading work clients, but he hasn't had the best of luck with men in his life. Gabe is just, hands down, a kind, gentle, good person who is willing to take in a stray for a few days to help him get back on his feet. Not many people like that around and Todd is overwhelmed at Gabe's generosity.
One night turns into more and Gabe gets the manager to release Todd's belongings into a storage unit. Todd is beginning to remember thoughts and feelings he had about guys when he was younger, the \"fooling around\" he and his best friend did together, and how not interested he ever was in sex with his girlfriend. Todd realizes he's falling in love with Gabe, but Gabe has made it clear that Todd doesn't owe him anything, certainly not sex. So, how can Todd get Gabe to understand how he feels and that it's not gratitude? How can Gabe believe in this with Todd when Gabe was hurt so badly in a slightly similar situation before?
The title of this book is very apt, in more ways than one. The simplistic view is that Gabe took Todd in during a freezing cold, snowing day. The more introspective, however, is that Gabe and Todd saved each other from a continuing lifetime of living in the cold with no one to love them. This was such a sweet and heartwarming love story and I greatly enjoyed it. Thank you, B.G., for a delightful story.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

I really liked this book. The author made me really care about the characters. It's interesting how their individual stories are revealed. How I wish I could find a Gabe of my own to rescue me! Great story.