Book Review: TEXTUAL RELATIONS by Cate Ashwood

Textual Relations

Author: Cate Ashwood

Publisher: Cate Ashwood

Genre: Contemporary m/m romance (GFY)

Length: Novella - 32,500 words

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Blurb

Evolutionary psychology professor Henry Hathaway is ready to spend his birthday the same way he does every year: a good teeth cleaning followed by lunch with his brother. But when he receives a wrong-number text confirming the details of a date, he does what any considerate person would—he goes to meet them and explain why they've been stood up.

Asher Wescott hadn't expected his blind date to go well, because when do they ever? Henry shows up instead, and things are suddenly looking up. Socially awkward and attached to his routines, Henry is nevertheless one of the most charming and kind men Asher has met in a long time.

Too bad he's not Henry's type.

An accidental date, an impulsive kiss, and a few conflicted feelings later, can Asher get Henry to see the world—and him—in a different light?

Carra's Review

A bit awkward, a bit clueless, but so totally open to his outlook on his sexuality—that’s Henry Hathaway, and I thought he was a brilliant character.  Let’s also add intelligent, sweet and thoughtful to that list while we're at it.  He's one of my favorite characters of the books I’ve read so far this year, and I really enjoyed this story of him discovering his sexuality once he meets Asher.

Asher is pretty cool in his own right—I love how he’s always looking for unique and new adventures to try.  He’s the opposite of Henry in this respect, and I liked how he drew Henry out of his very routine activities to try new things.  Henry has a calming affect on Asher, taming Asher’s wanderlust a bit as well…and that’s one of the things I like in stories where the characters have opposite characteristics—the blending of them where they each start to rub off on each other (not like that you naughty people!).  

It really was a pleasure being alongside Henry’s journey as I read.  I got a kick out of how analytically he approached his perceived change in his sexuality.  He and Asher had wonderful chemistry together, both emotionally and physically.  The story was relatively low angst, very sweet, and is the kind of story where by the end I’ve done a lot of happy-sighing.  

This is actually the first book I’ve read by this author, but you can be sure that there will be plenty more of her books in my future.  It was a very easy read that flowed smoothly and definitely held my interest from cover to cover.  I loved the pairing of Henry and Asher, and will absolutely be re-reading this again and again.

4.5 stars for Textual Relations (I think the only thing that would have made this better for me is if Asher’s point of view would have been included—the story is told exclusively from Henry’s viewpoint), and I do highly recommend this book to any M/M romance fan.  It is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.  

About the Author

Cate discovered her love for books of all kinds early on, but romance is where her heart truly lies. She is addicted to the happily ever afters and the journey the characters take to get there. Currently residing in White Rock, B.C, Cate loves living just a stone's throw from the ocean. When she's not writing, she can be found consuming coffee at an alarming rate while wrangling her children, her husband, and their two cats. 

Cate loves to hear from readers. You can contact her at cateashwood@gmail.com or on her website http://www.cateashwood.com.

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