Ten Mile Bottom
by Teodora Kostova
Blurb
Hitting rock bottom is just the beginning...
I’m a son, a brother, a friend.
A writer.
An addict.
Dead.
Cardiac arrest isn’t enough to keep me dead, though. The doctors brought me back, but for what?
At twenty four I’ve already achieved what most people do in a life time. I’m a successful author, own a flat in the heart of London and drive my dream sports car.
Or at least that’s what people see.
Once the spotlight fades, I’m left alone with my overactive mind, alcohol and drugs the only way to quiet down the noise.
Until an overdose nearly kills me and drags everyone I love down with me.
With the help of my best friend, I leave London and its toxic influence behind, moving to a small town in the outskirts of Cambridge to try and put my life back together again.
If only it were that easy.
Carra's Review
Is it enough for me to say that I really loved this story? It had the perfect balance of angst and romance with just the right touch of family drama, bringing enough emotion into the mix to grab my heart without overdoing it—something that I often see happen in this type of story (journey back from addiction). I’m usually a strong proponent of a story being told in both main characters’ points of view to give the story more depth, and make it easy to understand each character’s emotions and motivations. Ten Mile Bottom is told from only Finn’s point of view, but this actually works quite well as this really is his journey back from the partying, high-life guy who doesn’t take into consideration the effect his actions have on his loved ones. Telling the story from his point of view made it easier to fully understand his emotional journey.
When we’re first introduced to Finn, I was not impressed with his lifestyle of using drinking and drugs to escape his issues. The circumstances of his latest dance with the edge and his family’s intervention put him on a new path—one that puts Ben in his sights, and gives Finn something more to center on. Ben has had his own issues, but has quite a different family life than Finn. They’re slowly drawn together, and their chemistry is evident from the moment they meet. The development of their relationship feels natural, and I love how they are supportive of each other. Everything about them being together feels comfortable, one of those meant-to-be connections.
There’s a good cast of supporting characters, from Finn’s best friend Aiden (I can’t wait for his story!) to his neighbors (especially Rose), and all of Ben’s family. I was not a fan of Finn’s mother and her self-centered attitude almost every moment she was on-page. Family and friends are important to Finn moving on from his past…all of these characters did a great job of rounding out the story, and contributing exactly what was needed for Finn to come to certain realizations as he continues his journey.
It’s hard for me to say much more without putting spoilers in, so I’m just going to leave you with my 4.5-star overall rating, and tell you I’d definitely recommend this book to any M/M romance fan. It does contain adult content including language, adult situations including drug use, and sexual content (some hot and steamy content!), so this story is meant for readers 18+.
About the Author
Hi, my name is Teodora and I live in London with my husband and my son. I've been writing ever since I can remember, but it became my full time job a few years ago when I decided that everything else I've tried bores me to death and I have to do what I've always wanted to do, but never had the guts to fully embrace. I've been a journalist, an editor, a personal assistant and an interior designer among other things, but as soon as the novelty of the new, exciting job wears off, I always go back to writing. Being twitchy, impatient, loud and hasty are not qualities that help a writer, because I have to sit alone, preferably still, and write for most of the day, but I absolutely love it. It's the only time that I'm truly at peace and the only thing I can do for more than ten minutes at a time - my son has a bigger attention span than me.
When I'm procrastinating, I like to go to the gym, cook Italian meals (and eat them), read, listen to rock music, watch indie movies and True Blood re-runs. Or, in the worst case scenario, get beaten at every Nintendo Wii game by a very inventive kid.
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