The Happy Onion

Title:
Author: Ally Blue
Publisher: http://www.samhainpublishing.com
Genre: Contemporary romance, GLBT (M/M)
Length: Novel:
Rating: ***** (out of 5)

Liberal vegan meets corporate carnivore. What could possibly go wrong?

Never sleep with the boss. Ever. Thomas Stone has one cardinal rule and he broke it unintentionally when the man he slept with his first night in town just happens to be his new boss. His life is screwed up enough and the last thing he needs is another complication, which is exactly what Phil would be if he allows his one-night stand to develop into something more. But he can’t seem to keep his hands off the man. What’s a guy to do?

Philip Sorrells is thrilled to discover that the new bartender his manager hired for his restaurant The Happy Onion is the hot little blonde he slept with and can’t forget. Thom is Phil’s wet dream come true, from his angelic face to his fiery temper. For the first time, Phil hears the siren song of monogamy and he’s tempted to follow it. But Thom, who had a very bad experience with his previous boss, decides that his personal health and welfare are too important to risk even for the hottest sex he has ever had and he tells Phil that as long as he remains in his employ it’s hands off. Then the original job for which he had been hired is back in play and romance is in the air once again. But things don’t run smoothly for our two lovers – Phil is a nature-loving tree hugger and Thom sits on the other side of the fence as a corporate climber. These differences in ideology raise their ugly heads time and again and threaten their fragile bond. Thom and Phil find that their new relationship may not be able to sustain the pressures of everyday life.

Hunky 6 ft Phil and small, gorgeous, blonde Thom have an unlikely sexual relationship as Thom is the aggressor in bed and out of it and Phil can’t get enough of his ‘little’ man, whom he lovingly calls “Bubbles” for reasons you can read about in the book. What I really love about this couple is that no matter how mad they are they always look out for each other. The sex was truly exceptional and enlightening; I learned so much about M/M sex that I kept asking myself “how did I not know about this before?” I can’t say too much because I don’t want to spoil some of the surprises in the book, but I would like to know where the author conducted her research about rimming and did she use live subjects. The sex was hot as a poker just out of the fire, smooth as butter and when you mix in the emotion emanating from Thom and Phil you get an incendiary, combustible explosion. WOW.

The dialogue in The Happy Onion is sparkling, fresh and incredibly funny and the characters of Thom and Phil are so real and three dimensional you wouldn’t be surprised to meet them in the local vegan store or neighbourhood bar. The twists and turns of the plot kept me engaged until the end and the villains were very well drawn and realistic. Ally Blue is a truly gifted writer. The Happy Onion rocks!