The Slash Pile

Title: A Note in the Margin
Author: Isabelle Rowans
Format: Published ebook, also available in paperback
Length: Novel
Status: Complete
Rating: Hard R
Warnings: homelessness, prostitution, angst
Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=986
Summary: From the dreamspinner website:
John McCann, a man who judges life by the tally of an accounts ledger, has a supreme goal in life: To achieve, live, and enjoy the rarified executive lifestyle. But he's encountered one problem: The migraines are going to continue to get worse unless you make some major changes in your lifestyle. What you need is a 'sea change'… Perhaps buy a nice little business in the country, settle down, something easier to occupy your time…

While John knows the doctor is right, he just can't resign from the job he's fought so hard for. He decides the sacrifice of taking a year's leave of absence won't interfere too much with his plans, and so he finds himself running Margins, a cozy little bookstore, with the help of the former owner's son, Jamie. John expects to put in his year, get his stress under control, and then get back to business.

What John doesn't expect is how Margins and its denizens draw him in, particularly the quiet, disheveled man who takes refuge in the old leather chair in the second-hand book section. John's plans for an unattached year of simple business crumble when he meets David and is forced to reevaluate life, love and what he really wants from both. John and David are forced to come to terms with their pasts as they struggle to determine what possible future they might build together.

Review:
Oh wow. This was so, so good. A business man is forced to take a vacation before the stress of his job does more than give him heartburn and ulcers. He takes a short term lease out on an used bookstore, and the story starts from there. First of all, the main setting is a bookstore! A used one, too! How could I not love it? John’s journey to finding himself and his slow, slow realization and relationship with homeless man David is so very good. Rowan does an incredible job showing how difficult being homeless is, and the sheer injury it does for David’s self esteem. I loved how long it took for John and David’s relationship to unfold, because it made it that much more *believable*. Add in a third character Jamie who isn’t a third wheel or disruptive, but a solid, amazing catalyst for John and David just makes the book complete. A worthy read and buy.

$6.99 ebook $16.99 paperback