Book Review: Frog by Mary Calmes

Title: Frog
Author: Mary Calmes
Genre: Contemporary Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy from publisher
Published: April 2012 by Dreamspinner Press

Weber Yates's dreams of stardom are about to be reduced to a ranch hand's job in Texas, and his one relationship is with a guy so far out of his league he might as well be on the moon. Or at least in San Francisco, where Weber stops to see him one last time before settling down to the humble, lonely life he figures a frog like him has coming. Cyrus Benning is a successful neurosurgeon, so details are never lost on him. He spotted the prince in a broken-down bull rider's clothing from day one. But watching Weber walk out on him keeps getting harder, and he's not sure how much more his heart can take. Now Cyrus has one last chance to prove to Weber that it's not Weber's job that makes him Cyrus's perfect man, it's Weber himself. With the help of his sister's newly broken family, he's ready to show Weber that the home the man's been searching for has always been right there, with him. Cyrus might have laid down an ultimatum once, but now it's turned into a vow-he's never going to let Weber out of his life again.

Reviewed By: J9

In a Nutshell: Awesome mature romance with two great leads. If the narrator is cluelessly perfect, I’ll forgive it since it’s a modern day fairytale.

The Set Up: Web Yates is a busted up, broke bull rider who wants to see Cyrus, his on/off hookup. Successful neurosurgeon Cyrus wants to make a life with Web but Weber’s insistence that he’s only a frog won’t allow it. But Cyrus’s sister needs a caretaker for her three boys and with them on board, Cyrus may just get Weber to see he wants him forever.

Why I Read this Book: This is on a lot of MM best-of lists so had to read it. Additionally, it features two men in their forty’s which is unique in MM romance and something I search out.

What I Liked: I love both Web and Cyrus. They’re men who’ve lived meaningful lives even if those lives have only intersected up to this point. They don’t have big misunderstandings or attempt to keep emotional distance. Their romantic tension is that Web doesn’t believe he’s good enough to be with Cyrus and that he can’t be a cowboy in San Francisco. I adore the scene where Web is sharing with Cyrus his worry that Cyrus needs him to be a cowboy so what does that mean if he’s no longer a cowboy? The romance is certainly erotic but it’s also deeply emotional which is a necessity for my romance enjoyment. I truly adore how Web begins to see how much Cyrus needs him and how they make each other better people.

What I Also Liked: I love the secondary characters here. Cyrus’s sister has three young sons and their father just ran off with their nanny. So Web, Cyrus and the sister become the village that is necessary to raise the boys. I love the boys who aren’t plot moppets but kids who get tired, crabby and demand attention at inopportune times for the romance. How this makeshift family affects Web and Cyrus’s relationship is part of the novel’s charm. I also really enjoyed that the novel went past the big emotional denouement and showed daily life for this makeshift family.

What I Didn’t Like: Weber is a tad perfect with his country drawl and pithy homilies. Kids adore him, dogs adore him and Cyrus’s family are as smitten as well. Still, this is a modern day fairytale so I’ll forgive the novel this.

IMO: I loved this character-based romance that has a perfect blend of emotional and sexual intimacy with delightful secondary characters.

J9’s Rating: