Book Review: Peep Show by Clare London

Length: 16,000 words

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Blurb

Ever wanted to spy secretly on other peopleís lives?

Ken doesnít have a choice: his student summer job is manning the CCTV screens for the new central London shopping mall. But instead of spotting criminals or vandals, he becomes fascinated by a cute waiter from the local bistro who sneaks out to the backyard for his breakóand plays sexy to the camera.

Is he an old friend, or just an anonymous exhibitionist? Should Ken be excited by this naughty peepshow, or will people think heís a voyeuristic pervert? Poor Kenís confused and thrilled in turn. Itís like living in one of the movies heís studying at university. He knows the man canít see him, yet Ken feels a connection of some kind. It all encourages Ken to continue with his guilt-ridden Waiter Watch.

Ken bears the suspense as long as he can, until a chance meeting and an abortive blind date provide the explanation to the secret assignations. But will this guide Ken to a real-life chance of romance?

Review 4 Stars

Film student Ken is fed up with his summer job manning the CCTV at a local shopping centre. He usually has the night shift and he is bored to tears, watching nothing much happening. Waiters coming out for a smoke break or foxes nosing around for food.

But one night things take on an exciting and sexier turn, one of the waiters seems to be playing up to the camera. Ken is confused and thrilled in equal measure. Does the man know it's Ken watching? Or is he just a random exhibitionist and would play to the camera, anyway? Is it just a joke at Ken's expense, or something more? Something that could be deeper?

Who could the mystery man be? When his friends try and set him up with a blind date, Ken gets his hopes up, only to have them dashed when his 'date' is not the waiter from his small screen, and seems more interested in his friend than him anyway.

Ken gets ready to call it a night, when in walks his dream waiter from the screen. Maybe his night is looking up.

This was fun, short, sweet and sexy. There is a little bit of angst when Ken worries about how they've met, or re-connected really, as Ken and the waiter went to school together. Ken worries that it was all a big joke and takes a little while to sort it out in his head.

The chemistry between Ken and his waiter sizzles off the page, even before they meet again and it was very believable that these two characters would fall in love. The writing flows well and I loved that with Ken being a film student, a lot of his internal thoughts are movie quotes. I had fun guessing the ones I didn't know. Ken and his friends are well-drawn and you feel in instantly drawn into their circle of camaraderie and lousy jokes.

If I had one complaint, it would only be this - I wish it was longer, but that's a testament to good writing and characters that you want to spend more time with them. Although short, there is a complete story here.

A fun read to while away an hour or too and be left grinning when you finished.

First Edition published by Amber Quill Press/Amber Allure, 2013.

August 2 - Out of My Head
August 4 - Boy Meets Boy Reviews
August 7 - BooksLaidBareBoys
August 9 - MM Good Book Reviews
August 14 - Sarandipity Reviews, Xtreme Delusions, Zipper Rippers
August 16 - Making It Happen, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Nessa's Book Reviews
August 18 - Bayou Book Junkie

Author Bio

Clare took the pen name London from the city where she lives, loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home, she juggles her writing with the weekly wash, waiting for the far distant day when she can afford to give up her day job as an accountant. Sheís written in many genres and across many settings, with novels and short stories published both online and in print. She says she likes variety in her writing while friends say sheís just fickle, but as long as both theories spawn good fiction, sheís happy. Most of her work features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong, sympathetic and sexy characters.

Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter 3 stage and plenty of other projects in mind . . . she just has to find out where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home.

All the details and free fiction are available at her website. Visit her today and say hello!

Website: http://www.clarelondon.com
Blog: http://clarelondon.livejournal.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/clarelondon
Facebook chat: https://www.facebook.com/groups/clarelondoncalling/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/clare_london
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/clarelondon
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/clarelondon

a Rafflecopter giveaway