Review: "No Such Thing" by A.M. Arthur

No Such Thing is the first book in the Belonging series by A.M. Arthur, and while it's been on my TBR list ever since I fell in love with the author's other series, Cost of Repairs, I had to move it up on the list because the upcoming third installment was suddenly approved for me to review on NetGalley. ^.^

Alessandro "Alé" Silva returns to Perch Creek, the small town where he lived with the foster parents who treated him like their own son, in order to help out his foster mother and the two new foster children living with her. He's quickly able to find a job at Baker's Dozen and his boss is not only a talented baker but also happens to have a younger brother who catches Alé's eye. 

James "Jaime" Winters wants to the live kind of life he's always dreamed of. For too many years, he was in and out of hospitals because of his heart condition. Even with his new heart, he's spending most of his time studying for his online degree and his sister can't help but still be overprotective of him. Then he meets Alessandro and gets an offer that he's finding difficult to refuse.

Jaime's still a virgin and Alé offers to help him out with whatever he needs sexually, both agreeing to keep things platonic. However, the more time they spend together, the more they both realize that they're beginning to develop feelings for each other but neither of them openly discuss it, thinking that it's totally one-sided. When someone from Alé's past starts to harass him, Alé doesn't pay too much attention. When the bullying and harassment puts Jaime, Baker's Dozen, and Alé's family in harm's way, Alé needs to do what's necessary in order to protect those that he cares about the most.

While it does share certain similarities with some elements in the Cost of Repairs series, there were also enough differences in No Such Thing that made it shine on its own. Both the lead characters were likable and I enjoyed reading how Jaime was able to evolve and grow with Alé. You could see how they were able to draw strength from and find purpose with one another. It was sweet and enjoyable and worthy of four stars out of five. ^.^

Date read: 11 October 2014

Learn more about the compelling A.M. Arthur here.

Grab a copy of No Such Thing and Ms. Arthur's other books on Amazon | Barnes & Noble (first 13 and the 20th books shown only).