Astounding!

A new favorite for me. I love the slow, gentle pace of the romance, but there is also a lot of focus on Carter finding his place in life. His state of mind in the first few chapters hit very close to home for me, so it was especially nice to read about a character I could relate to earning a happy ending. This is definitely one of the most enjoyable books I've read this year.

Almost everyone in this book is super geeky. Carter has spent his professional life as an editor of speculative fiction magazine, and his best friend Freddy is a GRRM type of guy who is in a relationship with his #1 fan. Because I've always been a sci-fi fan, I really enjoyed all the references in this book, as well as the frequent musings on the importance of sci-fi and fantasy.

It was also great to read a contemporary novel with so many queer characters. Too often in m/m, I find that there's one gay couple in a sea of straight people, which does not seem realistic. I gather that many of the side characters are from Kim Fielding's other books, so I know I'll have to read those too.