Book Reviews

On Circus Lane (The Wright Brothers 1) by Lily Morton

Genre Gay / Contemporary / Romance / Holiday / Humor/Comedy
Reviewed by Barb on 31-December-2024

Book Blurb

The first time Bee Bannister met Tom Wright, he couldn’t stand him.


Everything about the man aggravated him—his perfect hair and body, his confident arrogance, and the way he looked straight through Bee.


Which is why it’s such an unpleasant shock to find that he’ll be sharing space with him while on a Christmas holiday with friends in Scotland.


However, as the days fly by and snowy Edinburgh begins to work its magic on him, Bee discovers that sometimes first impressions can be very misleading. Tom is kind and funny, and somehow, rather than looking through Bee, he actually sees and likes all of him.


The two men grow closer, but will Bee follow his heart or his head when the holiday ends? And can relationships that start so badly ever lead to love?

 

Book Review

Bee Banister - bookworm, doctoral student, introvert - is clueless in social situations, but give him something to puzzle out or to study and he’s in his glory. Tom Wright, brother to Arlo Wright (‘Merry Measure’) is handsome, smart, personable and very angry as he joins the group of friends, including Bee, as they gather to head to Edinburgh. And there’s nothing that sets Bee off more than someone who looks right through him, so when they arrive at their destination and Bee learns he’s staying in the same suite as Tom, readers have the perfect setup for an enemies-to-lovers, close-proximity, winter holiday romance.

 

It's not long before the men clear up their misunderstanding and then head out to sightsee together, pairing off from the others in the group because the others had the foresight to buy tickets to the major attractions, and absent-minded Bee did not. Tom, with the help of Google, is full of interesting facts about the city and the various “secret” locations he takes Bee to view. On such locale is Circus Lane and it’s there that Bee is struck by the fact that Tom sees him, really sees him, and he might be falling in love with this smart and sexy man.

 

Tom and Bee and all the secondary characters truly made this story memorable. Add to that Lily Morton’s sense of humor, which is seamlessly laced throughout this book. My favorites vary from her descriptive phrasing like: “Bee compartmentalizes life more than a Tupperware container.” to memorable scenes such as the one after they return from vacation when Tom tries to get Bee’s attention one night after he’d had more than a few eggnogs with his family. Tom’s great idea was to throw snowballs at Bee’s balcony window, and he’d just let loose when his “Juliet” came out onto the balcony. As a result, he hit Bee square in the face with the snowball, causing him to fall backward into the room to the tune of a loud crash. This and some other scenes made me laugh so hard I shed tears.

 

For me, there’s not much better than a book that makes me swoon for the romance and laugh for the humor. Then, to love the story, the setting, and the characters is all icing on the cake. This one is a winner.

 

Note: For those who enjoyed ‘Merry Measure’ last year, this story is a prequel.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This was purchased by the reviewer.

 

Additional Information

Format ebook
Length Novel, 262 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date 17-December-2024
Price $5.99 ebook
Buy Link https://www.amazon.com/Circus-Lane-Wright-Brothers-Book-ebook/dp/B0DNZH54T1