When a bad day at work culminates in losing out on a promotion, Jim Sanders shifts into his animal form to let off steam. Then his bad day turns into a bad night—while prowling his Atlantic City neighborhood as a large gray house cat, he’s caught in a torrential downpour. What little luck he has washes down the gutter when his new boss, Andrew Wright, catches him taking shelter on his porch, brings him inside, and starts calling him Mr. Frosty.
As a feline, Jim becomes the inadvertent confessor for his boss’s lonely son, Tony, a victim of schoolyard bullying. As a human, he feels drawn to Andrew, a man he wanted to resent. Finding love was never part of Jim’s plan or the future—not with his bizarre secret—yet suddenly he finds himself navigating that minefield anyway. But not everything is easy, especially for an interracial gay couple dealing with prejudice in the workplace, at Tony’s school, and even within their own families.
Okay, so I've dabbled in reading m/m fanfiction and short stories before, but I have to be honest in saying that this was the first full-length m/m romance novel that I have actually read. I was really drawn to the story after reading the synopsis - I mean, this guy who can turn into a cat ends up in the home of the man who was chosen for a promotion over him. I must say, I am a sucker for romances in which one person initially hates the other, but slowly starts to fall in love as they get to know them. That's one reason why I'm so addicted to Asian dramas.
And in the romance department, this book did not disappoint. Andrew (the new boss) and Jim (the shape-shifter) were absolutely adorable together. You can see that Jim
wanted to hate Andrew for getting chosen for a job position over him, but when Andrew started spilling all of his feelings to him while Jim was in his feline form (which Andrew's son, Tony, dubbed Mr. Frosty), he started developing feelings for the man and his son.
But this is where my one issue with the story falls into place - it seems that Jim is almost immediately thrown into the role of the second father to Tony, even though he has only just begun dating Andrew. It wasn't really believable. I just think that the role of a father is a big one, and since Jim and Andrew were just beginning their relationship, to have given Jim the role of a second father to Tony just made the novel seem a bit insubstantial.
Nonetheless, this was a super quick read, and all of the cuteness between Andrew and Jim really sucked me into the story. They both had fears to overcome about being in a relationship, but once Jim knew he was in love with Andrew, his feelings for him never faltered, and vice versa. There weren't a whole lot of sex scenes in the novel, which left more time for emotional development between the characters, but the scenes that
were included were nice and steamy. I could have done without the kinkiness, but I'm sure some people may have enjoyed the book
more because of it. To each their own, I suppose! ;)
I suggest you give this one a read if you're into really sweet m/m romances with happy endings!
2) What was the hardest part of writing A
Purrfect Match?
Hmm, the hardest part? At first this book was supposed to be a short
novella. I needed something cute after writing Silver Lining, which had exhausted me thoroughly.
The hardest part was keeping everything realistic (as much as you can be
realistic with someone who possesses the ability to change from a human into a
cat)—Jim’s struggle to accept he’s attracted to Andrew, Andrew’s struggle to
keep everything together and Tony’s struggle to deal with being a bullying
victim.
3) Which scene was the most fun to write?
There were several scenes I had fun to write, for example the sex
scenes. They were easy to write and I simply enjoy writing them—especially
since these scenes are a bit on the kinky side. :-)
But I also loved to write Jim’s commentaries whenever he was in his cat
form or the scene when Andrew and Jim's parents meet and interrogate Andrew
about his new relationship.
4) Did you have any special reason for wanting to
highlight the relationship between Jim and his father during their visit to the
boardwalk? Why did you choose to make parenting a major focus of the story?
In m/m books I’ve often encountered that the main characters adopt or
take in a child and everything always goes smoothly. The kid is always
well-behaved and/or especially gifted in some area. I wanted to portray a
“normal” child and how it can affect a partnership. I also wanted to show that
the parents don’t need to be perfect in all their actions.
Andrew is having a hard time dealing with his new job and Tony's
problems at his new school. He feels guilty and wonders what would be the right
thing to do. He has the luck to meet Jim, who helps him navigate and accept he
doesn't need to be perfect for Tony to love him.
The scene between Jim and his father—Jim’s father hasn’t been keen on
having a gay son at first but he’s overcome his reservations. Jim loves his
father for that. Since his father is becoming more and more fragile their roles
get reversed. Jim thinks about how he perceived his father during his childhood
and how different the man is now. All these thoughts help Jim come to the
conclusion that he wants to be involved in Andrew and Tony’s life—much more
than he thought was possible.
5) What made you decide to make Jim a shape-shifter, and
why did you choose a cat?
I didn’t consciously decide to make him a shape-shifter. I saw a picture
of a beautiful, large gray cat and instantly had the image of Jim roaming about
in Atlantic City in my mind.
I’ve written a few shape-shifter stories so far (mostly fan fiction) and
usually the characters shift into dogs and foxes. This time I wanted to write
about a different species but nothing too out of the ordinary. Since I find
cats fascinating, that's what Jim became.
A Purrfect Match isn't
so much about the magical aspect rather than all the things Jim hears and
experiences in his cat form. If it hadn't have been for his ability to shift,
he might never have gotten to know Andrew and his son, Tony. He might never
have fallen in love either. Sometimes it's all about the circumstances whether
you find that one person you want to share your life with. Jim is clever enough
to realize quickly he found this special someone.
Another reason is that the cat fits Jim's personality. He likes to be on
his own, and he determines with whom he wants to share his time. He chooses
“his people”, just like a lot of cats do. How often have you heard the phrase
“I didn't choose the cat, he/she chose me”. This statement fits perfectly
because Jim chose Andrew and Tony as his family.
6) If you could have any supernatural power/ability that
you wanted, what would you pick?
Healing powers would be cool but I think I’d go with the shape-shifter
abilities. I’d love to experience a day as a cat, dog, or whatever, just to
know what it’s like. Did I mention I’m insanely curious? ;-)
7) What do you like to do when you aren't writing?
I like to spend time with my family. Once a week I drive my daughter to
her riding lesson and cuddle the horses (I’m not allowed to ride anymore but so
wish I could take up lessons again). Oh, and I do cross stitch—a lot.
8) Do you have any favorite m/m novels that you would
like to recommend to your readers?
I really like Witness and The Ghost on My Couch by L.A.
Gilbert, Timing by Mary Calmes, Mummy Dearest by Josh
Lanyon, Good to Know by D.W. Marchwell, but my favorite has
to be Gathering Storm by Lyn Gala.
9) If you were to put together a soundtrack for this
novel, what songs would you be sure to add, and why?
Gee, you’re asking awfully difficult questions! Let me think…stop
tapping your foot, I’m still thinking… um… I guess I’d go with some of the
songs I heard a lot while I wrote the book, so let’s see:
Ai Se Eu Te Pego – Michel Teló
Bridge Of Light – Pink
Lullaby – Nickelback
Somebody That I Used To Know – Gotye
Little Talks – Of Monsters And Men
Gambling Man – Overtones
Friends – Aura Dione
Starships – Nicki Minaj
Girl Gone Wild – Madonna
Breathing – Jason Derulo
Wild Ones – Flo Rida
Turn All The Lights On
Learning To Breathe – Stanfour
Summer Of Love – Cascada
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