Fiordiligii

Now this was a very nice and lovely read full of love, laughter, a little bit of angst and two heroes who simply belong together. I like the title, though it took me a while to understand its true meaning.

Webber Yates, a failed and practically broke rodeo rider, is confronted with a turning point in his career at 44 and intends to hire on as a ranch hand in the Midwest. His on and off relationsihp with Cyrus Benning for the last four years has been a constant source of deep lust, joy and pain, as he clearly thinks himself unworthy of the successful neurosurgeon. Cyrus wants Weber to live with him in San Francisco. He's deeply in love with him and doesn't mind that Weber has no money to speak of and no learned skills that would earn him a living on the Westcoast.

Weber is incredibly proud and repeatedly denies himself and Cyrus to see and to dream of a combined future. He thinks Cyrus will only love him as a cowboy, as the dominant top, but would soon loose respect for the man whore he would become if he moved to San Francisco.

The story is told from Weber's point of view and I deeply have to compliment and praise the author's writing talent of how she achieved to show that Weber is anything but a frog. On the contrary, he has a real talent with children as he pitches in as interim nanny for Cyrus's sister whose husband and nanny run away, leaving her alone with her three boys. He also charms of the socks of Cyrus's family, but doesn't really grasp his welcome, as he has rarely received it in life.

I do like children in romance books, but they are rarely described realistically. Either they are super cute, little adults or downright detestable. Well, in Frog the mix was exactly right, because I just could imagine those three boys vividly and loved them all the more when I read about them together with Cyrus.

The love between Cyrus and Weber has never been the true issue in their relationship, but it takes time for both of them to open up and develop a new form of trust between them. Which is once beautifully shown in a sex scene between the couple that advances the character development splendidly.


I have a few problems with the ending, consequently my B- rating. The ending is very romantic, very happy, very "two point five children and picket fence"-ish. It's like Hollywoood tried to find the most sugary version, and, although I do love true happy endings, this was a bit of an overdose, even for me.