Book Review: The Hardest Thing by James Lear

To ex-marine Dan Stagg killing is easy, but love is The Hardest Thing. Down on his luck, Dan accepts a simple protection job for big money. His job is to get ‘secretary’ Stirling McHahon out of New York City and then to await further instructions. No questions asked. Stirling McHahon is young, blonde and is more of a hustler than secretary to Marshall, a powerful and crooked Property Developer. The beginning of the book sets up the mystery with Dan and Stirling setting off on their out-of-town road trip. They start having rampant sex like rabbits, with everything described in a great amount of detail. In the middle of the book there’s a number of sexual fantasy scenes involving the two main characters as well as various others. The expected masculine characters took the dominant role in the sex and I would have preferred more sexual versatility for all of the characters involved. The sex is the action and it has some completely unbelievable, yet enjoyable to read sex scenes.

Dan starts to fall in love with Stirling but knows that he can’t really trust him. Especially when he learns that Stirling McHahon is really an alias; he says that his real name is Jody Miller. Then Stirling/Jody/whatever-his-name-is gets snatched into a car.

Events build to a climax (no pun intended) at the end of the book, as the mystery is unravelled. Dan Stagg becomes the expected hero calling on his military training and physical strength to become like an action man. The ending is somewhat satisfying.

The large print formatting makes it easy to read and it is brilliantly written from Dan Stagg’s perspective. The simple storyline without the sex could have been told in about 50 pages, yet it is well paced. The Hardest Thing is surprisingly a page-turner and is one of the best gay erotic fiction story’s I’ve read in a long time.

The Hardest Thing is ‘A Dan Stagg Mystery’ indicating that it’s part of a series. If so, I can’t wait to read the next novel in the series.

Think of a gritty, gay, Fifty Shades of Grey – mostly minus the handcuffs and you’ve got The Hardest Thing. The Hardest Thing by James Lear is available to buy on Amazon or at your local book retailer.

Review soon,

Antony