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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
Being Dutch, but having lived in California for almost 11 years, I'll read any slashfic that takes place in the Netherlands. So far I have one wooden tulip in my bathroom and I go to Safeway with reusable grocery bags from Dirk and Xenos, but I'm sure in another decade or so I'll have Delft Blue plates on the wall, kissing Delft Blue couples on the bookshelf and a wooden shoe with flowers in it nailed next to the front door. 
I am just saying.
Nostalgia is a force to be reckoned with.
So, eager for a glimpse of home, I read Dutch Treat. As for the romance, it's sweet (if not sickeningly so), which isn't my preferred kind, but plenty of people out there who that appeals to, so this one's for you. The only reason it wasn't sickeningly sweet is that the writing style creates a distance between the reader and Michael, who has 100% of the POV. Michael is a bit reserved, so that doesn't help. There is also a lot of telling and not showing, that doesn't help either. Lots of things happen, but we don't hear much about the impact of what is happening on Michael's life. And Michael's thoughts. Michael reminds me of my husband that way. When my husband has a problem he'll stoically deal with it all in his head and then he'll give me a one sentence synopsis of what's been making him withdrawn for the last three weeks. This frustrates me to no end, of course, because as a woman I don't actually care what he's finally decided, I just want him to talk about whatever he's been thinking about those 3 weeks, not just the productive parts. What I am getting from Michael in this book is the synopsis, while I wanted to be in his head for more of process. He's certainly a guy in that respect.
It being a sweet book, and me being a Drama Queen, I can't help but lament the lack of conflict. Michael and Stephan barely have disagreements, especially after they get together. Stephan is a bit passive, so he'd be hard to argue with, but most couples have some disagreements after a few months. The sex is good though. Nothing about the Netherlands seems to annoy Michael either. I could probably give you a quick 20 point list of stuff that annoyed my husband about living in Holland without breaking a sweat; a list topped by the lack of ESPN, tiny refrigerators, the weather and the annoying habit of many Dutch people to hold him personally responsible for everything they don't like about U.S. foreign policies. On the other hand, I appreciate the lack of emphasis on the legal pot, the red light district and tall, rude Dutch people.
And now the nitpicking: there are some decidedly unDutch names used for Dutch people (Franz = German, Allene... would you call your daughter 'Alone'? Seems a bit morbid, like you're setting her up for a lot of failed relationships) and someone should have spellchecked the actual Dutch in this book. It's 'Antiek', not 'Antik', 'Nieuwendijk', not 'Newendyke' and 'Oud Loosdrecht', not 'Aud Loostrecht'. You're welcome. And why you would put up a visitor in Oud Loosdrecht while working in Vianen is a mystery to me. Sure, it's beyond pretty, but to have to deal with the traffic around Utrecht twice a day would be pure hell. Find something nice in Culemborg or IJsselstein.
I am just saying.
Nostalgia is a force to be reckoned with.
So, eager for a glimpse of home, I read Dutch Treat. As for the romance, it's sweet (if not sickeningly so), which isn't my preferred kind, but plenty of people out there who that appeals to, so this one's for you. The only reason it wasn't sickeningly sweet is that the writing style creates a distance between the reader and Michael, who has 100% of the POV. Michael is a bit reserved, so that doesn't help. There is also a lot of telling and not showing, that doesn't help either. Lots of things happen, but we don't hear much about the impact of what is happening on Michael's life. And Michael's thoughts. Michael reminds me of my husband that way. When my husband has a problem he'll stoically deal with it all in his head and then he'll give me a one sentence synopsis of what's been making him withdrawn for the last three weeks. This frustrates me to no end, of course, because as a woman I don't actually care what he's finally decided, I just want him to talk about whatever he's been thinking about those 3 weeks, not just the productive parts. What I am getting from Michael in this book is the synopsis, while I wanted to be in his head for more of process. He's certainly a guy in that respect.
It being a sweet book, and me being a Drama Queen, I can't help but lament the lack of conflict. Michael and Stephan barely have disagreements, especially after they get together. Stephan is a bit passive, so he'd be hard to argue with, but most couples have some disagreements after a few months. The sex is good though. Nothing about the Netherlands seems to annoy Michael either. I could probably give you a quick 20 point list of stuff that annoyed my husband about living in Holland without breaking a sweat; a list topped by the lack of ESPN, tiny refrigerators, the weather and the annoying habit of many Dutch people to hold him personally responsible for everything they don't like about U.S. foreign policies. On the other hand, I appreciate the lack of emphasis on the legal pot, the red light district and tall, rude Dutch people.
And now the nitpicking: there are some decidedly unDutch names used for Dutch people (Franz = German, Allene... would you call your daughter 'Alone'? Seems a bit morbid, like you're setting her up for a lot of failed relationships) and someone should have spellchecked the actual Dutch in this book. It's 'Antiek', not 'Antik', 'Nieuwendijk', not 'Newendyke' and 'Oud Loosdrecht', not 'Aud Loostrecht'. You're welcome. And why you would put up a visitor in Oud Loosdrecht while working in Vianen is a mystery to me. Sure, it's beyond pretty, but to have to deal with the traffic around Utrecht twice a day would be pure hell. Find something nice in Culemborg or IJsselstein.
Andrew Grey does it again. I've come to be a fan of his writing and his books and this one is no exception. Lately I've been on this kick where I'll read a lot of books about love that otherwise would not happen if not for some extraordinary reason and having to relocate to another whole country for work and then falling hopelessly in love there and not wanting to go back is definitely an extraordinary reason.
Michael finds his life uprooted in more ways than one when he's told one day that he has to work on a project all the way in Amsterdam and he doesn't want to go. What also adds insult to injury is that his boyfriend Devon breaks up with him at the airport. Flying to Europe on a broken heart is in no ways fun but thanks to a sympathetic ear of a fellow passenger and the promise of new friends and new horizons bolsters his spirit; or at least begins to. He meets Stephan, a hunky Dutch man who works in the same company and with whom he becomes friends. That doesn't last however as there's an undeniable attraction between the two of them that at first Michael tries to slow down as they are both on the rebound. But try to hold a tsunami back and what happens? So afterwards they go with the flow of the waters and before long something great is born. But Michael's gotta have to go back after the project is finished so will either of their hearts survive?
Books like this one have me wanting to take far off trips to far off places to see if my true love is waiting for me too.
Michael finds his life uprooted in more ways than one when he's told one day that he has to work on a project all the way in Amsterdam and he doesn't want to go. What also adds insult to injury is that his boyfriend Devon breaks up with him at the airport. Flying to Europe on a broken heart is in no ways fun but thanks to a sympathetic ear of a fellow passenger and the promise of new friends and new horizons bolsters his spirit; or at least begins to. He meets Stephan, a hunky Dutch man who works in the same company and with whom he becomes friends. That doesn't last however as there's an undeniable attraction between the two of them that at first Michael tries to slow down as they are both on the rebound. But try to hold a tsunami back and what happens? So afterwards they go with the flow of the waters and before long something great is born. But Michael's gotta have to go back after the project is finished so will either of their hearts survive?
Books like this one have me wanting to take far off trips to far off places to see if my true love is waiting for me too.
I read this to see how an outsider writes about The Netherlands. It read like a travel journal: someone writing only for himself, mentioning where he ate just to remember, not to entertain someone else.
As a Dutch citizen, I really don't care about an explanation of the standard menu options in a fast food restaurant.
What annoyed me were the topografic names. Come on, you can check Google Maps, you don't have to spell everything wrong!
No emphasis on a plot, just a villain at work for some drama, boring characters, predictable ending. (spoiler) They end up as a couple in one country(/spoiler).
As a Dutch citizen, I really don't care about an explanation of the standard menu options in a fast food restaurant.
What annoyed me were the topografic names. Come on, you can check Google Maps, you don't have to spell everything wrong!
No emphasis on a plot, just a villain at work for some drama, boring characters, predictable ending. (spoiler) They end up as a couple in one country(/spoiler).
It seems dramatic to say so, but this may be one of the worst books I've ever read. Unfortunately it's true. I've enjoyed Andrew Grey's books in the past despite their flaws, but this one was nearly unforgivable. The biggest issues are as follows:
1.) The characters. They are boring, bland, impossible to connect with, and simply moronic. On more than one occasion I wondered if the main character, Michael, was meant to come off as mentally impaired. Not to mention that Stephan reads as a very slow/simple 10-year old.
2.) The plot. The romantic plot is interesting (or would be if the characters were engaging), but way too much of this book is spent on a subplot related to Michael's job. This involves pages and pages of intense detail describing the work Michael's doing and all the minutia it involves. It is painfully dull and uninteresting. This book was inspired by the author's time working in the Netherlands so this detail likely comes from his own experience. However no one else cares. This should have been cut.
3.) The writing. I thought Andrew Grey's writing had been improving over the past few books, but this book is a sharp, sharp decline. I'm willing to forgive a lot in romance novels, especially when they undergo very little editing, but this was genuinely painful. He seemed confused about when sentences should begin and end, the dialogue was stilted and unnatural, and "explained" was constantly used as a synonym for "said," even when it wasn't one. These are just a few examples. My favorite (least favorite) was when "...some requirements came up that required..." Yes. The requirements required. I can see how they might.
Based on the topic I thought this book had a lot of promise, but was sorely disappointed. I'm sorry I wasted my time and money.
1.) The characters. They are boring, bland, impossible to connect with, and simply moronic. On more than one occasion I wondered if the main character, Michael, was meant to come off as mentally impaired. Not to mention that Stephan reads as a very slow/simple 10-year old.
2.) The plot. The romantic plot is interesting (or would be if the characters were engaging), but way too much of this book is spent on a subplot related to Michael's job. This involves pages and pages of intense detail describing the work Michael's doing and all the minutia it involves. It is painfully dull and uninteresting. This book was inspired by the author's time working in the Netherlands so this detail likely comes from his own experience. However no one else cares. This should have been cut.
3.) The writing. I thought Andrew Grey's writing had been improving over the past few books, but this book is a sharp, sharp decline. I'm willing to forgive a lot in romance novels, especially when they undergo very little editing, but this was genuinely painful. He seemed confused about when sentences should begin and end, the dialogue was stilted and unnatural, and "explained" was constantly used as a synonym for "said," even when it wasn't one. These are just a few examples. My favorite (least favorite) was when "...some requirements came up that required..." Yes. The requirements required. I can see how they might.
Based on the topic I thought this book had a lot of promise, but was sorely disappointed. I'm sorry I wasted my time and money.