Something New by Tia Fielding
Dreamspinner Press
Gay Contemporary
ISBN: 978-1-61372-407-1
Reviewed by Cassie




Writer Frank Hudson is at loose ends after his fourteen year relationship breaks up.  He moves to Vermont to start over.  He hasn’t been there long when he spots a fire at a neighbor’s, calls the fire department, and meets sexy younger firefighter Conner O’Malley.  Frank is attracted to Conner, but the thirteen-year age difference between them bothers him.  Why would a hot, much younger man be attracted to a boring writer like himself?

Conner quickly lets him know the attraction is mutual, but there are other complications.  Conner’s responsible for caring for his younger siblings, and he has a very demanding job.  Can Frank and Conner get past insecurities and responsibilities to find out what they could have together?

Something New is a sweet story of second chances and new love.  Frank is an easy character to sympathize with.  He’s just out of a relationship that had lost its spark long ago, leaving him feeling undesirable.  He can’t believe a hot young guy like Conner could be attracted to him.  Frank’s first-person narration makes it easy to understand his feelings.  Although Conner doesn’t get to tell his side, he is also very likable.  He takes care of his siblings because he wants to, not out of a sense of obligation.  Conner needs someone steady like Frank rather than a flashy young guy, and he’s willing to woo Frank a bit to get that.

The conflicts in Something New mostly involve Frank’s insecurities and hesitation about starting something with a man thirteen years his junior.  Readers looking for tons of conflict or a really difficult journey won’t find it here, as Frank and Conner get together and fall for each other fairly quickly.  There is a section near the end where Conner’s job plays a big role, but for the most part Something New is a sweet, not-too-angsty tale.  It made a good pick-me-up after all the dark stuff I’ve been reading lately.