Red-Haired Ash Reads

“I see what no one else can see. Not even you. I see a strong, brave, sexy, and, yes, hot man. You know how I can see all of this?…I see inside you. I see what’s beneath the surface.”

Bobby Simpson’s physiotherapy conference is canceled at the last minute and he is forced to travel home earlier than expected. But being blind, Bobby requires passenger assistance at Leeds railway station in order to change trains and when assistance doesn’t arrive he sets off on his own, only to be told by someone on the platform he is going to fall off the tracks. Phil “Beastly” Beeston helps him off the edge of the platform but they both miss their train, so he suggests going for a beer instead. Can a chance meeting lead to love and happiness?

This story was very unexpected. I picked it up because I rarely find a book where the character considers himself ugly so it always catches my attention and makes me want to read it because we need more normal and “ugly” people in romance books, not everyone is stunning. Phil, aka Beastly, is an amateur rugby player and construction worker who has extremely low self-confidence because of how others have treated him because of his looks. He has never been in a relationship or been truly loved by a partner, even for a hookup. Bobby shows him that he is beautiful on the inside and everyone else has been stupid to ignore that. I really loved seeing the change in Phil’s confidence throughout this book. He goes from hating himself throughout the majority of this book to actually seeing himself somewhat positively by the end, and I am sure after years with Bobby his thoughts will be all positive. 

“You’re beautiful to me. As Shakespeare also says, ‘love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind’.”

Bobby is a blind man who was extremely sweet and a dirty talker. He was always telling Phil how he felt about his body and how it made him feel, which was hot. I really loved how he was constantly boosting Phil’s confidence and getting creative with ways to destress him. Their relationship was extremely sweet and steamy, and had some unexpected dirty talk.

Overall, this was an unexpected surprise that I loved. I really enjoyed these two and how they proved to the world that love doesn’t care what you look like, only what is on the inside. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a queer romance with disability rep, ugly rep, and sports rep. 

TW: self confidence issues; drinking and vomiting; pass abuse of mentally ill person recounted; 

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