Hi there! Today I’m sharing a Throwback Thursday review for a contemporary M/M erotic romance from Ryan Field. SLEEPLESS IN SAN FRANCISCO is a gay erotic love story LOOSELY based on Sleepless in Seattle. You know I liked PRETTY MAN, and this installment of gay erotica was definitely fun to read.

About the book:
It is hard to believe that it’s been 25 years since the classic romance Sleepless in Seattle warmed the hearts of theatergoers. Best-selling M/M author Ryan Fields, gives us his unique reinterpretation of this classic theme with Sleepless in San Francisco.

When young Noah Richardson sends an email to the producers of the home renovation show Dream Away, he has no idea that the host of the show, Jonathan Haynes, will be intrigued and touched by his sad story. Noah, his recently-widowed father, and their black lab, Tucker, have relocated to San Francisco to start a fresh new life and heal their wounds. And their new house is in dire need of renovation.

Jonathan Haynes is desperate to find an interesting house to film for the show. So he gets on a plane and flies to San Francisco the day after he reads Noah’s email. But Jonathan soon finds out that Noah’s father, Ed doesn’t know about Noah’s email and he has to convince him to do the show. The fact that Ed and Jonathan wind up on the living room floor having passionate sex during their first meeting doesn’t help.

Ed finally agrees to do the show. By the time construction begins, Ed and Jonathan can’t get enough of each other. They start having secret encounters to satisfy their desires, never realizing they are building a solid relationship at the same time.

Then a series of events takes control of their lives and changes them all forever. Ed’s not sure what to do. He’s in love with Jonathan, and he can’t get enough of Jonathan’s body. But he feels guilty about starting a new relationship with anyone. So he wrestles with the conflict and begs for a sign to help him decide what to do, which leads to a surprise ending that none of them could have predicted.

My Review:
This gay erotic romance is loosely based on Sleepless in Seattle.

Ed Richardson and his 10 year old son Noah have spent a year mourning the loss of Jake, Ed’s husband and Noah’s other dad, who was killed in a car accident. Ed can’t sleep in their NYC home any longer and he hopes a big change of scenery will help his insomnia and bring a fresh start. So, he buys a real fixer-upper in San Francisco and relocates their small family, but his insomnia persists and Noah is worried. Noah sends an email to the producers of Dream House, a DIY house-fixing show, to get help for his dad.

Jonathan Hughes is the face/star of Dream House and he’s intrigued by Noah’s letter. He’s been looking for the next house renovation to film for his new season and this one sounds far more promising than his other leads. Jonathan has a boyfriend, Mike, a wealthy publicity manager with whom he is not especially suited. Mike’s left for a 6-month stint in London, and Jonathan gets him to agree to being open–because Jonathan is so unsatisfied with their sex life and really thinks Mike will find someone else while abroad. Jonathan is stunned to find that Ed Richardson is 100% what turns him on, and their first meeting ends up in sex that rocks Jonathan world–and sends him abruptly out on his ear.

Their working “relationship” is initially strained, because Ed’s a bit of a jerk when it comes to Jonathan. They share a deep attraction and the sex is smoking hot, but Ed’s guilty over taking a sex partner–even as no-strings as Jonathan is being–while still mired in his grief. And, he doesn’t want Noah to get attached, although there is enough contact between Noah, Jonathan and Ed’s best friend to make for a solid bond. It’s all too scary for Ed, however, and he routinely shoves Jonathan to the side, shagging him mad, but offering no emotional support. Jonathan continues to stick up for himself, and then accept Ed’s advances–until we get the biggest kerfuffle.

This is an erotic retelling of a popular het romance, so it’s not rife with “feels and jitters” It’s packed with sex, and includes a bit of cheating, references to multi-partner play, sneaking around, and barebacking after testing. Ed and Jonathan are a sloppy pair who fit just right. Ed’s emotional situation could be best described as “hot mess with a side of grief” and he’s guilty and angry and jealous by turns. In the end, Jonathan does patch the hole in this family in a good way, and they do end up having an HEA. The side characters were fun and mainly added to the story. I get that Mike was a parallel to “Walter” from the Seattle story, but we likely could have done without him entirely.

If you are a fan of gay-takes on popular culture romances, and erotic stories that are really a lot of sex and a little light of plot, this could be a title for you.

Interested? You can find SLEEPLESS IN SAN FRNCISCO on Goodreads, Riverdale Avenue Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes.

About the Author:
Ryan Field is a hybrid author of over 100 published modern romance novels and stories, including AN OFFICER AND HIS GENTLEMAN, FANGSTERS, THE RAINBOW DETECTIVE AGENCY and best selling VIRGIN BILLIONAIRE SERIES. RfieldJ@aol.com

You can find Ryan on his website, Twitter, or Facebook Author Page.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!