Review: Inflori by A.F Henley

Reviewed by Fehu
Inflori by A.F Henley
Less Than Three Press
Novella: 148pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
Dustin gave up on being worthy of anyone's affections a long time ago, drowning his problems in substance abuse and meaningless encounters. He has learned it's better to avoid love altogether than risk the inevitable moment when it all comes crashing down.

Nicolæ has neither eyesight nor excess, but he does have a wealth of family and intuition. He is nothing that Dustin would have anticipated in a potential lover, but the more Dustin discovers, the more he finds himself willing to accept the risk - even if his conscience and the people in his life keep warning him away.



Review:
A promising debut novel! I liked the cover first and then the summary intrigued me.

Dustin meets Nicolæ and it's not love at first sight, but there is definitely intrigue, since the man is blind but seems to see more and not less, also the tea was that good. I liked the beginning, was instantly hooked, and fell right into the story. A lonely twink, so it seemed at first, who was wandering through his life without a goal or purpose that is Dustin, and then there is the mysterious stranger, who manages to leave a lasting impression. It didn't hurt that I love the name Nicolae.

There is a lot of good sexual tension between them and Nicolae is not like all the people Dustin knows from the club scene, he has to chase someone for a change and this person is actually bringing out the best in Dustin's personality. So, there is the whirlwind romance where two cultures collide and not all of their family or friends are happy with the developments.

I liked that the characters had hidden depth, Dustin had reasons for his behaviour, his childhood wasn't an easy one, because of his mother, who always belittled him and even tried to kill him. Dustin's mother is also the point where I think, the happily ever after was a bit overdone. From all that was told, she abused Dustin emotionally from the start so it's strange to see her at the end happy with his life choices and even more unbelievable that she got better, mentally, after being given a stone.

Nicolae is an interesting character, a mysterious one, stable and kind, always believing in the good of all people, with powers that cannot be explained. I liked that he helped Dustin to heal emotionally, he tempered him down and was his opposite character wise, which was just what Dustin needed, to grow up, but sometimes Nicolae seemed a bit too perfect.

Editing could use some work, name was changed to a Nicole and I was wondering, where a girl came from, and some typos. My copy had some question marks between words but maybe it was just my book that had formatting issues.

Overall, the book is a refreshing one.

4 Pants Off