Gym Dandy

Title: Gym Dandy by Storm Grant
Genre: Fiction, Romance
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis from MLR Press:
Mixed signals or glitchy gaydar? After a first kiss gone horribly wrong, out and outgoing personal trainer Victor Brighton settles for friendship with handsome new client Douglas Newkirk. But is Doug in denial? Each time the boys get close, something or someone interferes: ex-wives, ex-boyfriends, bitchy bosses, even the cable guy.

Gym Dandy is a hilarious and entertaining read with just the right touch of angst to keep you interested in the romance. The characters are fun and realistic, though I get a kick out of Doug's manner of speaking. And I like the way Grant builds up their back stories over the course of the book, so that it explains aspects of their personalities that we've already noticed. I also thought that Grant put her knowledge of Toronto to good use in her depictions of the city. The portrayals of Church St. and the Yonge and Eg area seemed familiar and faithful to the city. Even the fictional locations seemed to fit right in. I was a little surprised by the plot twist at the end, because it felt a little like it came out of nowhere but looking back there are a couple of hints throughout.

In the end, I'd definitely recommend Gym Dandy to other readers and personally I'd like to read one of Storm Grant's other books myself.