Stealing Wishes by Shannon Yarbrough

A Sweet Readby NordicValleyGirl

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August 18, 2009: Blaine has all his little routines; he has his best friend Sallie, his job at the Latte Da coffee shop, his photography, but he's never had a steady boyfriend. He's had one night stands in plenty but lately not even those. And then he meets Edward. Edward appears to be everything Blaine could desire, a perfect 10. Blaine and Edward could have a lasting relationship. Blaine could fall in love. But also, there is Blaine's co-worker Auden. Blaine thinks Auden is attracted to him and although he would like to know Auden better, Auden remains something of a mystery. Should Blaine take the safe road with Edward or take a chance on Auden and risk rejection, the loss of their friendship and possibly the loss of his job - because, Blaine tells himself, if Auden rejects him he'll be too embarrassed to work alongside Auden. Blaine decides to take the safe route, with Edward.

Blaine calls his obsessive compulsive behavior an illness, yet he thinks that his relationship with Edward will cure him, that all his little repetitions materialized as a substitute for what has been missing in his life. Now he has Edward, he does not need them. When he becomes disillusioned with the relationship he still sticks with Edward. But when he foregoes his routines things start to go horribly wrong and of course Blaine blames himself - he changed his routine and in doing so changed the way in which life plays out.

Reading Stealing Wishes, I became very fond of Blaine. I felt I got to know him very well, sometimes better than he does himself. At one point I was telling him, "No, not Edward! You really want Auden!" I loved being inside his mind, hearing him muse, seeing his observations through his eyes, the astute comparisons he makes between coffee, coffee making, photography, dating and life (to name a few.) The other people in Blaine's world are well-fleshed characters, particularly Sallie, and getting to know Auden better, later in the book, was a treat.

This is a charming, beautifully written story and a pleasure to read. For a start, the pace is perfect because it flows, never lagging, nor does it rush you along. The characters, and the plot, immediately engage you. It had me chuckling, sighing, pondering, laughing out loud. Take your time reading Stealing Wishes because you won't want to miss one word. And then you'll want to go back and read it all over again. I definitely will.

I wish I could be with Blaine when he turns 33.

A Delightful Rompby Anonymous

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September 03, 2008: Shannon Yarbrough?s second novel is a gay romance and I am not gay, so let?s get that out of the way. I edit a review blog and Mr. Yarbrough submitted his book for a review. Stealing Wishes easily earns four stars for its sensitive depiction of an obsessive-compulsive gay man and his close friends. This quick read about relationships is fluidly composed and delicately phrased. I expect gay readers of both sexes will probably love the storyline and empathize with the characters. Straight women will probably read this book and enjoy it, too. The sexual behaviors are described only briefly: most of the action lies within the psychodramas of the lead characters. I cannot quite award the book five stars, not because I am a hetero male, but because I am an editor. A significant number of careless typos mar the book?s otherwise nearly perfect presentation. Told from a highly competent and believable first person standpoint, Stealing Wishes will steal your heart with its poignant honesty.