1.5 star

This didn't work for me.

I couldn't connect with the MCs, their manners in relation to the approximate age that's assumed they have and their circumstances are hard to believe.. And the sexual tension tends to zero, I don't see a crescendo in their relationship..

Ultimately this story didn't turn out to be evocative to me, but dull.
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Better Than New was written for Goodread’s M/M Romance Group’s 2014 Love’s Landscapes event. The story is told in first person through the eyes of Theo, a young man who lost a leg and is very self-conscious about it. Theo has a crush on Ben, who is the owner of the coffee shop where this story mostly takes place.

This is a fast, easy, sweet read showing the readers Theo’s, and Ben’s, personalities as they get to know each other, and how they finally get together. The prompt was worked into the story, but wasn’t as obvious as I thought it would be.

I give this 3 Stars
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I liked this story! Still curious about the random guy who came in (who was he? Just a customer? It seemed like more than that.) very cute ( )

Cute story about Theo, a college student who lost one leg and is trying to gain the confidence to approach a man he really likes. He has no trouble flirting with anyone else, but Ben, the owner of the coffee shop he keeps visiting, is a different matter.

The story is funny, yet brings across the insecurity Theo feels really well. For him, it isn't just about the fact he wears a prosthetic leg, he has not really come to terms with how he lost it; making up outrageous explanations for what happened is his defense mechanism against people trying to get too personal. He also acts a little immature, which explains why Ben thinks he is much younger than his actual age of twenty. But as soon as the age-thing is clarified, they are off to a heated encounter.

If you like short reads that show a depth of character understanding that can be difficult to achieve in so few pages, and if you like seeing "the shy guy" find his feet, then you will probably like this free short story.

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