REVIEW: 'Waking Oisin' by Grace Kilian Delaney
Title: Waking Oisin
Author: Grace Kilian Delaney
Published: February 26, 2018
Publisher: NineStar Press
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow
Genre: Contemporary Romance; Erotic Romance; New Adult
Length: 176 Pages
Tags: Gay; M/M; Bisexual; Genderqueer; Cross-Dressing; Family Drama; May/December; Tattoos/Piercings; First Time; Lawyer; College; HFN; Kink: Sex Toys, Spanking
About Waking Oisin
Oisin Harrison blames his fiancée’s distrust for ruining their relationship. He blames his father for pushing him into law school. But more than all that, he blames himself for letting other people’s expectations stop him from going after his dream. But dressing in drag with his best friend is the one thing Oisin refuses to compromise.
As Sin, he meets handsome Trenton Fisher, a man who appreciates Oisin’s cross-dressing. Trent upends his world by doing things to his body no one ever has, making him want more than just one night together. That is, until Oisin discovers his hot hookup works at his father’s law firm and is angling for a promotion.
To complicate things, Trent doesn’t seem to recognize Oisin out of drag. Or does he?
Will Oisin and Trent’s magnetic attraction grow to something deeper, or will it threaten to jeopardize their careers and futures?
Waking Oisin contains characters from Seven Minutes but can be read as a standalone.
Click above to read the ENTIRE first chapter!
4 HEART READ
REVIEW:
Having gotten a glimpse of Oisin in Seven Minutes (which is not a prerequisite for this story) I was keen to see where Grace Kilian Delaney would take him in his own novel. Where she took me as a reader of Waking Oisin is new territory, with an adorable cross-dressing young man.
...Delaney tackles insta-love/attraction with gusto and gives it meaning.
This is not a normal four heart read for me. It’s different in the fact that not everything within a story must always be perfect to touch you. Sometimes it’s fun to see an author blossom and Grace Kilian Delaney is doing just that with her development of Oisin and Trent.
Grace is one of those authors who narrates facts and details with tons of information to set the stage and with her characters’ thoughts and dialogue charts their course to captivate you.
As a beta reader for this book last year I was pleasantly surprised by the fun and different turns in this final version, which altered the depth of the read for me. While Oisin’s thoughts are sometimes repetitious, Delaney tackles insta-love/attraction with gusto and gives it meaning. This is an aspect many romance readers often find hard to accept, but it works in Waking Oisin.
Having already failed with a fiancé who could not accept his bisexuality Oisin Harrison’s currently at a law school he doesn’t want to attend and he knows his father’s “watchdogs” are about to discover he’s failing that too.
Trenton Fisher works for Harrison, Preston and Bryant, Inc. and is on the verge of attaining a partnership he’s worked his entire career for. What he doesn't expect is meeting the woman – man – of his dreams.
As Oisin reflects, “being the son of a legendary lawyer made law school and my personal life a special kind of hell.” So, when he finds himself unknowingly spending the best night of his life with one of his father’s up-and-coming attorneys things get a little complicated.
Oisin and Trent are charming, fun, determined – and very “eager” from the get go. Their mind-blowing, yet inexperienced, one night stand puts these two on a fated course through a series of comedy of errors and missteps.
As they get to know each other there’s the added bonus of injected humor, like when Oisin thinks, “I jumped in the shower, singing and scrubbing, learning just how much false eyelashes hurt when peeled off.” And a blind-date reservation under the name of “Gingerbread Man”, a childhood dig from Trent’s sister. Plus a lot of family drama.
Their mind-blowing, yet inexperienced, one night stand puts these two on a fated course through a series of comedy of errors and missteps.
Oisin feels he has made so many mistakes that he’s scared of making the same ones with Trent. Trent realizes there’s more to life than success and he knows this time he’s gotten it right. With a little support and encouragement he builds up Oisin’s confidence to be the man he’s always wanted to be to go after his dreams. But, will this encourage Oisin to fly away or wake him to the realization that the best things in life are worth the risk?
Some might see Waking Oisin as too simplistic but for this reader the overall tone and message of acceptance touched me. There’s something about the immaturity and stubbornness of Oisin bolstered by the confidence of Trent that makes this May/December romance work and I think anyone who looks past the little complexities within the narrative itself will see these two men’s story for what it is, love.
A copy of Waking Oisin was provided to Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter, by Grace Kilian Delaney, at no cost and with no expectations in return. We offer our fair and honest opinion on behalf of our readers.
Meet the Author
Grace Kilian Delaney resides in flammable Southern California where she spends the wee hours of the morning drinking coffee and writing. She identifies as genderfluid and pansexual, though both are recent labels, and a goal of hers is to create stories that include gay, bisexual, and genderfluid characters. When not writing, Grace composes music, pretends she’s an opera singer, plays piano, and practices yoga, though not all at the same time.
For more from Grace be sure and visit her website!
