The Driver

Expectations were ... subverted? It's a good thing. I wen't into this thinking (going by the title, blurb, and the current age-gap/Daddy craze, which I very much enjoy) that this would be in that vein but it's very much NOT. Jonathan/Jon, the eponymous driver of the tittle, is thirty seven (37) and his passenger/charge/boss Callum/Cal is twenty four (24) going on twenty five (25) but that's all the connection this has to the the age-gap trope. Instead it soberly explores a relationship between an older man, a professional driver, whose generally happy with his chosen profession and his newish client, a 24 y.o. son of powerful (mostly hated), businessman.[a:Heidi Austin 17558948 Heidi Austin https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] is a NTM author and I'm glad I took the plunge. I liked how she went with a realistic portrait of two people who are not only separated by age but also come from different economic/class backgrounds. Cal was raised in a mansion in the country now lives in a doorman building and has a driver at his beck & call to chauffeur him through London. Jon has chosen driving as his profession, and doesn't regret it, but he's also dealing with family issues, money issues and an inconvenient attraction to his ostensibly straight younger boss. I liked how the relationship developed. Jon is concerned about the age difference and it isn't unwarranted, given the economic power dynamics. He's also not clear on Cal's sexual preference: is this thing a whim? an experiment? Jon isn't up for that. The story is told solely from Jon's POV so we mostly get Cal from his actions, but they suffice. I liked that, despite his horrible father, Cal wasn't a babe in need of rescuing, he actually worked, was good at his job, actively helped himself and others. Overall I loved Cal more. He was no shrinking violet or fainting damsel in or out of the bedroom. I saw the plot development about the restaurant early on but I liked how it didn't go the usual savior route. My only quibble was that I wasn't super clear on Cal's reasons for liking/loving Jon. Sure he's a good guy, handsome, has been generally good to Cal but also doth protests a wee bit too much, and holds on to his hang ups pretty tightlyeven in the epilogue he seems to have kept up keeping Cal at a bit of a remove. I get him but I also wanted to smack him upside the head more than once or twice. I'd still recommend this. A fresh voice in romance is always welcome.