Another tale of men in a gym, the modern way guys meet. Maddoc has never worked out and is receiving unpleasant attention from a stalker. But by page six he's lifting weights on a bench. The other men from this linked series are friendly and some are his co-workers. His firm must be really into affirmative action on hiring, because they all seem to be gay men. Maddoc doesn't mention that he's gay but he does go for a meal with them afterwards.

PUMP ME UP has Maddoc saying he wants to be able to defend himself. I would have recommended a karate class rather than lifting weights, but maybe this was one option of several he considered. He finds a friend in Ivan, an ex- Marine. Ivan lived by 'don't ask, don't tell' and stayed away from socialising, until he told, and had to leave. In a pleasant touch, Ivan's mom calls him regularly and tries to set him up with all the nice gay men in her neighbourhood. Ivan takes Maddoc through beginners' exercises. After chasing off the stalker temporarily, Ivan gives Maddoc some self defence lessons; hit the solar plexus, instep, nose or groin of the attacker. Everyone should know some self-defence. He wisely adds that as soon as you can escape an attack, you should run off yelling 'call 911!'

I don't know much about gyms and weights, but the situations described by Andrew Grey could happen to anyone, male or female, and apart from being impossibly good- looking, his characters come across as real people living decent lives. Some of the secondary characters in this short novel are women who get on well with the men, and other straight men who think nothing of two men starting a relationship. Grey's writing is easy to read and if I was gay I'd probably give PUMP ME UP a five-star rating.

Book Summary

Taking advantage of a free pass from work, Maddoc decides to try out a fitness center. After meeting up with a friend, Dan, and making dinner plans, Maddoc meets Ivan, a hunky, silver-haired ex-Marine who gives him a ride home. Soon Maddoc finds himself with a new friend, a workout partner, a protector... and maybe something more, as a simmering attraction comes to life between him and Ivan. After moving too fast in previous relationships that fell apart, Maddoc wants to start slow—wants to make sure it can last. Luckily, Ivan is willing to wait.

Read an Excerpt