Gray – Tiesa Parkin
Gray by Name, Morally Dark by Nature
What happens when the person you were never meant to fall for becomes the one your heart never quite lets go of? Most of us grow up believing our parents and their dearest friends form a safe circle around us, steady, reliable, untouchable. But for Sophie, one of those trusted figures has always been the centre of her quiet, impossible longing. Damon Gray has known it, too, for years. He tells himself he’s too old, too jaded, too loyal to break his best friend’s trust. Yet a snowstorm and an unexpected reunion test the limits of the distance he’s tried so hard to maintain.
Tiesa Parkin excels at capturing the raw edges of emotional manipulation and the difficult clarity that follows when you finally name it. Sophie’s journey, her heartbreak, her gradual reclamation of strength, and the steady support she receives from both Damon and her friend Casey, is compelling to watch unfold. There is a genuine plot here, something far too rare in romance and spicy titles, and it carries you along with characters you quickly become invested in. The tension of forced proximity is deliciously drawn; the restraint feels tangible, and the connection between Sophie and Gray is tender long before it ever turns romantic.
There are, however, a couple of elements that don’t quite land. The “dad’s best friend” premise typically walks hand in hand with a pronounced age-gap dynamic, but here the difference is a modest eleven years. It works, but readers seeking a more striking gap may feel slightly short-changed. The dynamic between Gray and Sophie’s father leans towards a father–son bond, which at times gives the interactions an unexpected sibling-like undertone once their shared history becomes clearer.
And then there’s Gray himself. His past is teased with dark, enticing hints, glimpses of something gritty and far more complex than we’re ultimately given. He’s a brilliant main character, morally shadowed in all the right ways, and there is absolutely room for an entire book devoted to exploring the depths Parkin clearly has mapped out for him. One can only hope she gives us that in future.
As for the spice, it’s largely enjoyable and would have been genuinely well executed were it not for one unfortunately persistent error: the repeated use of “withering” where “writhing” was clearly intended. It’s a small slip in theory, but when it appears in every intimate scene, it becomes impossible to ignore, and picturing your intimate partner suddenly becoming dry and dusty becomes unintentionally funny in a moment meant to be anything but. If that single issue were corrected, the heat level and prose would soar.
Even with these hiccups, this is a thoroughly engaging read; Warm, emotional, and laced with just the right amount of angst. It was my first Tiesa Parkin novel, and I turned the final page already wanting more. She’s firmly on my watch list now, and I’m looking forward to wherever she takes these characters and her readers next.
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