Product Description
Sean Bielecki has built a new life, leaving an infamous identity and painful past behind. Now Sommelier Wines is Sean’s dream. And after taking in Bobby, a homeless teenager who was attacked in the alley behind his store, parental instincts wake in him that didn’t know he had, giving him new courage and direction. Officer Sam Davis has been watching Sean for a while-not because of his past-but because Sam wants to be a part of his life now. Sam finally asks Sean … More >>
#1 by Bob Lind on April 16, 2010 - 7:48 pm
Sean Bielecki is a few months into his dream, of owning his own wine store in the friendly Wisconsin town he loves. His life changes the day that he finds himself playing hero, saving a homeless 16 year old boy from an attempted rape in an alley, bringing back memories of a date-rape scenario in which he was the victim years earlier. He lets Bobby stay with him, and, after learning the experiences he has had being rejected by foster homes due to his being gay, decides to explore the possibility of adopting him. This new resolve gives Sean the strength to cut loose a self-centered boyfriend he had been involved with, which in turn results in a new man entering his life: Sam Davis, one of the policemen who came to his aide after the fight in the alley. Together, they try to protect Bobby from the attempted rapist, who apparently had been Bobby stalker for some time.
Grey paints a simplistic but sweet romantic tale, dealing honestly with the fears and sensitive needs of the main characters. Personally, I thought the erotic content was a bit over-the-top and cheapened the impact of the story somewhat, but others may disagree. I give the book three wine-soaked stars out of five.
Rating: 3 / 5
#2 by Jane on April 16, 2010 - 10:04 pm
The synopsis sounded good. A man rescues a homeless teenager from being attacked, takes him home and into his life..after about 3 weeks he knows he wants to adopt him! This had the potential for a good human interest story. Instead the story was wishy-washy, lacked drama, and read like Leave it to Beaver….with the most well-adjusted abandoned,teen in history!
Sean also came off a bad break. There were a few delicious threads about the ex-boyfriend and Sean, so one could assume this was another plot line. Instead it was another missed opportunity for drama and interest in the story.
the novel lacked character and story development. Where was the emotion of the rescued teen?
I felt no emotional connection with any of the characters in this novel.
Also, he brings the teen to meet his parents and suddenly they are calling him their grandson. It just went from one milk-toast scene to another. Nothing had any teeth. I’m not saying these things wouldn’t happen in real life,,,but I am reading a novel! I expect angst, conflicts,etc.
There were many missed opportunities to make this story interesting. Instead it was heavy laden with cliches, especially in the love between Sam and Sean.
Even in naming his characters, the writer displayed a sore lack of imagination.
Sean, Sam, Steve, Sarah, Stan…. monotonous, lacking interest just like the story.
Rating: 2 / 5
#3 by R. Payne on April 16, 2010 - 11:45 pm
This is another example of what an entertaining author Andrew Grey is. An engaging story that kept me interested throughout.
Rating: 4 / 5
#4 by Anonymous on April 17, 2010 - 1:18 am
i could not put this down it has a great plot and keeps you guessing worth the purchase
Rating: 5 / 5
#5 by M. Nix on April 17, 2010 - 2:21 am
Sean Bielecki is working at his wine shop, minding his own business, when a commotion breaks out in the alley. He runs outside to investigate and intervenes in an attack on a young man. After discovering the young man, Bobby Thompson, is only sixteen and homeless, Sean invites the boy to stay with him for a while. Then a customer at his store, police officer Sam Davis, asks Sean out. Despite the demons of Sean’s past and Bobby’s present still haunting them all, will Sean be able to find happiness at last?
Bottled Up is a sweet story about finding love and family in unexpected places. Sean is a kind person who survived a horrific ordeal as a young man. The experience shapes his relationships, leaving him guarded and fearful. When he stops Bobby’s attacker, he feels the need to help the boy. I liked Bobby. While he trusted Sean rather too quickly in my opinion, he was a pretty neat kid. Sam, the police officer who likes Sean, is almost a knight in shining armor. He’s strong, sweet, caring, and understanding. Somehow he managed not to come across as too perfect. There were a lot of secondary characters–Sean’s parents, Bobby’s social worker, police officers, Sean’s friends (mentioned in Andrew Grey’s The Best Revenge), Bobby’s parents, etc. The storyline of Bottled Up deals with a lot of heavy issues, and I kept waiting for the angst to kick in, but it never did. For the most part, Bottled Up remains sweet and positive. I would have liked to see some heavier emotions and more of Sean’s past, and I definitely would have enjoyed getting some of Sam’s point of view. There are a couple of places where the plot veers a bit into melodrama as well. In the end, though, I enjoyed Bottled Up. The characters were all so likeable it would have been hard not to.
Cassie
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
Rating: 4 / 5