Title: Better Than People
Author: Roan Parrish
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Imprint: Carina Press (Carina Adores)
On–Sale: August 25, 2020
Format: Trade Paperback (ebook & audio also available!)
Price: $14.99 U.S.
ISBN: 9781335542823
Book Description: It’s not long before their pet-centric arrangement sparks a person-centric desire…

Simon Burke has always preferred animals to people. When the countdown to adopting his own dog is unexpectedly put on hold, Simon turns to the PetShare app to find the fluffy TLC he’s been missing. Meeting a grumpy children’s book illustrator who needs a dog walker isn’t easy for the man whose persistent anxiety has colored his whole life, but Jack Matheson’s menagerie is just what Simon needs.

Four dogs, three cats and counting. Jack’s pack of rescue pets is the only company he needs. But when a bad fall leaves him with a broken leg, Jack is forced to admit he needs help. That the help comes in the form of the most beautiful man he’s ever seen is a complicated, glorious surprise.

Being with Jack—talking, walking, making out—is a game changer for Simon. And Simon’s company certainly…eases the pain of recovery for Jack. But making a real relationship work once Jack’s cast comes off will mean compromise, understanding and lots of love.

Buy Better Than People by Roan Parrish
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086H3WDB3
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/better-than-people-roan-parrish/1136749438
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/ca/book/better-than-people/id1504876008
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=4mHZDwAAQBAJ
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/better-than-people

About Roan Parrish
Roan Parrish lives in Philadelphia, where she is gradually attempting to write love stories in every genre.

When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown it out the window in a fit of pique.

Connect with Roan Parrish
Website: https://www.roanparrish.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoanParrish
Instagram: https://www.roanparrish.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/parrishorperish/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14070842.Roan_Parrish

Excerpt

He heard Simon’s intake of breath and had the brief wild wonder if Simon’s mouth would taste of rain if he kissed him.
Then Simon let the breath out and leaned ever so slightly into Jack.
“Get your boots off and you can take a hot shower, okay? I’ll get you some clothes.”
Simon blinked up at him.
“Okay?”
Simon nodded and gave a ghost of a smile.
Since the first time they’d really talked the week before, they’d lingered over pickups and
drop-offs, sometimes talking; sometimes Jack talking and Simon texting. Jack still couldn’t tell what made the difference in the times when Simon could speak and when he couldn’t.
He appreciated the gift of Simon’s words when he managed them. But Simon via text was
smart and honest and a little bit snarky, and he liked that too.
Now, standing so close, he felt like he should be able to tell whether words were
forthcoming or not, as if the fanfare that announced their appearance would stir the very air between them.
But, no. He still couldn’t tell. What he could tell was that Simon was shaking with cold and his wool sweater was so sodden that it might as well have been dumping water down his back.
“C’mere, let me take this,” Jack said, tugging at the sweater. Simon’s eyelashes, spiked
with rain, fluttered and he lifted his arms to help take the sweater off. It was plastered to his shirt beneath, so when the sweater came off so did it.
Jack couldn’t help but notice that Simon was lovely beneath his clothes. Angular and
smoothly put together, though he was shivering. Jack dropped the sweater to the floor with a thump and slung the towel back around Simon’s shoulders.
“Come on,” he said softly, and led the way to the bathroom.
He left Simon to his shower and fetched sweats for him to wear from his bedroom, wherehe did, indeed, find a sheepish Puddles on the bed.
He stroked Puddles’ damp nose and Puddles licked his hand. Worried Puddles might be
chilly, Jack slung the blanket over him and gave him a rub.
“You like Simon?” he whispered. Puddles yipped. “Yeah. Yeah, me too.”

[I received a digital arc for an honest review]

Better than People by Roan Parrish is a wonderful MM romance. Jack is an animal lover with four dogs and three cats. When a tumble leaves him on crutches he needs to find an animal lover willing to walk them twice a day. Simon would the job. His extreme social is soothed by animals who seem to be the only ones who understand him. That is until he meets Jack and gets to know the patient, slightly grumpy artist who finds ways to communicate with him without words. Their relationship grows as they live in their own little bubble but when Jack no longer needs the crutches and can go back to his normal schedule will there still be room in it for Simon.

“It gave him the unfamiliar sense of having a place in the world. Of being tethered, rather than floating, ghost like, through a land that belonged to others. “

I really enjoyed the characters of this story. Simon struggles with extreme anxiety he’s only really comfortable around his grandmother and then Jack. Animals calm him when his anxiety becomes too much. Jack is so patient and understanding but still has realistic faults and has to fight the need to fix things for Simon that just can’t be fixed. When Simon has trouble communicating verbally with Jack he uses touch to express himself . While this is sweet and most definitely a strong expression/ love language it leads to there being a whole lot of sex scenes in the book. I’m not complaining because it worked for these characters. For them actions spoke louder than words but there were way more physical scenes than I was expecting. Jack makes Simon, who is paralyzed by words, feel heard and seen and loved.

“Simon, who kissed him like he worried that each kiss might be the last and smiled at him like he wanted this to never end.”

The supporting characters were also great. Simon’s grandma was wonderful, the grandmother we all wish we had in our lives to support us and love us unconditionally.
And oh my gosh , Jack’s brother Charlie! {my heart} he is just trying is hardest to be a parent and brother to Jack and you can tell he’s drowning and that allows him to relate to Simon in his own way.::Sigh:: please tell me he gets his own book because I need him to find someone to take care of him for a change and give him all the love.

Better Than People by Roan Parish is an emotional MM romance that will leave you with a smile and the urge to cuddle our fur babies.