Treadmill: Mon., 10-Oct. > Fri., 14-Oct.
Here’s a screen shot of my Apple watch workout that was recorded while on the treadmill. My goal is to read while walking on the treadmill for at least one 30-minute mile per day.
As per usual, I did some off-treadmill reading for this book in addition to the treadmill workouts shown.
What I #AmReading…
Face Blind by JL Merrow
Of course I preordered this book back when that option first became available because…JL Merrow. Need I say more? And if you haven’t read this author’s The Plumber’s Mate series, what are you waiting for? If it’s a personal invitation, here you go…I’m handing you one right now. 😁😘
Face blindness, in case you’ve never heard of it (I hadn’t), is usually (though not always) brought on by traumatic brain injury, as is the case in this story. Corin was injured in an accident and was left unable to truly see or identify faces. He seeks out “identifiers” and pays attention to a person’s build and/or hair to help him out, but often that’s not enough, especially for average people with regular features who don’t stand out in any particular way. Corin doesn’t recognize his own brother, and when he looks in a mirror, a stranger looks back at him.
Fascinating as that is, and it does feature heavily in the story, there’s also quite a bit else going on. These other things unfold slowly as the story pulls you in chapter by chapter. There are a few personal mysteries brewing, and I correctly predicted one of them, but was totally wrong on another (the reality was sooo much better than what I’d guessed).
The ending is satisfying enough, but some bits are left with potential for more, so now I’m left waiting on tender hooks for book 2 to come out. I can’t decide if I hope book 2 features the same main characters, or one of the side characters, or…a certain someone who is, shall we say, partially named in this book though not shown on page (that I know of). And that’s all I can say on that without getting too spoilery. 😁
The Snippets
The POV is 3rd-person past, and is shared between the MCs, Corin Ferriman and Adam Merchant.
LOL…apparently the Brits have opinions regarding tea vs coffee, and those opinions vary but are strongly held as seen in a couple of these opposing snippets.
Evie is Adam’s sister (Adam’s POV):
“Anyway,” Evie said, standing up. “It’s time we had a tea break. Or coffee, for the philistines. Are you sure you’re British?” she went on, striding to the kitchen. “Sometimes I think the fairies left you.”
Corin is the second speaker (Corin’s POV):
Adam smiled. “If you’re fishing for compliments, I’ll warn you, I’m crap at those too.”
“That’s okay, I’m terrible at accepting them anyway.” God, were they actually having a conversation? A flirtation, even?
Declan is Corin’s brother. Corin is the first speaker (Corin’s POV):
The smell of hot grease worked its usual sly magic, and Corin found himself stealing half of Declan’s chips as they walked back through town. “You’re a terrible influence,” he muttered as he nabbed another. “I actually cooked a healthy meal tonight.”
“Yeah? That’s why you’re hungry now. Gotta get your basic food groups in: starch, grease, and burnt crunchy bits.”
“I regret introducing you to Terry Pratchett. And you missed out ‘sugar.’”
Corin and his brother Declan are going out to eat. Declan is the first speaker (Corin’s POV):
“Yeah, but it seems all right. Despite that New Age name.” The shopfront proclaimed it the Breezy Moon Café, in cheerful yellow text on a sky-blue background. “I can see at least three kinds of meat on the menu.”
“I hate to break it to you, but bacon, sausage, and pork chops are all technically the same meat.”
“Next you’ll be telling me eggs aren’t a vegetable…”
They’re talking about Adam’s dad. (Corin’s POV):
Corin grasped his hand. “You don’t have to tell me about him. I’d like to hear it, but not if you’ve changed your mind.”
Adam pulled him in for a kiss. “You’re perfect, you know that?”
Speechless, Corin could only stare at him.
“And yeah, I want to tell you,” Adam went on, as though he hadn’t just rocked Corin’s world. “I’ll put the kettle on first, though. Coffee? I’ve got decaff. Or tea, if you’re a heathen.”
Face Blind by JL Merrow
Contemporary M/M Romance
When even friends look like strangers, how will he ever find love?
Corin Ferriman was left face blind by the car crash that killed his ex. Even people he’s known for years are unrecognisable to him. Running from his guilt and new-found social anxiety, he’s moved to Glastonbury, where he knows no one—or does he? Repeated sightings of a mysterious figure leave him terrified that his ghosts have followed him.
Tattoo artist Adam Merchant left Glastonbury at sixteen, escaping from his emotionally distant mother to the father who’d left them seven years previously. Now, at twenty-five, he’s come home to bring his family back together. But in a cruel twist of fate, his mother dies before he can talk to her, leaving him haunted—perhaps literally—by her memory and his unanswered questions.
When Corin and Adam meet again after an eerie first encounter, Adam lays siege to the walls Corin’s built around himself, which start to crumble. But there are ghosts haunting them both, and while Adam longs for a connection beyond the veil, Corin’s guilt leaves him in angry denial that there could be anything after death. With the liminal festival of Samhain fast approaching, neither man is sure what’s real and what’s just a trick of the mind—or maybe something worse.
Spreading more book love!
Here are more of my…
✓ recent reads
✓ current reads
✓ re-reads
✓ want-to-reads
(all genres included)
About My #Treadmill / #AmReading Posts
I started out with this being a Sunday thing, but sometimes I’d rather not mash multiple books into a single post, so now, you never know when you might see one of these posts.
Rather than give a true “review,” which I’m not entirely comfortable doing as an author myself, I share snippets from books I’ve read and enjoyed, letting the authors’ words speak for themselves.
As you’ve possibly noticed, if you’ve been following along, I highlight snippets for reasons of my own which might veer from what is often seen. Sometimes my highlights have more to do with a paragraph simply impressing the heck out of me for its fabulous writerly technique, other times it has to do with the lovely way it gives subtle insight into the story/characters. Still other times simply because it made me laugh.
Anyway, I sometimes add a little commentary, but not always, which is not in any way, shape, or form, to be taken as unwritten commentary. Most likely it just means I’m short on time and/or context isn’t needed to understand what’s happening, and/or my brain doesn’t feel like putting out the effort in that particular moment.
Also, I’m going to try to spread the book love by tacking on covers of more books at the end of the post that I’ve either recently read, am currently reading, or want to read. Not seeing a full post with snippets for any of these books is not a commentary on anything other than how much time I have available in a day either to read or to create a post about what I’ve read. It might also mean I listened to the audiobook only or that it’s a reread that I’ve featured previously, or it’s not M/M so probably not a good fit for featuring on this blog.
Happy reading!
I love the new style #whatamIreading 🥰 Face Blind sounds a fabulous read, thank you for sharing it🫶 Trick of Time is my favourite J.L Merrow book–I must’ve read it a dozen times–it’s one of my all time favourites, full stop.❤️ xx
Thank you! Yes, Trick of Time is amazing…such an intriguing story! And thank you for reminding me of it…it’s been a while since I’ve read it, so it’s overdue for a reread. ❤️
I’ve been meaning to get this, Addison as I love all this JL Merrow, so thank so much for the nudge! A terrific #whatamIreading article! 😁❤️
Yay! Enjoy! ❤️