There is very little that dislike in a Josephine Myles novel. There is usually a lot of passion, humor, British charm, and emotion. I have to say that I found her latest work, Junk to contain all of these. Basic Plot: Jasper, a librarian at a local college realizes that his hoarding of paper and books has gotten out of control. He calls in Wonderland Clutter Clearing, to help him clean up his house and life. When Lewis Miller enters his life, what Jasper discovers is not only a new friend who can help him clean up his house, but possibly a new partner. But can their personal baggage be put behind them to forge a new life together? Jasper Richardson: Early on in the novel, we see a glimpse of how Jasper feels about relationships: I’m fine with being a bachelor. Books are better company than people. They don’t hog the bedclothes or mess with your things.” This quote on the surface illustrates the humor of the novel. Who hasn’t said something like that? But what we come to understand is that there is hidden pain, hidden anger beneath. What we come to find is that humans have hurt him before, deeply and it has left invisible scaring in the form of his books. The conflict then becomes on how he can learn to let that pain and hurt go, along with his hoard.I found Jasper so endearing, his awkwardness something that I could relate: Jasper froze, then patted the big man’s back. That was how you comforted someone, wasn’t it? Hopefully he wasn’t doing it too hard. It wasn’t like Yusef was choking or anything. Lewis Miller: What I like about Lewis the most is that while he is very organized and on the surface seems to have it all, but he has his issues too. I do not want to spoil Lewis’ back story, but we learn that Lewis is not the perfect one either. When I’m tempted by something, I have a set of rules I go through to help me decide whether or not I really need to buy it. Unless I can answer yes to at least five of them, I leave it in the shop. But what I like about Lewis is he is someone we want to emulate, he has his issues, but he confronts them and then comes up with ways to live his life. Strong Points: The scenes where she wrote about how Jasper feels, the compulsions and thought processes brought me right into the mind of the hoarder. I am amazed how descriptive those scenes were: The book. Jasper fondled the cover lovingly. He wasn’t actually planning to read it, of course. He’d already determined that fact back at the library during his tea break. But he couldn’t have left it languishing there on the sale trolley, unwanted and unloved. He knew just the place for it. What could be better? There really is not much more that I would do to improve this book. I loved it! Conclusions: If you are looking for a novel that has heart and heat, then Junk by Josephine Myles is for you. The chemistry between our two characters is hot and the love scenes were smokin’. This has quickly become of my favorite books and will be on the re-read pile for sure!Bea
