3.75 Hearts--I'll admit it...I read the blurb and honed in on the "socially awkward, closeted virgin" and "hot drifter" parts like a heat seeking missile.

I was in the mood for major deflowering and figured it would be a romantic PWP.

Boy, was I wrong.

Not Just Passing Through is just like the blurb promises and more. It is a deceptively simple story that is character driven with characters in their early twenties whose lives are still in the molding stage.

Avery Malcolm, the awkward orphaned virgin is already stuck in a job managing a New Mexico motel and hiding in the closet. He only has one friend, can't stand being touch and already signed for being celibate since he didn't being out would gain him any possible hookups or suitors. Enter twenty-one year old cocky as all hell drifter, Chase Lancaster. He rides into the motel parking lot on a motorcycle, full of freckles, dark hair and blue eyes. Imagine the reaction from Avery...are you licking your lips? Because I was already on line to buy tickets to Pound Town.

But not so.

See, the young men have to get to know each other. Avery has only one person he counts as a friend and doesn't let anyone else get as close. Chase is a smooth talker and friendly guy and...straight. He considers himself a ladies man. The thing about Chase is that he knows he is good looking and loves the attention especially from Avery.

This made me think he was going to be woefully strung along. And in a way, Avery was. There is Avery pining for the long term motel customer who kept telling him he was straight (thankfully not in a douchey way) There is a few off page encounters from Chase but the story is strictly told from Avery's POV. We don't see the other side of the coin and remain blissfully ignorant and stuck in heavy pining mode with Avery.

This story starts slow and I was going to write it off as dull with the way the first half was. The reader gets to experience mundane tasks that is Avery's life...but you know what? Some could have been edited or summarized but it works for Avery's character now that I've read this novella. And there was a point when Avery sort of sacrificed himself that made me realize, this story might be simple but I'm hooked because I cared about this kid.

And then...I noticed I was touching that soft and pink phase. It was romantic! Avery might seem boring but his feelings run deep. His friendship with Chase blossoms to be the focal point of his life and he isn't a doormat. Chase was a lovable jerk but there were vulnerable moments that made me like him.

This is 100% Avery's story and for a novella it read complete just based on the romance and HEA. There were a few moments when my feels cavity were tickled...gently.

 "There's only four things in the world I'm scared of losing. I just put two of them together for safe keeping."

There were a few items I wish were detailed more - the runaway sister & state she was in, the entire Lancaster reunion, Avery's aunt, and Chase's hustling. The story focuses on the characters but a little more detail to the rest of the story wouldn't have been remiss.

There was sex that progressively got better, but did not take over the entire story. No PWP to be found here. I think the payoff is worth the wait with the pace.

I will say Chase...hiding that important part of himself gave me pause. That's not a good indicator usually with a relationship. But he's 21, so maybe he'll grow out of that. New Adult is the type of genre that I can see bonehead moves and understand they're still learning to adult. Maybe a POV switch would have worked for some parts.

I liked the ending overall, wish the boys much success. Not Just Passing Through was straightforward for the most part-- a simple strangers to friends to lovers romance that didn't have added unnecessary drama. Just a romance between an socially awkward guy and a smooth talking hustler that learned things about themselves and made the best of it.

My first time reading Jamie Dean and I think I'll be checking out the rest of his work.

Recommended for fans who don't mind a simple story, don't mind cocky main characters or slow burn and enjoys New Adult.



A copy provided for an honest review.

“Do not allow yourself to lose sight on the way to your future, while wandering in the darkness of the past.” ~ Lucas Hunter

Avery's (Ave's) future, of 'Not Just Passing Through' by Jamie Dean, seems as bleak as the dry desert landscape that surrounds the shabby hotel he runs for his aunt. Ave's days drag by as he passes the time maintaining the business while trying to keep his loneliness at bay. Even the customers who come to stay at his establishment are dull and boring, doing nothing to lighten his mood; that is, until the stranger, Chase, on the big, black motorcycle needs a room. Before Ave can even see him clearly, he has a feeling in his gut that tells him that the fabric of his life is about to change.

From the moment Chase pulls up, Ave knows this man is unlike anyone he's ever known. Chase is a drifter with no roots; Ave has lived in the same place all of his life and has never travelled far from his home. Chase is cocky, sexy, and he knows it, and craves the attention he receives from others. He flaunts his heterosexuality by having a different woman in his bed almost every night. Ave is content to be alone, to fade into the woodwork, afraid of being touched, afraid of feelings, and especially afraid of his sexuality. Ave is content to stay in his solitary but safe closet rather than face what might happen if he steps out. But, Chase's gaydar picks up on Ave's sexuality right away and immediately lets him know it. Chase blatantly flirts with Ave, but also makes it clear that he can “look all he wants, but don't touch” because he doesn't swing that way.

Chase ends up staying at the motel much longer than is his custom and strikes up a friendship with Ave. They enjoy spending time together. Chase even gets Ave to ride on his bike with him. Ave anticipates as well as dreads having to be flush against Chase's body. He's done his best to keep his sexual desires at bay, but Chase already knows the effect he has on Ave and doesn't hesitate to tease him when he notices Ave's interest. Ave accepts the fact that he's in love with Chase and gives up fighting it, at least in his mind. He realizes that Chase won't be there forever and decides to make the most of him while he's there. Ave fantasizes about Chase all the time and even becomes accustomed to Chase's random touches and hugs. It's something he's never been able to do with anyone else. One night, an obviously drunk and sexually frustrated Chase wanders into Ave's apartment after a failed seduction of a woman he met at the bar. Ave has been drinking more than usual too. His inhibitions are down and his desire is up. Ave hates seeing Chase in such a state and offers to “help” him and Chase accepts his offer then leaves right afterward. Ave doesn't see him the next day, he's filled with remorse and guilt, convincing himself that he's destroyed their closeness forever.

I've never read a book by Jamie Dean before so I didn't know quite what to expect. I was very pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable the story was. It's well-written, engaging, and entertaining with a few life lessons thrown in for good measure. From the title and blurb, I expected it to follow familiar tropes associated with stranger meets boy in town, seduces him, and either stays or rides off with him into the sunset. To some extent, it did follow along familiar lines, but Jamie added elements that made them just different enough to make it refreshing. A drifter with no roots always has a history. I got the feeling from the start, that Chase was running away from more than a bad situation and, although he seemed tough, he wasn't cruel. Even when he was teasing Ave, he always made certain he knew it was in jest. Avery soon saw both sides of Chase but it didn't help him keep his objectivity. In fact, it caused Ave love Chase even more. If you enjoy character-driven stories with lots of emotion, angst, twists and turns, and an against-all-odds happy ending, you may enjoy this tale. Thank you, Jamie, for a memorable read.