Thor in Public, Loki in the Bedroom

What's the best way to get over the ex who dumped you for being overweight? Hook up with a hot physical trainer, of course! Except, N.R. Walker's The Weight of It All (2016) isn't a romance about revenge but about self-love and acceptance.

Henry Beckett is 35 and has just been dumped by his live-in boyfriend of eight years for being "old" and overweight. Apparently, he lived a life that did not include going to clubs, running in the park, or hiking in the weekends but rather one of strolling through the park, reading books, drinking wine, and cooking.

The shock from being dumped propels Henry to take action, however, so after some drinking and a lot of crying, he joins a gym two days later. There, he meets Reed Henske, his Thor-like personal trainer. What follows is a delightful romance populated by a core of wonderfully lovable characters.

What I  loved about this story is that it wasn't filled with angst or bitterness. While it opens up with Henry wanting to lose weight to get his boyfriend back, that motivation quickly fell to the side. This story, essentially, is about a man learning to love himself enough to accept the love of the people in his life--especially that of Asgardian god Reed who Henry just felt was out of his league. I also loved that this story develops like a good-old romance rather than highlights of a sex Olympics. I have found that some M/M romances sacrifice the romance for the sake of being steamy. This story has both, but in a way that is balanced and true-to-life.

My only quibble is with Reed's back story, for it was a bit of a cop out, a bit of an, "Of course! Why else would this hunky physical trainer be willing and able to love this Average Joe body type?" The larger message it conveys about who is capable of loving whom (body-wise) gave me pause.

In all, I greatly enjoyed the story of Henry and Reed and the romance that develops from what begins as friendship. Henry was a wonderful protagonist and narrator who made himself easy to root for and love. His humor, insecurities, and desires made him very relatable. As such, N.R. Walker's The Weight of It All is thoroughly enjoyable and kept me smiling from beginning to end. I imagine I'll reread it quite often, for the characters feel like people I'd actually want to spend time with in real life. This was a wonderful romance to start off the year.

Crossposted at CBR9.