Tommy is a 23 y/o man just coming out of an abusive relationship. He moves in with a good friend and her mother. While he's no longer suffering the physical abuse, it's still not easy finding his way in his new life. He has very low self-esteem and runs from man to man--whomever finds him sexy at the nearby gay bar. 
 At first, Tommy is satisfied, feeling attractive and worthwhile, but the anonymous sex soon loses it's luster. His housemates, Sarah and her mother Shirley, are kind and offer good advice, helping him to take good steps. Sarah encourages Tommy to start Jujitsu classes with her and her boyfriend. Having been a victim of abuse and gay bashing, Tommy thinks it's a good idea to gain some skills in self-defense. There he meets Marcus, a big burly gay man, who is one of the dojo's black belt instructors. Marcus and Tommy share more in common than being gay--they like Jujitsu, and both have Mini Coopers, and Marcus is part of a "Mini" club. At first Tommy doesn't find Marcus attractive. He's not ugly, just not his type, but the more time they spend together, the better friends they become. Soon, Tommy is very much attracted to Marcus, but neither man is sending out strong signals and Tommy is too tentative to make his interest plain. 
 I liked how Tommy worked through his emotional issues, how he took steps to improve his new life and build positive relationships. Marcus is a good man, and has also suffered partner abuse, so he's an excellent match for Tommy. Their tentative courtship is sweet, and causes the romantic tension to ramp slowly. While Marcus and Tommy take slow steps toward each other, they are able to bring friendship into the relationship--something Tommy didn't do with any of his previous lovers/partners. I adored how they took it slow and built a solid foundation of affection, respect and desire. 
 Expect some sexytimes, but the best parts come when Marcus and Tommy are honest with each other about their true feelings. The book is very sweet, with a decent heat in the final third. I had just a little trouble with pacing--sometimes Tommy overthinks his actions, which is an improvement on his non-thinking moments--but repetition over his past slowed the pace, for me. Otherwise, strap in for an HEA.