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The Love Thing
Twenty-two-year old Greg DeAngelis moves to San Francisco from New York to escape his overbearing father, who's pressuring him to go to law school, and his ex-boyfriend Matthew, who dumps him for an older, richer man. To make desperately needed money Greg temps at a law firm, where he blunders into the role of the firm’s official birthday cake maker—despite his utter lack of culinary skill. A lot of guys vie for the hero’s attention as he navigates the rough waters of office politics and single life in San Francisco, but only one of them can give him "the love thing." Can he figure out which one, before it's too late? This comic novel is about the importance of love and friendship, and of knowing who your true friends really are.
390 pages, Paperback
First published July 20, 2009
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About the author
Chris Delyani
4 books65 followersIn 1993 I moved to San Francisco to devote myself to fiction and have been at it ever since. I'm now the author of four novels: The Love Thing, You Are Here, Best Man, and the upcoming Norma and the Blue Hour. In 2013 You Are Here won a Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Award for General Fiction. Best Man was a finalist for a 2020 Lambda Literary Award in the Gay Romance category.
You can find me on Bluesky, Instagram, and Substack at @chrisdelyani.
You can find me on Bluesky, Instagram, and Substack at @chrisdelyani.
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February 1, 2010The Love Thing is a perfect office affair romance, the old style one with incomprehension, mistakes in judging characters and happily ever after.
Greg is a young and cute gay guy from New York. When his college boyfriend dumps him for an older and wealthier man, Greg is on a downfall mood and his friends Tommy offers him a way out: subrenting a room in a wonderful restored Victorian house in the Castro while the owner is spending the winter in Mexico. Greg has no work in New York and a father who is pressuring him to go to law school, something Greg has no intention to do, and so the other side of the country seems far enough to let the pressure go. Greg has no idea what he wants to do in the future, but he is still young enough to take a break and decide.
After a few months of mourning over the lost boyfriend, Greg is ready for looking around and the first day as temporary private assistant for a law firm seems to give him a lot of prospective: both David than Andrew, the two lawyers in his floor, are gay. But while David is friendly and smiling, Andrew is aloof and detached. Things gets worst when Greg finds out to his best girl friend that Andrew is her landowner and at the same party Tommy hooks up with Harold, Andrew’s best friend. Now everything around him seems to conjure to bring Andrew and Greg together, while Greg would way better prefer to be with David.
As it was not enough for Greg to be the hard fought bone between David and Andrew (even if Andrew plays it cold and doesn’t let anything transpire), a third man enters Greg's life, William, the owner of the house: almost fifty and very handsome, William makes pretty soon clear that also him is interested in Greg, but more like a buddy friend with benefits than a in live partner. William is gentle and caring, always with a kind word or a willing ear for Greg's trouble. William has all the wisdom of his age and he is willing to share it for free. Oh, and I almost forgot, just when Greg is trying to find his way on the love labyrinth that are David, Andrew and William, also Matthew, the treacherous ex-boyfriend from New York returns in Greg's life, ashes on the head, pleading forgiveness.
This Love Thing is like a table game, with David, Andrew, William and Matthew playing all the spectrum of possible boyfriends, and Greg who has to decide what is the best card to pick up to assure himself an happily ever after. The strange thing is that, in a way or the other, all of them are good choices, they have good and bad sides, and with all of them, Greg has almost the same share of chances to be happy. Sure some of them I would not pick up, and in the end, I restricted my choice to the two that Greg himself chose, so probably both the author and I had the same idea regarding Mr Right.
Basically Greg is a sweet guy, sweet as the cakes he starts to bake to make friends at work and ending to like doing it more than expected. Generous and kind with everyone, even with his nemesis, Wesley, he isn’t able to have bad vibes, and the author granted Wesley an happily ever after as he did with Greg.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1439244421/?...
Greg is a young and cute gay guy from New York. When his college boyfriend dumps him for an older and wealthier man, Greg is on a downfall mood and his friends Tommy offers him a way out: subrenting a room in a wonderful restored Victorian house in the Castro while the owner is spending the winter in Mexico. Greg has no work in New York and a father who is pressuring him to go to law school, something Greg has no intention to do, and so the other side of the country seems far enough to let the pressure go. Greg has no idea what he wants to do in the future, but he is still young enough to take a break and decide.
After a few months of mourning over the lost boyfriend, Greg is ready for looking around and the first day as temporary private assistant for a law firm seems to give him a lot of prospective: both David than Andrew, the two lawyers in his floor, are gay. But while David is friendly and smiling, Andrew is aloof and detached. Things gets worst when Greg finds out to his best girl friend that Andrew is her landowner and at the same party Tommy hooks up with Harold, Andrew’s best friend. Now everything around him seems to conjure to bring Andrew and Greg together, while Greg would way better prefer to be with David.
As it was not enough for Greg to be the hard fought bone between David and Andrew (even if Andrew plays it cold and doesn’t let anything transpire), a third man enters Greg's life, William, the owner of the house: almost fifty and very handsome, William makes pretty soon clear that also him is interested in Greg, but more like a buddy friend with benefits than a in live partner. William is gentle and caring, always with a kind word or a willing ear for Greg's trouble. William has all the wisdom of his age and he is willing to share it for free. Oh, and I almost forgot, just when Greg is trying to find his way on the love labyrinth that are David, Andrew and William, also Matthew, the treacherous ex-boyfriend from New York returns in Greg's life, ashes on the head, pleading forgiveness.
This Love Thing is like a table game, with David, Andrew, William and Matthew playing all the spectrum of possible boyfriends, and Greg who has to decide what is the best card to pick up to assure himself an happily ever after. The strange thing is that, in a way or the other, all of them are good choices, they have good and bad sides, and with all of them, Greg has almost the same share of chances to be happy. Sure some of them I would not pick up, and in the end, I restricted my choice to the two that Greg himself chose, so probably both the author and I had the same idea regarding Mr Right.
Basically Greg is a sweet guy, sweet as the cakes he starts to bake to make friends at work and ending to like doing it more than expected. Generous and kind with everyone, even with his nemesis, Wesley, he isn’t able to have bad vibes, and the author granted Wesley an happily ever after as he did with Greg.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1439244421/?...
February 8, 2010
3.5 bumped to 4.
Overall a very enjoyable read. The book had relatable characters, people you recognized from any office you may have worked at in the past. It has some laugh out loud moments and moved along fairly quickly with a few side trips I didn’t see coming.
While it was a very enjoyable book it just didn’t seem to have a very fresh take on the subject matter that would have pushed it over into greatness.
The setting is back in the late 90’s through early 2000 or so. Set in San Francisco where the dot-com craze took off and busted, the law firm that Greg works in is affected by this. They also talk about the 2000 election and other political, economical and sports related incidences happening 10 years ago that just made it seem outdated rather than historical.
In the end, I also could not help but feel that it had a very “Bridget Jones’s Diary” feel about it with a gay twist. Not only did we follow Greg through the single and alone scene and office shenanigans ala Bridget, we also had the same errors in character judgment, misleading information from one character and no communication to help resolve the problem from the other. Very Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy like. In fact, I think the book is set in the same time frame the movie came out, or very nearly. There are also great differences but once I made the comparison it was hard to get away from it in my head.
As a first book it is a great achievement. With a wonderful ability to make a scene come alive and to portray real people I am looking forward to any future efforts by Chris Delyani.
Overall a very enjoyable read. The book had relatable characters, people you recognized from any office you may have worked at in the past. It has some laugh out loud moments and moved along fairly quickly with a few side trips I didn’t see coming.
While it was a very enjoyable book it just didn’t seem to have a very fresh take on the subject matter that would have pushed it over into greatness.
The setting is back in the late 90’s through early 2000 or so. Set in San Francisco where the dot-com craze took off and busted, the law firm that Greg works in is affected by this. They also talk about the 2000 election and other political, economical and sports related incidences happening 10 years ago that just made it seem outdated rather than historical.
In the end, I also could not help but feel that it had a very “Bridget Jones’s Diary” feel about it with a gay twist. Not only did we follow Greg through the single and alone scene and office shenanigans ala Bridget, we also had the same errors in character judgment, misleading information from one character and no communication to help resolve the problem from the other. Very Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy like. In fact, I think the book is set in the same time frame the movie came out, or very nearly. There are also great differences but once I made the comparison it was hard to get away from it in my head.
As a first book it is a great achievement. With a wonderful ability to make a scene come alive and to portray real people I am looking forward to any future efforts by Chris Delyani.
January 25, 2012
3.5 Stars
This is more of a slice of life, gay fiction story than a romance novel. We meet Greg who has just moved to San Francisco after breaking up with his boyfriend & having arguments with his father over the fact he doesn't want to go to law school even though he aced the LSAT.
In San Francisco he moves in with an old friend & takes a dead end temp job at a law firm. He meets a couple of lawyers there that he finds interesting for different reasons. He also is pursued by his landlord. Besides that he becomes involved with his co workers & somehow gets caught up with making the office birthday cakes. In the end Greg tries out all his potential beaus, eventually picking one, reconciles with his family & figures out what to do with the rest of his life.
What's good about the story is that it doesn't skimp on the details.
What's bad is that there's endless details that seem to lead no where. You keep expecting something to happen & it turns out it's just another day at the office for Greg. I can see the comparison to Pride & Prejudice except this one had too many men & yet it's not as sensual as that story. It's very non explicit with very little romantic scenes between the eventual pair which makes it lose that half star.
This is more of a slice of life, gay fiction story than a romance novel. We meet Greg who has just moved to San Francisco after breaking up with his boyfriend & having arguments with his father over the fact he doesn't want to go to law school even though he aced the LSAT.
In San Francisco he moves in with an old friend & takes a dead end temp job at a law firm. He meets a couple of lawyers there that he finds interesting for different reasons. He also is pursued by his landlord. Besides that he becomes involved with his co workers & somehow gets caught up with making the office birthday cakes. In the end Greg tries out all his potential beaus, eventually picking one, reconciles with his family & figures out what to do with the rest of his life.
What's good about the story is that it doesn't skimp on the details.
What's bad is that there's endless details that seem to lead no where. You keep expecting something to happen & it turns out it's just another day at the office for Greg. I can see the comparison to Pride & Prejudice except this one had too many men & yet it's not as sensual as that story. It's very non explicit with very little romantic scenes between the eventual pair which makes it lose that half star.
September 14, 2012
I rarely don't finish a book, but this is one I just can't take anymore. I had high hopes for this one, because Pride and Prejudice is one of my all-time favorite novels. But...
It is, in fact, a parody on Pride and Prejudice, but a very poor one. It is more like wading through 15 episodes of Seinfeld, where characters just seem to float through their existence with nothing really happening. After awhile, I couldn't tell whether this was supposed to be a San Francisco fashion show or a cooking show or a sitcom. It certainly wasn't a substancial parody on Jane Austen. One of the things I look for is whether the detail in the story actually helps move the plot along. My God, how does non-stop descriptions of EVERY characters dress, the color of their eyes, what shoes they are wearing, whether they have flecks of grey in their hair ever move the plot along? On top of that, why do we have to have a detailed narration of how to bake 15 cakes?
Yeah, I figured out who the characters related to in the "original" story, but after awhile, like...WHO CARES??
1 star for obsessive compulsive writing.
It is, in fact, a parody on Pride and Prejudice, but a very poor one. It is more like wading through 15 episodes of Seinfeld, where characters just seem to float through their existence with nothing really happening. After awhile, I couldn't tell whether this was supposed to be a San Francisco fashion show or a cooking show or a sitcom. It certainly wasn't a substancial parody on Jane Austen. One of the things I look for is whether the detail in the story actually helps move the plot along. My God, how does non-stop descriptions of EVERY characters dress, the color of their eyes, what shoes they are wearing, whether they have flecks of grey in their hair ever move the plot along? On top of that, why do we have to have a detailed narration of how to bake 15 cakes?
Yeah, I figured out who the characters related to in the "original" story, but after awhile, like...WHO CARES??
1 star for obsessive compulsive writing.
September 3, 2012
Kaboom! A five star rating for a book I really really really liked. It says the book was 390 pages but it certainly didn't seem that long. The last 3% of the story was like pressing fast forward to x300 on the dvr. A huge amount of time was covered in five or six pages. I would have preferred actual interaction between Andrew and Greg in the final few pages rather than just being told everything that transpired. And I felt a little shortchanged that I never got to see the "I love yous" exchanged. I mean, the title of the book is "The Love Thing" for Pete's sake. Meh. I can live with that.
I loved Tricia the drunk for some reason. She was always saying crazy things such as when talking about a rumour about the boss and a younger woman getting together after a party, "he fucked her hair off." What the heck does that even mean? I dunno but I laughed out loud when I read it.
I loved Tricia the drunk for some reason. She was always saying crazy things such as when talking about a rumour about the boss and a younger woman getting together after a party, "he fucked her hair off." What the heck does that even mean? I dunno but I laughed out loud when I read it.
September 6, 2012
Oh my freaking god! This author decided to put in everything and the kitchen sink in here. Even before I gave it up I was skimming huge sections of complete mundanity. It's like watching reality television and being subjected to seeing the characters brush their teeth and clip their toe nails and ask their roommate to pass them the sugar. Every single detail is not essential.
And that's only the first problem. The second is that this book is a recycling of the Pride and Prejudice plot that has been repeated so generically and so damned often as to become trite every where else but in the original work.
If you can't write well and you don't have original story line ideas then how are you a 'writer'?
And that's only the first problem. The second is that this book is a recycling of the Pride and Prejudice plot that has been repeated so generically and so damned often as to become trite every where else but in the original work.
If you can't write well and you don't have original story line ideas then how are you a 'writer'?
January 17, 2015
Like a pot left to simmer a bit too long, the triangle of relationships at the heart of the story emerged quite late, leaving the narrative a bit dry and crusty. It almost felt like Delyani avoided deeper examinations of where love it into the MC's life, giving us less-than-reflective persona. That same lack of attachment and passion is what keeps a reader feeling like being on the outside looking in, never fully connecting. Structure, syntax and style worked for a debut novel, but I hope Delyani digs deeper next time.
October 19, 2020
3.5 stars rounded up
This was pretty cute. I have a love of (fictional) workplace romances and updated versions of Jane Austen books, however lightly based they might be, so this ticked a few of my boxes. It wasn't the best take on P&P, but it fulfilled a need for something light and somewhat fluffy so FWIW, it worked for me.
This was pretty cute. I have a love of (fictional) workplace romances and updated versions of Jane Austen books, however lightly based they might be, so this ticked a few of my boxes. It wasn't the best take on P&P, but it fulfilled a need for something light and somewhat fluffy so FWIW, it worked for me.
March 2, 2011
What I enjoyed about this book was that I didn't realize it was a take on Pride and Prejudice until about 3/4 of the way through. To me, that's a good sign because it means that the homage was both subtle and original, and although it was inspired by Austen, the characters and story are strong enough to stand on their own.
Of course, once I did realize the similarities, it was hard not to compare the book to Austen as well as other books inspired by Austen. This book is far better than a book like Bridget Jones' Diary because it avoids categorizing Greg as a weak stereotype who seems driven more by the plot than by characterization, or who people root for because he represents the lowest common denominator. Greg is smart and kind and wants to forge his own path, even if he isn't entirely sure what that is. However, like Bridget and other similar homages, this book is ultimately constrained by the plot, which means that we have a big reversal and the supposedly good guy is revealed to be a jerk while the jerk is revealed to be a hero in disguise. No one beats Austen in this moment, in part because the stakes in her story are so much higher than the majority of what today's authors come up with, and in part because the change in the protagonist's opinion comes mostly from self-reflection and a realization of her own failings that led her to be so judgmental. I think the reversal in The Love Thing could have been a little more complicated and less plot-driven, although it does work better than the majority of Austen reworkings that I've read. Despite that one complaint, I really enjoyed this book and hope to read more by this author. Maybe a retake on Persuasion?
Of course, once I did realize the similarities, it was hard not to compare the book to Austen as well as other books inspired by Austen. This book is far better than a book like Bridget Jones' Diary because it avoids categorizing Greg as a weak stereotype who seems driven more by the plot than by characterization, or who people root for because he represents the lowest common denominator. Greg is smart and kind and wants to forge his own path, even if he isn't entirely sure what that is. However, like Bridget and other similar homages, this book is ultimately constrained by the plot, which means that we have a big reversal and the supposedly good guy is revealed to be a jerk while the jerk is revealed to be a hero in disguise. No one beats Austen in this moment, in part because the stakes in her story are so much higher than the majority of what today's authors come up with, and in part because the change in the protagonist's opinion comes mostly from self-reflection and a realization of her own failings that led her to be so judgmental. I think the reversal in The Love Thing could have been a little more complicated and less plot-driven, although it does work better than the majority of Austen reworkings that I've read. Despite that one complaint, I really enjoyed this book and hope to read more by this author. Maybe a retake on Persuasion?
April 1, 2016
This is a Pride & Prejudice homage piece, set in San Francisco in 1999 during the tech boom; and it is also gay fiction, the first P&P spinoff of that type I've ever read.
The author does an absolutely brilliant job of recreating the characters and settings of the original work as new people and places in a modern setting. (Though it did take me a long time to figure out who a couple of the characters were supposed to represent in the original story). He also does a great job of recreating the moods and tension at various parts of the story - better than any I've read. Best of all, his writing style is completely polished, unlike many P&P fanfics I've read, despite this being his first novel.
I deduct one star for a couple of small nitpicky things: The book is written in the first person rather than omnipotent narrator, which means it's from Greg's (Lizzy's) point of view and therefore there's not much description about what his character is like. The other reason is that the end of the book is not as earth-shattering as I had hoped for, although oddly that is the one flaw that Pride and Prejudice suffers from as well. I always look for more satisfaction on that point from my P&P fanfics.
A final note - this book is gay fiction, but not erotica. To me, the romance read exactly like a straight romance would. Sex is mentioned but is not descriptive. I may be a straight female, but I like a little more oomph in that category myself. I hope if the author decides to write any more similar works, that he'll consider adding some.
The author does an absolutely brilliant job of recreating the characters and settings of the original work as new people and places in a modern setting. (Though it did take me a long time to figure out who a couple of the characters were supposed to represent in the original story). He also does a great job of recreating the moods and tension at various parts of the story - better than any I've read. Best of all, his writing style is completely polished, unlike many P&P fanfics I've read, despite this being his first novel.
I deduct one star for a couple of small nitpicky things: The book is written in the first person rather than omnipotent narrator, which means it's from Greg's (Lizzy's) point of view and therefore there's not much description about what his character is like. The other reason is that the end of the book is not as earth-shattering as I had hoped for, although oddly that is the one flaw that Pride and Prejudice suffers from as well. I always look for more satisfaction on that point from my P&P fanfics.
A final note - this book is gay fiction, but not erotica. To me, the romance read exactly like a straight romance would. Sex is mentioned but is not descriptive. I may be a straight female, but I like a little more oomph in that category myself. I hope if the author decides to write any more similar works, that he'll consider adding some.
June 4, 2012
Rating: 5 stars
Some might say this is a gay take on Pride and Prejudice and to some part it's true. BUT the similarities do not appear for more than half of the book.
Greg had a nasty break up with his boyfriend and doesn't want to bows to his father's expectations without knowing what he really wants to do with his life.
He moves to San Francisco with a friend, in a house of a landloard he haven't seen so far. His new job in a lawfirm is nothing special except that after the first birthday party he has a special duty - to make all the birthday cakes.
Where is the romance?
Well of course there is romance and intrigue, do remember that it has some references to Pride and Prejudice!
Greg is of course the Lizy equivalent, so there has to be a Mr Darcy and his adversary. The role of the beautiful sister is played by Tommy, Greg's friend and house mate.
Why is it a 5 stars read?
Mostly because it was fun, light, well done, well written and I would reread that one!
Why would I recommend it to someone?
It's contemporary, so if one likes this genre and Pride and Prejudice(with sex!) one should definetly give this book a chance.
It's a story about life, no illstrious stars, no prince charmings, but humor and love and friendship are all part of it. It's not all about the good things, there are also misunderstandings, familiar difficulties, strugling to find one's place and to find love. The charm of this book is that you can relate to the characters and they are lovable but do have their weaknesses and faults.
Some might say this is a gay take on Pride and Prejudice and to some part it's true. BUT the similarities do not appear for more than half of the book.
Greg had a nasty break up with his boyfriend and doesn't want to bows to his father's expectations without knowing what he really wants to do with his life.
He moves to San Francisco with a friend, in a house of a landloard he haven't seen so far. His new job in a lawfirm is nothing special except that after the first birthday party he has a special duty - to make all the birthday cakes.
Where is the romance?
Well of course there is romance and intrigue, do remember that it has some references to Pride and Prejudice!
Greg is of course the Lizy equivalent, so there has to be a Mr Darcy and his adversary. The role of the beautiful sister is played by Tommy, Greg's friend and house mate.
Why is it a 5 stars read?
Mostly because it was fun, light, well done, well written and I would reread that one!
Why would I recommend it to someone?
It's contemporary, so if one likes this genre and Pride and Prejudice(with sex!) one should definetly give this book a chance.
It's a story about life, no illstrious stars, no prince charmings, but humor and love and friendship are all part of it. It's not all about the good things, there are also misunderstandings, familiar difficulties, strugling to find one's place and to find love. The charm of this book is that you can relate to the characters and they are lovable but do have their weaknesses and faults.
June 20, 2013
The blurb says this is a debut novel. Wow! I am so impressed. I loved this story, the tension and angst were perfect. The sex, or lack of it was PERFECT. I get so tired of stories that seem to rest on one sex scene to the next. This story carried itself into perfection with as little sex as possible and to me that's a GOOD thing.
Greg was an amazing character. At first I didn't know who to root for when it came to the people in Greg's life. I was so happy that he ended up with my first choice. You'll have to read the story to find out who that is.
I am now expecting GREAT things from Chris and will be watching for you. Thank you again for a superb story. <3
Greg was an amazing character. At first I didn't know who to root for when it came to the people in Greg's life. I was so happy that he ended up with my first choice. You'll have to read the story to find out who that is.
I am now expecting GREAT things from Chris and will be watching for you. Thank you again for a superb story. <3
March 7, 2016
Delyani's novel is set up with an irresistible premise: the story of 'Pride and Prejudice' as a modern American office romance, with nearly all the characters played by gay men. Really, do I need to say more? All right, I will: the cakes! The young hero gets roped into the job of baking birthday cakes for everyone in the office, and, though lacking culinary training, dives into the task boldly and turns out a drool-worthy series of baked masterpieces that would make Julia Child approve. Made me ashamed of my Duncan Hines boxed mixes, I tell you. A tasty and charming story all around.
September 7, 2011
This was such a great story to read. I love Greg, just reading his day to day life and how he handles the difficult situations was pure entertainment. I enjoyed seeing him mature and embrace the world around him. The secondary characters provided a good amount of humor and enjoyment as well. I also had one of those stomach flutter feelings when "the moment" for the love interest changes (yes, it gave me the same feeling as the 80's high school movies when the "moment" happens...I even heard the soundtrack in my head). Very enjoyable, sweet read.
August 1, 2012
This is one of the most fantastic novels I have read which featured a gay character list. Unlike most "gay" books this one had much more depth and less unrealistic smut. Though there are a few steamy scenes throughout the book, they each hold a grain of truth and heart. There are numerous instances where I laughed outloud by the comical situations the main character Greg found himself in, but overall I would have to say The Love Thing is heartwarming and encouraging to us all looking for more in our romantic life than just the status-quo. This book is a must read for sure! LBQT pride
November 7, 2011
I loved, loved, loved The Love Thing! I bought this impulsively on my Kindle a while ago during a rainy day when I had nothing better to do and I’m happy to say that I didn’t regret it! I loved the main character Greg and found myself constantly rooting for him. Everything about this book from the characters, to the setting, and the dialogues were amazing. This has now become one of my favorite comfort reads and is the first book I pick up on a dreary day.
July 28, 2009
Totally fun read. I loved the characters and the story development. Very entertaining.
May 3, 2010
Loved it! The love thing - what we all hope we meet in our lives. The characters were well drawn and you will be rooting for love to win out. (warning - leaves you hungry for cake!)
December 30, 2011
3.5 bumped up to four.
March 12, 2012
Great Book.
September 17, 2012
4.5
Well written story with a variety of interesting characters.
Well written story with a variety of interesting characters.
May 9, 2013
3.5 stars.
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