Rubbing One Out

Rubbing one out was a charming and cute read with some humor thrown in. Ben is a zoologist who loves his job, the animals he takes care of and like to go antique shopping which is were he finds the lamp that will change his life. I like how Ben and Daeliel fall for one another it was a bit slower than I was expecting which was nice but it still had some great steamy scenes.

Ben Sinclair is in charge of looking after the penguins and seals at the local zoo, he loves looking for bargains at the local antiques shop and is drawn to an old fashioned brass lamp straight out of Aladdin. He laughingly rubs his purchase one he gets home but there's no puff of smoke. However, things start to get spooky in the middle of the night. I totally loved this modern day fairytale. Its was fluffy and fun with a nice story.

A brief and entertaining romance featuring magical realism in a quaint British town. Tidy and ordered zoologist Ben buys a brass lamp at an antique shop, amusing himself that a genie might come out if he rubs it. Of course, that's exactly what happens when he gets home that night. Ridiculously handsome Dae appears from nowhere, claiming that he can grant Ben two wishes (yes, two--three is apparently a myth).

At first, Dae is impatient for Ben to make his wishes so he can go back to the world of the lamp. But as the two spend more time together, he's taken with the shy penguin keeper. And maybe Ben would like that, too. Except Dae is cursed to live in the lamp.

A cute story. Not as steamy as I was expecting, and with more charming and funny moments. MacNicol mostly manages to steer clear of othering Dae as an "exotic" character. He's got a big personality, but he's not described as a mysterious denizen of an Eastern land (thank goodness).

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

I LOVED this book!!

I'm a huge fan of genies and otherworldly spirits and such and the fact that this was so Aladdin like but an MM romance? Hello?! Count me in! I'm all for that!

This book was absolutely amazing! It was funny, it had sassy penguins, amazing characters, passion, a great sacrifice and a great love. We need to have more lead characters be zoologists because I've never heard a more interesting conversation between two aardvarks.

I will be checking out more from Susan Mac Nicol because this book was amazing!

Thank you to Netgalley and Boroughs Publishing Group for the earc in return for an honest review.

As the title of this book might suggest, this was quite a fun read. I have to hold my hands up and admit that when I saw a book about a genie, sorry a Djinn, called rubbing one out, I had to read it. This was a quick and fun read. It doesn't really deal with any deep or sticky issues but did put a smile on my face.
Dae gets into all kinds of trouble and comes across as quite a childlike character. Possibly mostly because he's not from this world. He does a few things that cause problems for Ben, without intending to.
Overall this was a fun and lighthearted read. It was exactly what I expected from the title.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was exactly what I expected from the blurb: a fairy tale featuring a genie appearing to a funny, sweet and completely unattached gay zoologist who loves his life - his job, his friends, his dog and his home. When Dae, his genie makes an appearance, Ben is in for a series of hysterical situations and adventures that had me chuckling. I don't tend to read this type of book but this one called to me and I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. A light, fun read that still held a life lesson/message for readers. Definitely recommend!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

**ARC Received in Exchange of an Honest Review**

Love is an emotion and emotions are chemical changes in the body. Sciencey, as it may seem but to many, love, is a powerful force that is capable of weathering even the strongest storm and biggest king tide.

I am not new in the mm romance niche. I've read indie-published mm romance novels before. I have to say Rubbing One Out by Susan Mac Nicol is very different from those I've read before. Where Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston featured real-life fairytale, Rubbing One Out ventured into the actual fairytale realm.

Ben is a zoologist working at a local zoo. His life was pretty much the embodiment of what mundane looks like but he is contented, to say the least, thank you very much. He is an avid collector of anything antiques. Which how he finds himself, one day, at a local antique shop where he stumbled upon a manky old brass lamp. Easily recognisable as a reminder of a famous lamp from Aladdin, he rubs the lamp expecting something similar to what happened in Aladdin. But to his dismay, nothing happened. But the lamp grew in on him, so he bought it for five pounds less the price tag.

Everything changes when one morning he finds himself facing a man who materialised in his living room. The man claim to be from the lamp -- a genie. From there on, everything took a familiar turn to the story of Aladdin; a genie who grants two (not three) wishes and would eventually return to the lamp once the deed is done.

But unbeknownst to the two of them, there are rules that are bigger than their attraction. Time is a time bomb and before they even put a finger on it, they might find themselves torn apart if they make so much as a small mistake in using the wishes they are given.

The storytelling wasn't lyrical, to say the least. It was straightforward and full of uninhibited emotions and sexual tensions and that was obvious between Dae and Ben. I love how Ben didn't give too much shit about going crazy over what he feels for Dae; it was downright sexual attraction and thirst for affection. Something all of us would crave from a person we are attracted to. And I love that Dae didn't give so much shit as Ben did about the attraction he also feels. It might sound rushed that the characters got on with it right away. I thought so too. Until...

What I like about Mac Nicol's writing is that her pacing was uncomplicated. She was explicit in saying there's an attraction between Dae and Ben. So what better way to deal with it but than to get it on between the two, which is what normally happens in real life. However, the way she paced the sequence of events didn't feel rushed at all. If for anything, her pacing added to the whole dilemma and challenge in the plot itself. I mean, if time was a ticking time bomb, what would you have done with the time left before it explodes?

This book was, as what Mac Nicol wrote in one of the chapters in the book, "inventive, and fun, and as sexy as hell." This book was Aladdin re-imagined; a gay Arabian Knight story that will surely make you want to flip one page right after the other. It has love and hurt, and magic, and hope. But above all, it has a fairytale and a promise that love can weather anything.

After reading this, I've decided there really aren't enough books that involve Genie's. And seriously - not I Dream of Genie style books - but definitely this very modern take on what happens when you find a magic lamp containing a genie.

Dae has been sent to serve out time as a Djinn in a lamp as punishment for daring to have a relationship with a royal prince. He's missing his family - but life in the lamp isn't Aladdin style (Phenomenal cosmic powers, itty bitty living space" - its more living in a different dimension, but apart from his family and homeworld. Most people make their wishes and get on with it - when Ben finds the lamp things go a little differently.

Ben is a zoologist in a smaller area of Great Britain. He loves antiquing and ends up with the lamp almost by accident. He takes his time figuring out what to do with his wishes and as he does - becomes closer and closer to Dae.

Dae is hilarious and over-the-top in just about everything he does. Ben is definitely more subdued and thoughtful. They are a wonderful combination and hilarious to watch. This is a very fun read - with just the right amount of tension to keep things pretty light - but still emotional.

If anyone wants to send a genie like Dae my way - I definitely have some wishes for him!

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.