Only the rich can say that “money doesn’t solve everything” since they have enough of it to stop worrying about the basics. As Chauncey proves in this story, no matter how much money you have, your family can still get to you. They may not be able to “blackmail” you financially, but there are other methods. In Chauncey’s case the problem is that he wants nothing to do with running the family company, and has told his grandfather so, but the old man does not want to listen. Chauncey respects and likes his grandfather too much to refuse the summons to the family residence for Christmas, so he has to find another way of finally getting everyone to leave him alone.

Chauncey’s plan is as ingenious as it is devious. He figures that if he shocks the family enough they will finally let him do his own thing. A “boy toy” ten years younger than Chauncey, barely legal, and ideally a Goth should do it. The man he recruits is barely eighteen, a prostitute since he was fifteen, and selling his body is the only way he can make ends meet. Chauncey hadn’t put much thought into the feelings of the man he “hired”, but as he gets to know Cole, who tells it as he sees it, Chauncey begins to realize he is using Cole as much as any of the men who pay him for sex. This does not sit well with Chauncey, but it does trigger some changes in the way he looks at things.

Chauncey’s family is something else! He compares then to the soap opera Dynasty, and that isn’t far off. His cousins all want to take over the company and are scheming and plotting against Chauncey and each other to get there. None of them believe that Chauncey truly is not interested, and they will stop at nothing to get their hands on even more billions than the millions they already have. A few unexpected twists and turns as things escalate make this not just an amusing, but a very suspenseful read.

Cole is a breath of fresh air not just for Chauncey, but also for the rest of his family and the stuffy members of society he has been hired to scandalize. Cole is an excellent actor and has the part of “boy toy” down pat. But he also begins to understand and even like – just a little – Chauncey. He still takes whatever gifts Chauncey showers him with as part of the act with open hands, but as the story develops and he sees what Chauncey has to put up with, their relationship becomes a little more personal.

If you like stories about the problems of rich people, if two men from different worlds trying to bridge the chasm between them sound interesting, and if you’re looking for a read that is funny, suspenseful, a great character study all around, and very sweet, then you will probably like this novel. It makes for great reading at any time, but is particularly poignant around Christmas – when many of us are more exposed (willingly or not) to our families than during the rest of the year. ( )