Roy is the spoiled rich son of a powerful man. He is used to having his own way, so when his father throws him out of the family for refusing to obey a paternal order, Roy figures all he has to do is run to his boyfriend for a place to stay. He is disappointed but not particularly surprised when his equally spoiled and drug-addicted lover kicks him to the curb for no longer having money to support his drug habit. What does surprise him is when a young hustler named Scooby scoops him up, brushes him off, and brings him home with him like a lost puppy.

Scooby is not the embodiment of safety, however. He is in trouble with a pimp and drug dealer to whom he owes a very large sum of money, and now that Roy is associated with Scooby, he is in the thug’s sites as well. Roy is not known for his restraint, though, and he falls hard and fast for the younger man. So hard, in fact, that he is willing to do whatever it takes to keep Scooby safe from the threat against him. Even if that means he has to go crawling back to those people he has hurt in the past, and even though once Scooby finds out exactly who Roy actually is, he will probably never want to associate with him again.

In Poor Boy, Jaime Samms drops the reader into a dark world where characters do what they must in order to survive. This world is neither pretty not pleasant, but it will hold the reader captivated and will keep their heart fully involved for the duration. This is not a happy story, but it is definitely an emotional one, and it is populated with well-developed and wonderfully imperfect characters. Poor Boy is named for the main character, Roy. Over and over again, Roy is told how selfish and unpleasant he is and how all he does is use and then discard people. It’s heartbreaking. He is a young man who has perhaps made a lot of bad choices in life but who doesn’t really deserve to be reviled. He deserves a chance to redeem himself, and Scooby offers him that chance, albeit unconsciously. For once in his life, Roy doesn’t worry about himself but rather throws himself into what he believes to be necessary to help the young man. It is through these selfless (or at least as selfless as Roy can possibly be) actions that Roy begins to shine.

Readers looking for a story that, although not sweet and pretty, will make them pause and think should definitely give Poor Boy a shot.

Reviewed by: Whitney