According to All Romance Ebooks, Better Than a Dream is 40,400 words, which came out to 112 pages on my Nook. A paperback version exists, but it looks like it might be out of print.
Synopsis:
Yuuki and Tsukada were a perfect, happy couple...until Tsukada, an avid mountain climber, died in an avalanche. Since then, Yuuki has done his best to run Fuuka, his café, and deal with his grief as quietly as possible. Hardly anyone knew what the nature of Yuuki's relationship with Tsukada was, or that Yuuki is gay.
Shin, one of Yuuki's old high school friends, is one of the people who knows. After Tsukada's death, Shin became a regular at Fuuka, eventually even going so far as to sit in Tsukada's former favorite spot. It's not unusual for him to spend the night at Yuuki's place. Although there have been moments when their relationship has almost crossed the line from friendship into something more, they both keep holding back. Yuuki is lonely, but the one he really misses is Tsukada. Anyway, he figures that Shin's feelings must not be strong enough to overcome societal taboos against homosexuality.
While Shin is away on business, a stranger arrives and shakes everything up. Yuuki intended to hire a waitress but instead finds himself hiring Kamishiro on as Fuuka's new chef. Kamishiro is a complete mystery - he's a professional chef with years of experience under his belt, and yet he's willing to work for minimum wage and a room at Yuuki's place. Yuuki wonders about him, his past, and whatever happened to him that scarred him and left him with a limp. Still, he turns out to be a surprisingly good fit for Fuuka.
Unfortunately, Shin does not react well to the news that Kamishiro has taken a room at Yuuki's place. All of the relationship issues and emotions everyone had been able to bury are now pushed painfully to the forefront.
Review:
Of the two DRM-free e-books Digital Manga, Inc. decided to sell through ARe, this one's description excited me the least. There seemed to be too many characters, and I'm not a fan of the “grieving widow/widower/lover” trope. It also didn't help that the excerpt on the publisher's website was boring and strange - DMI folks, please tell me you didn't seriously think the stuff from the POV of the dog would convince people to buy the book.
You know what, though? Better Than a Dream turned out to be an okay read. While I do think there are lots of better books out there, if you're going to try one of DMI's “yaoi novel” offerings, this wouldn't be a bad place to start.
