Matt Sullivan understands labels: law student, athlete, heterosexual. He has goals: graduate and begin his career in law. One fateful night, Matt tags along with his gay roommate to a dance club and everything changes. Matt finds himself attracted to the most beautiful man he’s ever seen. All labels go flying out the window.
Aaron Mendez doesn’t believe in labels, and he’s leery of straight curious men. He makes it clear that he’ll hide his fabulous light for no one. While Aaron can’t deny the attraction between him and Matt, he is reluctant to start anything with someone who is still dealing with what this new label means–especially when that someone has a girlfriend.
Review
Matt is a straight guy (ok, he’s maybe looked a time or two, maybe more…) who meets Aaron at a club one night. He’s immediately hooked. They dance and then … sort of date for awhile, but Aaron is skeptical. He’s been burned by men “experimenting” before and doesn’t want a closet case relationship either.
At first Matt is in agreement with Aaron. He’s straight, Aaron’s gay. What was he thinking? But as they get to know one another the feelings he’s feeling don’t go away, they grow stronger.
After what feels like a long time, they do finally agree to give things a chance and thus starts the beginning of a lovely relationship.
I just love Aaron. He’s a mostly, very self assured person. And, really, so is Matt. Once we get over the rocky start their romance is just so lovely and very tender. The smexy times are hot and them as a couple is great.
I loved the GFY/OFY exploration we get to see and the evolution as Matt identifies himself as gay.
As we get to see the couple evolve over time, they only get better and better!
Audio:
Tyler Stevens is an excellent narrator. I love the emotion and rhythm of his narrations. He does a tremendous job with this and makes the story really come to life.
Sixteen-year-old Anthony Duck-Young Del Vecchio is a nice Catholic boy with a very big problem. It’s not the challenge of fitting in as the lone adopted South Korean in a close-knit family of Italian-Americans. Nor is it being the one introverted son in a family jam-packed with gregarious daughters. Anthony’s problem is far more serious—he is the only gay kid in Our Way, his church’s youth group. As a high school junior, Anthony has finally come to accept his sexual orientation, but he struggles to determine if a gay man can live as a faithful Christian. And as he faces his dilemma, there are complications. After confiding his gayness to his intolerant adult youth group leader, he’s asked to find a new organization with which to worship. He’s beaten up in the church parking lot by a fanatical teen. His former best pal bullies him in the locker room. His Catholic friends even stage an intervention to lead him back to the “right path.” Meanwhile, Anthony develops romantic feelings for David Gandy, an emo, out and proud junior at his high school, who seems to have all the answers about how someone can be gay and Christian, too.
Will Anthony be able to balance his family, friends and new feelings for David with his changing beliefs about his faith so he can live a satisfying life and not risk his soul in the process?
Review
There are a few things to know before you decide if this is the book for you.
First, this book is written as a first person present narration. For some people this is hard to read. (Read a sample before you buy it if you are picky about writing styles.) It’s well done here. It reads sort of like a diary or journal, but in the present tense, sort of like you are just glimpsing into the brain of Anthony as he goes through life.
Second, this is definitely a YA novel. There is almost no intimacy of any kind, a little bit of kissing but even a hand-job is aborted because “it’s not the right time for that”.
Third, this is all about being Catholic and/or devoutly Christian. Not just that Anthony is those things, but this is about his struggle with being gay and a Christian.
Fourth, it is written very well and would do well to be read by any young gay person or parent of a gay child who struggles with merging ideas from the church with being gay.
There were parts I really enjoyed. I loved the progression along the fear axis Anthony takes, from denial, to anger, to regret, to anger again, etcetera. I loved how supportive his family and his (to-be) boyfriend were in this struggle.
I didn’t grow up Catholic, never attended Parochial schools, did not have that vision of God as it was described in the Bible or in this book… so I couldn’t really relate to this story personally. But, I could totally see how it would be wonderful if that was your history.
As for me, I got mired down in the religious stuff and was disappointed the romance wasn’t a bigger part of the story. That’s just my personal preference.
However, knowing that this is a coming of age story about a gay boy dealing with his religion and there is a little romance thrown in, I think if you choose this book based on that information you will be quite pleased with your choice. Note: This story is very respectful of religion and does not bash any religion.
Writing/Editing 5
Romance 3
Storyline 4
World Building/Characterizations 4
I’m almost 14, so I’m probably looking at this book differently than most reviewers (they seem to be mainly adults). There were a lot of things I liked about this book, and there were things I felt irritated about. First off, I am going to admit to being an atheist, so my reaction is probably not the same as a kid who is a Christian.
I was very angry with the kids and youth leader at Anthony’s church. While I don’t understand the need to believe in some invisible god being in the universe, I do firmly in one’s right to do so as long as they a aren’t hurting any with how they express that belief. Telling people they are awful, perverted, and going to hell to suffer an eternal torment? Yeah, that’s seriously uncool. Also, being a kid is hard enough and becoming a teenager and having to deal with crushes and stuff is even harder without people adding more for us kids to have to agonize over.
I felt bad for Anthony’s family too. I could tell his family really loves Anthony, without any strings attached. To find out your kid is gay and you’ve raised him to believe wholeheartedly that to be a Christian means following doctrine so closely because it’s “the way”, only to discover you’ve unwittingly led him to soul deep despair? That had to be hard, especially given that Anthony felt as if he’d be a huge disappointment to them. I really liked how his family rallied around him, knowing that Anthony was the same “perfect” son they’d always had, and that meant he couldn’t be wrong for being born gay. That it wasn’t wrong for him to be made, by their God, to love another male.
The romance in this isn’t the usual sort found in YA books. Anthony is terrified and spends a lot of the book trying to reconcile his faith with his gayness. He’s literally terrified that he’s going to go to Hell. It’s eating him up inside. When he crosses paths with David and finds they have this as a common ground, their relationship grows. It’s based on faith and mutual respect. I quite liked how the boys’ stopped themselves from going too far with their feelings. They recognized they weren’t ready yet for sex, so stopped. I did feel awful that they seemed to feel a bit of shame, because sex shouldn’t come with a shame tag. I guess that religiously, they have issues with sex before marriage though.
The overall message that love is love, and that if God is love, he can’t hate you over love, is something I think more people need to accept. Too much hate is spread around and wars happening because people want to use God as an excuse. I don’t think if God is actually out there, he’d be too happy with that. I may not be a Christian, but I study religion (a school subject here in the UK) and Jesus seems to say a lot about loving one another and not being judgmental. This book is good for pointing out how wrong that is, using the Bible itself to show why Christians who think being gay is a sin are wrong. Every person who is even slightly religious should read it, as well as anyone who is trying to understand what the religious fuss is all about.
A year after deciding to share their lives, Matt and Evan are working on their happily ever after–which isn’t as easy as it looks. As life settles down into a routine, Matt finds happiness in his role as the ideal househusband of Queens, New York, but he worries about Evan’s continued workaholic–and emotionally avoidant–ways. Trying to juggle his evolving relationship with Evan and his children, Matt turns to his friend, former Seattle homicide detective Jim Shea.
The continued friendship between Matt and Jim is a thorn in Evan’s side. Jealous and uncomfortable with imagining their brief affair, Evan struggles to come to terms with what being in a committed relationship with a man means and the implications about his love for his deceased wife, the impact on his children, and how other people will view him. His turmoil threatens his relationship with Matt, who worries Evan will once again chose a life without him. But now,the stakes are much higher.
Review
(Though this is book 3, it follows right after book one and you don’t need to have read book 2 to read this.)
Matt and Evan are starting to get used to being a couple. Matt is more or less a house-husband and this is both wonderful and somewhat alarming for him to accept. It’d be easier if Evan wasn’t being so difficult – working all the time, jealous of that one time affair with Jim, unwilling to call himself “gay”.
The in-laws aren’t making things easier either. They are threatening to take the kids from Evan.
Luckily, Jim and Griffin give great advice to the couple. Evan finally figures out his priorities and Matt finds something else to do with his time.
**
I really loved this installment of the series. These are real problems these guys are facing – whether you are gay or straight – we all face similar issues.
I loved the intimacy and the closeness the couple now shares. It’s very satisfying to see how their emotional and physical relationship evolves.
Having this “sequel” really adds to the series and helps to cement these guys in the hall of fame of m/m MCs as far as I’m concerned. I really feel like I “know” them and am part of their familes.
Audio:
JP Handler narrates this as well. I still feel that, for me, he’s not to my taste as far as narrators go. I find his narration too emotional and it sounds like he’s on the verge of tears throughout the story. He excels at dialog, however, and does that very well.
Reeling from the recent death of his wife, police officer Evan Cerelli looks at his four children and can only see how he fails them. His loving wife was the caretaker and nurturer, and now the single father feels himself being crushed by the pain of loss and the heavy responsibility of raising his kids.
At the urging of his partner, Evan celebrates a coworker’s retirement and meets disgraced former cop turned security consultant Matt Haight. A friendship born out of loneliness and the solace of the bottle turns out to be exactly what they both need.
The past year has been a slow death for Matt Haight. Ostracized from his beloved police force, facing middle age and perpetual loneliness, Matt sees only a black hole where his future should be. When he discovers another lost soul in Evan, some of the pieces he thought he lost start to fall back in place. Their friendship turns into something deeper, but love is the last thing either man expected, and both of them struggle to reconcile their new and overwhelming feelings for one another.
Review
The blurb sets this up nicely. Evan and Matt are two lonely cop/ex cops who become friends. Then, very slowly, they become more. Neither has ever been with or thought about being with another man, so their feelings hit them from out of the blue.
They have their own doubts and insecurities and then they face the challenge of telling others about their partnership and that threatens what little peace they’ve managed to find.
Suddenly Evan is shot and Matt is in charge of the family. He’s doing great, but Evan’s inlaws want to take over. When Evan finally heals, he runs, scared, away from Matt and their relationship, back to familiar territory.
Both are miserable. It takes Miranda getting into trouble to show them what they were missing.
By the end, they’ve decided to officially “try” this relationship on for size… but there’s still a lot to overcome.
**
Tere Michaels is an amazing writer and her character development is so thorough and so well done. All the players, the MCs and the secondary characters are all very three-dimensional and real people. The romance is spectacular and moving and the real life issues are authentic and believable.
This was one of the first m/m books/series I’d read and it set a very high standard. Double GFY. Family drama. Slow, slow burn. Intense emotions. Two cops. Very hot, very sweet sex. Real emotions and real problems.
Fortunately the next book was already out when I had read this or I’d have been so impatient to see what happens next. The real nitty gritty of being a couple starts in book 2.
Book: 6 of 5 hearts – one of my all time favorite series
Audio:
I was so psyched when this came out on audio! I love the series so much! However… I know from reading other reviews that JP Handler is a very polarizing narrator. Some people just adore his work, others hate it. For me, he’s too much. His voice sounds like he’s on the verge of tears the entire time. There are times I really appreciate the emotion he puts into his work, especially the dialog, but for the rest it is hard to listen to.
Audio: 2.5 of 5 hearts. Because the book is so good I can tolerate the narration, otherwise I’d have returned this and never gotten the rest in the series.
With all of his scratched and dented heart, Nate DeMarco wants to be two places at once, but he’s been forced to make an unbearable choice. Having barely survived high school, Nate and his boyfriends, Casey Minton and Zander Zane, are ready to move forward. Casey and Zander have left home to attend Boston City College. Nate remains in New Hampshire to protect his volatile younger sister from their increasingly violent, alcoholic uncle. Nate suffers with anger, resentment, and loneliness as what he wants battles against what he feels he must do.
Separated, the young men fight to stay in contact. But they are faced with separate issues. Casey copes with residual fear from having been bullied in high school. Zander obsesses over the establishment of One Voice, the gay-straight alliance at Boston City College. And Nate fights for his sister’s survival. Meanwhile, the intensity of the boys’ relationship increases, both sexually and emotionally.
Nate’s effort to live two lives leads to tragedy, which threatens to blast their relationship apart before they can adjust to the changes in their lives. They must find their way back to a united path before it’s too late.
Review
You have to have read book one for this to mean much to you.
In book one our three MCs have faced bullies and won! Now they are 18 and off to college… well Casey and Zander are. Nate has stayed at home to take care of his [bitchy] sister Cindy and keep her safe from his [evil] uncle.
If anything, book one was Casey’s story and this is Nate’s.
Casey and Zander are in school and there are a few hurdles: Casey is still really nervous in crowds, especially around girls/women. Zander wants One Voice to make it big, right NOW, but has to organize his priorities straight or lose what’s really important.
Nate, however, is facing depression, loneliness and hopelessness and most of it without support.
Cindy just won’t let up. She pushes and pushes and pushes and the results are an abusive uncle who takes it all out on Nate.
When Nate tries to take time for himself it’s harder to go back each time. He feels pulled in several directions and has no one to turn to for unbiased support.
Finally, things come to a head and Cindy ends up hurt. Nate spirals out of control and the boys think things have actually come to a heart-breaking end.
Luckily their love is stronger than that and they manage to pull Nate back from the brink and keep their “throuple” (a threesome couple) alive.
**
Wow. Book one was hard to read and this one is harder? The emotions are deeper and even more difficult because there is the more “adult” side to their lives.
I absolutely loved the way Mia Kerick handled their growing relationship intimacy. It was, again, suitable to the age (maybe now we’d call it Young Adult) and still felt really authentic and yet very touching.
It was so hard to read Nate’s part in this. He was suffering so much and felt so alone. When he finally gives in and lets the boys back in to his life it’s so beautiful.
I loved Zander’s family and Casey’s family absolutely rocked!
I think there is a book three in the works and I hope it’s Zander’s turn to take the lead.
I can’t wait for the next installment, but this felt very satisfying on its own.
In his junior year at a public high school, sweet, bright Casey Minton’s biggest worry isn’t being gay. Keeping from being too badly bullied by his so-called friends, a group of girls called the Queen Bees, is more pressing. Nate De Marco has no friends, his tough home life having taken its toll on his reputation, but he’s determined to get through high school. Zander Zane’s story is different: he’s popular, a jock. Zander knows he’s gay, but fellow students don’t, and he’d like to keep it that way.
No one expects much when these three are grouped together for a class project, yet in the process the boys discover each other’s talents and traits, and a new bond forms. But what if Nate, Zander, and Casey fall in love—each with the other and all three together? Not only gay but also a threesome, for them high school becomes infinitely more complicated and maybe even dangerous. To survive and keep their love alive, they must find their individual strengths and courage and stand together, honest and united. If they can do that, they might prevail against the Queen Bees and a student body frightened into silence—and even against their own crippling fears.
Review
I had avoided this title for a long time because the subject of bullying is such a hard one. When I saw the sequel had come out I just knew I had to put on my big-girl panties and read it and boy am I glad I did.
Casey is a small, effeminate boy who gets tortured by the popular GIRLS at his school. The opening passage happens his freshman year and it takes him one and a half years before he’s comfortable attending public school again. It’s hard to read, no doubt about it, but only because you just know stuff like this happens EVERY DAY – or worse.
We meet Casey again as a Junior. He’s still the object of subtle bullying almost every day but his sincere and honest faith and hope in humanity keeps him from giving up on high school all together. He’s taking a French survey course and is assigned two very disparate partners to work with on a project.
Nate is a “loser, burnout, druggie” who is barely holding on to his family and struggling not to drop out of high school all together. He doesn’t talk much but when he does it always leaves an impact.
Zander is a jock. He’s a great soccer player with a fairly absent mother and a beloved older brother who is away at college. Zander knows he’s gay but is deathly afraid of being out. As a result he feels complicit in the bullying that Casey (and others) face simply because he doesn’t stop it.
When the three boys get together something about them clicks. Both Zander and Nate feel protective of Casey. He’s this bright and shiny beacon of hope and it hurts them to see him so pummeled by the mean girls in school. They have a wary respect and attraction for each other as well, but neither knows what to do with all these feelings.
As the weeks progress it becomes clear that in addition to being friends, these boys mean something to each other in a way far deeper. Casey, surprisingly, is the instigator and glue that drives the relationship.
Their first call to action is to simply be together as partners in class and face the hostility of the popular girls on that front. Later, this expands to protecting Casey (and themselves) from jealousy and hate on many fronts.
So much happens that it can’t really be summarized easily. The boys finish their project, proceed delicately forward on their romantic relationship, begin to fight for Casey and later to fight for the bullied everywhere.
In addition to that, both Nate and Zander have to deal with their own home lives and this, too, is difficult.
Finally, after Casey faces a climactic and nearly crushing blow, the boys and the school rally together to do what’s right and we end up with a very solid HFN which leads us to book two.
**
I won’t lie to you. This is a hard book to read. I found myself rushing through the painful passages because they are just SO painful to read. But when you get to the other side it is so beautiful.
I was skeptical of a three-way relationship in a high school setting, but it just works for these boys. They are all absolutely integral to the relationship’s success and for the success of the anti-bullying campaign.
The other part I really liked, and we see in the subsequent sequel, is how the relationship also strengthened each boy individually and gave him strength to fight on the home front as well.
I absolutely adored Casey’s family. At first I was so frustrated with them, but as the story progressed I realized their naiveté is what makes Casey the pure shining light that he is and if they’d been different so would have he. When they rally around the boys and their relationship at the end it just made me want to cry it was so sweet.
I applaud Mia Kerick for the sex in this book. It felt honest and real and touching and was absolutely age appropriate.
I was so glad to have the sequel on hand because I was NOT satisfied with the ending. Yes – it is hopeful and leaves the boys in a good place, but I was dying to know what happened next. As a result I had to dive into book two and ended up with a book hangover because I couldn’t put that book down either!
I highly recommend this book and the series, even if you aren’t a YA fan, you will find you can appreciate this book for what it is.
Outside Collin Fitzpatrick’s dorm room is a dangerous place. Beyond his door the students of his small, conservative college think he’s straight, as does his Catholic family who’d disown him if they learned the truth. Inside, he’s safe with his incredibly sexy roommate Tanner D’Amico. Their room makes a perfect place to hide away and fall in love. The moment they cross the line from roommates to lovers, Collin becomes caught between their heavenly passionate encounters and the hellish reality that someone might find out and destroy everything. Tanner’s not used to being so confined, and wants to show the world how much he loves Collin. But Collin’s not sure he’s ready for the impact stepping outside will make.
Review
Collin is in trouble. His roommate, who he thinks is straight, catches him watching him jerk off. Luckily for both of them, neither Collin nor Tanner are exactly straight.
They embark on a relationship of discovery, but in secret, until it gets to the point where Tanner wants more. Can Collin commit or will he let his fear guide his actions?
**
This was an excellent start to what I hope will be a fully satisfying series. Karen Stivali is an excellent writer. I absolutely adored her angsty, introverted Collin and found his story captivating. (I especially loved the brother’s stories: teen pregnancy or the priesthood, ouch!)
Right from the first sentence, where Collin is spying on Tanner, she caught my attention. Tanner is adorable and the perfect boyfriend for our newly awakened gay boy, Collin.
Because this is a Young adult or New Adult title we get only a little steam, nothing too heavy, but plenty sexy. (I’m hoping we get even more as the series progresses ! )
Since this is a series, I’m also hopeful that the rather abrupt ending will be followed up with more of the boys as a couple and more of Collin’s life dealing with his new “out” status.
Senior year of college is for studying, partying, and having fun before getting serious about life. Instead, Chad’s days are filled with headaches and exhaustion, and his fencing skills are getting worse with practice, not better. Then there’s his nonexistent love life, full of girls he’s shunted to the friend zone. Is he asexual? Gay?
Grad student Warren Douglas could be out clubbing, but his roommate is better company, even without kisses. He’s torn up watching Chad suffer, gobbling ibuprofen and coming home early on Friday nights. If Chad weren’t straight, Warren would keep him up past midnight. They’re great as friends. Benefits might answer Chad’s questions.
A brief encounter with lab rats reveals Chad’s illness—he needs surgery, STAT, and can’t rely on his dysfunctional parents for medical decisions. Warren’s both trustworthy and likely to get overruled—unless they’re married. “You can throw me back later,” Warren says, and he may throw himself back after his husband turns out moody and hard to get along with, no matter how much fun his new sex drive is. Surgery turns Chad into a new man, all right…
…but Warren fell in love with the old one.
Review
Warren and Chad are roommates. Warren is gay and Chad is… well, Chad is having a lot of trouble defining himself.
Chad, since he was about 15, has been having debilitating headaches and some pretty debilitating erectile dysfunction. He doesn’t link the two, but instead worries about his “manliness”. He decides to conduct an experiment after his most recent female failure and his buddy Warren is happy to oblige.
Though it is far from perfect, Chad is definitely more aroused by Warren than any of the previous girlfriends he’s had and the two embark on an exploratory friends to lovers relationship.
But that isn’t all there is to be discovered. Chad’s headaches are getting worse and Warren and his friend convince Chad to go to the doctor to test a theory they have about the source of Chad’s problems.
It turns out Chad has a brain tumor and it is the probable source of all his physical ailments.
The surgery to remove the benign growth is tricky and there is a chance that Chad will be left a vegetable if it goes wrong. Knowing how his family feels about “pulling the plug”, Chad doesn’t want to be left in a vegetative state and he doesn’t trust his family to respect his wishes. To circumvent this, he and Warren sign all the appropriate Medical Health forms but also decide to get married so that Warren will really have his power of attorney.
Once the surgery has been successfully completed there a lot of changes Chad will go through. Essentially puberty, again. The question is – now that Chad is “a new man” will he still want to be with Warren. The other question is – will Warren still want to be with him?
**
What a unique book! PD Singer is nothing if not an amazing researcher. You can tell she must have done a bunch of serious investigating into this disease. It was fascinating!
There were times when I was certainly skeptical. Two college guys getting married for the sake of a power of attorney was definitely a little on the unrealistic side, but for the most part, the rest of the story seemed to fall within the realm of possibility.
I appreciated the “real” sex in this book, and that it wasn’t always hot and sweaty and joyous. There were some hardships the couple went through that just rang true and felt very authentic.
I was thoroughly captivated by this story and was waffling, right up til the end, right along with Warren on whether or not Chad would figure things out or was the whole relationship about to crumble before their eyes.
I really recommend this unique book and this fascinating look at a relationship.
Wayne Hightower has lived with a secret since he was a teenager. Debilitating to relationships, his condition stands in the way of his father’s ultimate expectation: Finding a woman to marry. Of course, if he could do that, he’d have the grandchildren his mother was craving. And everyone would be happy happy happy. Or so he’d been raised to believe. If he could find her. If he could get over his problem.
Ditched by his brother for their planned night of sibling bonding, Erich Villalobos invites Wayne out instead as a simple act of friendship. One night that throws Wayne into an environment he’d never been exposed to and revealing a playfully animated side of Wayne Erich had never imagined. One that he quickly learns he’s actually attracted to.
Secrets. Everyone has them. Wayne. Erich. Even Wayne’s parents. If Wayne’s brother Curtis were still alive, he could tell Wayne the cause of his condition and how to cure it. But dead men don’t talk.
Review
Erich and Wayne are friends and co-workers. On the night Wayne gets dumped (yet again) by his girlfriend, Erich invites him to a night on the town to drown his sorrows. Since Erich is gay, he invites Wayne to a gay bar and tells him, “Just tell any man who might hit on you that you are straight, they’ll leave you alone.” Right.
As the night progresses, Wayne does get drunk, and ends up both telling Erich his big secret (he thinks he’s impotent) and asking Erich to kiss him.
We only see things from Wayne’s POV, so I can only guess at Erich’s motivations, but he then later invites Wayne to go camping, and the two become closer friends. Yes, still friends. But after another night on the town and some definitely more-than-friends groping and kissing, Wayne freaks out and forces Erich to leave. But… after a few minutes, Erich returns and the two have sex.
Erich has some of his own secrets and we learn more about why Wayne never once “considered” he might be gay. (Huge, ugly family drama.)
In the end the couple finds their way, stands up to Wayne’s folks and we get a pretty solid HEA.
**
So – the first thing you have to do is ignore the elephant in the room. Why in the world didn’t Erich and WAYNE not even consider he might be gay when Wayne can masturbate but fails to get an erection in the presence of women. And really, no doctor suggested this?! Ok. Fiction. Just accept it and move on.
Once we get past that, the rest of the story is sweet and the sex is steamy. I though the drama with the family was a little too… dramatic, but again… fiction… move on.
I liked Erich and Wayne as a couple and enjoyed this book. (I haven’t read anything else in the Arbor Heights series, and I think this stands well on it’s own, but I am interested in looking at the others in the series now that I’ve read this.)
All in all I enjoyed this and give it 3.5 of 5 hearts
Jonah Fischer’s high school wrestling career has been stellar, but now he’s the unwilling star of a series of videos that have hit the web. The whole world may have seen the evidence that his best friend turns him on. Jonah’s conservative family wants him cured, and his conventional town and school want him normal. The only person who still wants him just the way he is is Casey Melville, the same best friend who turned him on for all the world to see. Meanwhile, Casey begins to wonder if there’s more to his feelings for Jonah than he thought.
Officers Brandt and Donnelly—lovers as well as partners on the job—have been assigned to find the culprit who posted the video. While investigating the case, they also help Jonah and Casey find their way through their feelings, and steer them toward refuge when Jonah’s family turns against him. But the mystery remains: who wants to hurt Jonah badly enough to post those videos, and why? Thank goodness Jonah and Casey have found friends—they’re going to need all the help and support they can get.
Review
Jonah is the target of a malicious campaign that exposes his “interest” (read: boner) for his best friend, Casey. Both are high school seniors and have been best friends forever.
When the video hits the internet, Jonah almost ends his life in front of a train. Brandt and Donelly and Casey help him to see that though this is tough, it’s not worth dying for.
Casey stands steadfastly beside Jonah so far as to even allow himself to be open to the possibility of a relationship with Jonah. Casey helps Jonah to learn more about being gay and takes him to visit our friends in “the gay part of town” where we meet Bryce and Nestor again. (Yay!)
Brandt and Donelly investigate the video and uncover corruption.
Casey and Jonah realize they are more than friends and explore their relationship.
Brandt and Donelly are amazingly lovey dovey and move their relationship onto more permanent grounds.
Bryce and Nestor provide continuous and hilarious back-up support.
**
This is another great book in the series. I love how we see more of Brandt and Donelly and their relationship. I thought the boys’ relationship was handled appropriately (for their ages) and was really sweet and touching.
Of course I giggled outrageously every time Bryce and Nestor were on page and really enjoyed their contribution – especially the room of sex that they offer to Jonah and Casey when they are “on the run”.
I can’t recommend this series enough and hope all the books (now 3) will soon become audio books.
Blurb
