jaimesamms's review
4.0
My Review: For two men who can't get their emotional act together, these two certainly have a tendency to hit the sheets an awful lot. Tons of hot sex is definitely a feature of this book.
I found it interesting that Brown has broken so many rules of the romance genre, and apparently, got away with it. The main character cheats on his boyfriend who he can't be bothered to actually interact with on any meaningful level, the boyfriend seems to be a gold-digging fop not worth the words he's written with, and the love interest is so deeply closeted, it's almost impossible to believe he'll ever find his way out., and so it seems like a hopeless quest for the MC to even try. Then there's the drunken sex, the brawling, and the coward's way out, by both men. The story should be irredeemable.
The trick that Brown has used to get away with these atrocities to romance, however, is quite simple. She let her characters find their own way. She let them make mistakes, show their very human flaws, and, here's the kicker, learn. Her characters, all three, are not the same people she shows at the beginning of the novel. They show hidden depths as the story progresses, and they grow from each failure, learn a little about themselves and about each other, and when it's all said and done, the outcome is inevitable. It's also foregone that you're going to like these guys despite their mistakes. Or maybe, because of them. It's easy to identify with a guy who treats his lover like a trophy pretty boy, when you see him come to the realization that he was wrong, and watch him make up for the mistake with genuine remorse. It makes it easy to hope he'll to get something he can appreciate, a lover he can treat with respect and care, because now you know he'll get it right this time.
As for all that sex, well, some guys are just that virile, I guess, and bringing two alphas together can lead to a lot of posturing and horn butting. I like that Brown didn't take any of that strength or dominance from either man, and still managed to show their love so convincingly. As a reader who generally is more interested in beta guys, I have to say, I was impressed with this story and the way Brown let the characters be who they are and still fill my emotional expectations as a reader.
The plot on this story was structurally sound, though not nearly as fascinating as the characters. It served its purpose as a means to get the men together and let them move around the landscape to where they needed to be. Mostly, it was a set, though there were some very interested (to me, because I'm into that sort of thing) environmental issues that I loved to see depicted in my favourite genre.
My recommendation: This will appeal to readers looking for lots of hot man-on-man, and readers who love their alpha males with a lot of emotional depth.
I found it interesting that Brown has broken so many rules of the romance genre, and apparently, got away with it. The main character cheats on his boyfriend who he can't be bothered to actually interact with on any meaningful level, the boyfriend seems to be a gold-digging fop not worth the words he's written with, and the love interest is so deeply closeted, it's almost impossible to believe he'll ever find his way out., and so it seems like a hopeless quest for the MC to even try. Then there's the drunken sex, the brawling, and the coward's way out, by both men. The story should be irredeemable.
The trick that Brown has used to get away with these atrocities to romance, however, is quite simple. She let her characters find their own way. She let them make mistakes, show their very human flaws, and, here's the kicker, learn. Her characters, all three, are not the same people she shows at the beginning of the novel. They show hidden depths as the story progresses, and they grow from each failure, learn a little about themselves and about each other, and when it's all said and done, the outcome is inevitable. It's also foregone that you're going to like these guys despite their mistakes. Or maybe, because of them. It's easy to identify with a guy who treats his lover like a trophy pretty boy, when you see him come to the realization that he was wrong, and watch him make up for the mistake with genuine remorse. It makes it easy to hope he'll to get something he can appreciate, a lover he can treat with respect and care, because now you know he'll get it right this time.
As for all that sex, well, some guys are just that virile, I guess, and bringing two alphas together can lead to a lot of posturing and horn butting. I like that Brown didn't take any of that strength or dominance from either man, and still managed to show their love so convincingly. As a reader who generally is more interested in beta guys, I have to say, I was impressed with this story and the way Brown let the characters be who they are and still fill my emotional expectations as a reader.
The plot on this story was structurally sound, though not nearly as fascinating as the characters. It served its purpose as a means to get the men together and let them move around the landscape to where they needed to be. Mostly, it was a set, though there were some very interested (to me, because I'm into that sort of thing) environmental issues that I loved to see depicted in my favourite genre.
My recommendation: This will appeal to readers looking for lots of hot man-on-man, and readers who love their alpha males with a lot of emotional depth.
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