Blurb:
Celebrating "Coming Out Day" 2010

Max knows his family and friends aren’t sure what to make of his moods and impulses. But he’s in college now and ready to show them he’s grown up and ready to make mature choices. At least he’s ready for a serious relationship and almost ready to tell his family he’s gay. He could use a little help, though.

With his loving big brother gone forever, who is left to ask for help? Daniel Rocco, his brother’s best friend and his longtime crush, of course. Daniel is solid and reliable–the opposite of Max. But for some reason, Daniel seems terrified of what Max might do next.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Review:

Like others, I thought this was a cute and fun romp. The characters are likable, the sex scenes are hot (the restaurant one is seriously a keeper) and the connection is clearly there. Unfortunately the switching POV is definitely a problem and there are too many loose ends to really satisfy. As a quick, fluff read this delivers. Anything else and it has too many holes to be effective.

The story is about a young college kid, Max, that decides he’s going to finally go after his brother’s best friend Daniel. Daniel of course wants nothing to do with Max initially but soon warms up to sex. When Max is determined to make their casual sex mean something, Daniel takes some convincing.

The actual story takes place over just a few days. Max shows up, outs himself, asks for sex with Daniel, the two have it – a lot – with a quick bar fight and happy ending. It’s a fine story for something easy and light but it has too many holes to be satisfying for me. For starters there is the dead brother Matt. There are inklings throughout the story that Matt and Daniel were involved in some way, though Matt was straight. After a drunken encounter together, Matt can’t take it and goes tearing off and ends up in a fatal car accident. I guess Daniel responded to that by joining the military? It’s a bit fuzzy and never well spelled out and Daniel clearly has some residual issues about his feelings for Matt.

Not to mention that Max is in college a few hours away and the book ends with a happy ending without ever reconciling how that’ll work. Max leaves college? They do long distance? Daniel moves there? This open ended issue is just one of a few – Matt being another – that supposedly love solves everything. Max’s parents are good with Daniel and Max being together but that seems almost too easy. They’re nice people and obviously loving but clearly would have some questions and concerns that are swept under the rug in the name of true love.

What works despite these obvious holes is that the sex is plentiful and fun and the characters are interesting and warm. The alternating first person point of view is random and arbitrary, switching with no break or warning. This is frustrating and could have been helped by a mere page break of some kind. Thankfully it’s always easy to tell whose head is speaking at the time and the sex scenes are inventive, fun, and steamy. I’d say read this for the light sex and easy reading and nothing more.