H J Perry

This was such a sweet story. Aaron is 20 years old, aware he is gay but afraid to tell anyone, and a virgin. He has a huge crush on the guy who lives across the street. Joe is out and proud, but had a soft spot for Aaron. They are both surprised to find out the other is gay, but their attraction to each other and long time crush brings them together.

I loved how the focus was not about hopping right into bed or about Aaron's virginity. Although Aaron tells us about it, it wasn't discussed between him and Joe. I like this because it made it feel more natural. The guys were just together and going slow. I would love to see more of their journey. The story was a bit short for me. Aaron takes great strides to being happy with Joe, but I would've loved to see how they handled life as a couple. This was a solid 3.5 star read for me, with a bump to 4 because there aren't half stars.… (altro)

I am so glad this book picks up right where Streets Apart left off. That book was just getting to the good part of Aaron finally coming out to his family and telling Joe he was in it 100% and not going to hide. There was not a lot of angst in this story which was quite refreshing. Yes, there were some jerks in the book just like in real life, but Aaron and Joe were able to navigate their new relationship together with little drama. It was quite refreshing. This was a cute story and I am glad I was able to continue the journey with these guys. I’d love to read a short story about them 10-15 years later married with children. They would be great parents.… (altro)

I received a copy of this from the author in exchange for an honest review

Jason is a professional football player who is deep in the closet. He spies Scott across a bar and is immediately drawn to him. There are sparks and the two form a solid relationship. Scott has been out and proud, and hiding eventually gets the best of him. There is no doubt the two guys love each other, but sometimes it can just get to you when you have to pretend all the time.

There were parts of the story I really enjoyed, and there were some parts that really bugged me. I liked the struggle Jason faced with being in the closet and the pressure to stay in due to his profession. His family and agent knew of his sexuality, so I was glad it wasn't a full on secret. The real challenge came with his team and the public.

One thing that did bother me is that they seemed to have good communication and such a deep love, but when Scott was struggling with hiding, he didn't talk about it. It seemed like that was a bit out of character, but fortunately the angst surrounding this was wrapped up quickly in pages, so I didn't have to read multiple chapters of misery. I also didn't like how some things were glossed over (Jason's best friend tried to tell him something a couple of times. I figured out what he was trying to say, but then it is revealed by Scott telling Jason about it. Why couldn't we see this happen after being teased with it?).

Despite the two areas that bugged me, this was a good 3.5 star read that I am rounding up to 4 stars.… (altro)