Jackson Murphy is living at the frat house his father attended and loves it… his roommate is his best friend and sort of brother Marcus and things are going well. Okay, he had a rough spot when he was dating another guy at school who ended up not being so nice. The guy didn’t do much for Jackson’s reputation but he’s okay with it ultimately.

Unfortunately, Jackson has an issue with one guy at their frat house. Harper is a pain in the ass. He’s homophobic and he can’t seem to keep his mouth shut around Jackson. One night, they make a bet after a heated argument. If Jackson can get a guy to go with him to the formal… Harper will move out of the frat house. If Jackson can’t get a guy to go with him, he has to move out.

Not the brightest bet to make, but Jackson is a little impulsive at times even if that seems to make him quite charming. It’s his charm that goes to work when he literally bumps into Ed at a coffee shop. Jackson immediately thinks that Ed is hot… and is “pretty sure” he’s gay.

Jackson and Ed have a lovely friendship that progresses to dating… and then the author brings in the issue: Ed isn’t out to anyone. What I liked was that Jackson immediately knows that it’s a problem for him to date someone who isn’t out. It’s not that he doesn’t’ understand where ed is coming from… he knows that people have different feelings about it and different situations that need to be taken into account. But, in spite of his reservations, Jackson is drawn to Ed and gets in over his head very quickly.

Soon Jackson realizes that he’s in a difficult position. He doesn’t’ want to push Ed towards coming out when he’s not ready. Ed doesn’t want Jackson to take anyone else to the formal. So, Jackson has painted himself into a corner. He can either let down the man he considers a brother or he can let down the man he is pretty sure he loves. It’s a horrible place to be and that author does a great job of conveying the struggle that Jackson is having.

I really liked the pace of the romance between Jackson and Ed. Coming out is a huge issue and is different for everyone. The author wrote Jackson in a way that was really refreshing. He was fully aware of what Ed was going through and tried his best not to push. At the same time, Jackson is also a passionate character and is far more aware of what he wants.

I also thought that the supporting characters were really great. The friendship between Marcus and Jackson was great. Britney was hilarious and a good foil to Jackson! All the supporting characters in the book were really unique and I enjoyed them… even the bad guy!

I appreciate the way that the author wrote about Jackson’s grief regarding the loss of his parents. Grief isn’t something that disappears quickly and (having been through it myself) I really think that losing a parent is something that stays with your permanently. The author relayed Jackson’s grief with great sensitivity.

This was a lovely story and I really enjoyed reading it! ( )