Review: Strong cast of characters+ believably paced slice of life =Yummy story!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 2, 2014
This pleasing chunk-of-life story proved to be an engaging, well-paced mix of romance and transcendence as both main characters struggle with inner conflict while they come to know both their inner selves and each other.Charismatic John Wainwright has come to the conclusion that he is gay, after a long period of uncertainty. His brother Evan is gay and is happily married to his partner Daniel, but despite being around them and their friends, John has had difficulty seeing himself as a gay man. He’s more passionate about teaching than any of the men he’s met. Newly out of college he simply wants a good job where he can do what he loves—educate and encourage young minds. When he lands the job of his dreams, teaching in a school that offers opportunites for deprived children, he decides to keep his sexuality on the down low. After all, he’s a gay virgin, and as busy as he’ll be learning the ins and outs of his new job it’s highly likely that he’ll remain that way indefinitely. He is totally unprepared for the hotness that is Brett Sanderson, the principal of the school and his new mentor. But that won’t be a problem, because Brett is as straight as a nail.Brett Sanderson keeps his professional life and his private life as far apart as possible. Being gay and running an elementary school leaves too much room for the wrong interpretation in today’s society and he doesn’t need the hassle. As a gay man he’s not looking to settle down, there are too many flavors of man and too much hot uninhibited sex for him to get into a genuine relationship. The truth is, he’s simply not built that way and he has no idea what others see in it anyway. No, his week-long trips to Brighton where he is free to have as many men as he wants works for him.  At least until he meets his new teaching hire John Wainright. For the first time Brett’s professional life and private life threaten to collide. All of this upset over someone who isn’t even gay, what the hell is wrong with him?This solidly entertaining story really is a chunk-of-life. It took me from John’s initial acceptance of his sexual preference, introduced a highly enjoyable cast of supporting characters, whom showed how supportive the gay community can be, and fully explored the expansive romance between John and Brett. In addition, woven throughout the tale were chunks of information on the UK schooling system. It all made for fascinating reading and added to what is a warm, substantial and believable, behind- the-scenes romantic gay fiction tale.I particularly enjoyed the camaraderie between John and his roommates. The party scene with the Truth-or-Dare style drinking game was extremely well done. The author provided just the right balance between steam, amusement, and emotional turmoil to create what I feel was a standout scene in the story. The entire passage portrayed a degree of realism that I’ve not often read in male-male romance stories.I’m hard-pressed to decide if I loved the adorable John or some of his roommates more. Snatches of their lives showed up in colorful glimpses throughout this work and I intend to seek out the other books in the series to see if I can gain more insight. Brett, I enjoyed much. His bewilderment as his strict self-applied moral code morphed to a slow acceptance that he had changed, tugged at my heartstrings somewhat.The book is on the longish side of male-male romance books, but the entire story is pretty mesmerizing. At times I felt I was a fly on the wall or perhaps peering through a keyhole. The sex is steamy with an emphasis on romance, but shadowy glimpses of the wilder side of gay sex are woven sporadically through the book. All in all, this one is a winner, especially if you enjoy episodic stories.Thank you, K.C. Wells, for penning this captivating story that allowed me to be one of the boys!“Tender, Splash, Emotion”