Review: 3.5 stars - very enjoyable with minimal angst
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 08 13, 2013
This review can be found at The Armchair Reader.I really liked this story. It's a bit predictable but the characters and the overall writing make up for that.This is about Jesse who has his apartment burned down, leaving him homeless and with his ex-landlords' dog. Tomas was one of the responding firefighters and helped Jesse through his shock. Unable to leave Jesse homeless, he takes him home and cares for him and his big dog, Chardonnay. What starts there is a sweet but awkward relationship where Tomas is still in the closet, living next door to his family and Jesse is trying to get his life back together while they both fight the feelings they're starting to develop.The highlight of this book is probably the characters. Tomas is this big, strong guy with the sweetest heart that can't seem to let Jesse go even if it means making his life somewhat difficult. I adored the way he tried to help Jesse and his struggle to keep things as friends between them. Jesse, at first, seems like a weak character but he's actually strong, willing to stand up for himself and put an end to things that make things worse, even if it kills him to do it. Thankfully, while he attempts to do this, Tomas is not willing to let Jesse go and, even if he does say differently, he's going to fight for what he has with Jesse, which I also loved!The novel, in my eyes, was about coming out and being true to yourself and your family; to find that home that is yours and no one can take away. It's not very angsty, even with all the situations Jesse and Tomas go through. Mostly, it is about Jesse and Tomas trying to make things work. Tomas wants a partner but doesn't want to tell his family he's gay. Jesse no longer has a family but just wants a partner that isn't afraid to be with him. They're completely different but together they're hot and sweet. They have to go through issues such as Tomas coming out but more importantly dealing with Tomas' older brother, Diego, who is very vocal of his opinion when it comes to Jesse and being gay.While I enjoyed the story, I had a few issues with it. Mainly, how much sex there was. I felt like whenever Jesse and Tomas needed to talk, they'd have sex instead and put off talking for later. Also, Tomas' reasoning for why he won't have anal or why he won't let Jesse go down on him were completely baffling, IMO, and didn't make much sense to me considering what else he would do. Beyond that, I felt like Tomas' family was a big problem between Tomas and Jesse but we don't actually get to see them or get a resolution on ALL of their opinions of Tomas being gay and in a relationship. It was such a huge issue but that segment felt unresolved and left me slightly disappointed.In the end, I really enjoyed the story. While it might have conflicts that felt clichéd, the characters were still likeable and made me want to keep reading. I liked that this story didn't have much angst but still dealt with both Tomas and Jesse's problems. I won't lie that Jesse and Tomas together were very hot and had a good connection so readers will definitely enjoy that part of the story!