Review: A story of lessons learned, self-acceptance and new found connections.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 11, 2012
Connor is a workaholic who prefers living in a dorm building than venturing out into the world. He doesn't like to draw attention to himself, so when his best friend and business partner, Steve, throws him a surprise birthday party, he retreats outside for a smoke. It is there that he first encounters Wes. He is young and handsome and their chemistry is hot. Wes has had a hard time the last few moths and has had to resort to selling himself to pay for his education. He has admired Connor ever since he was a freshman and is halfway in love with the man, but when Steve first approaches him to be Connor's birthday present he hesitates. In the end he accepts, but Connor rejects his advances.Although that night nothing between them came to be, Connor cannot get Wes out of his mind, so when the opportunity presents itself to be with him again, he goes for it. Only to be walked out on and never hearing from Wes again. Wes continues with his 'hook-ups' even if he is still thinking about Connor and that one night. During this time apart, Wes comes across an opportunity to maintain a steady income. He is hesitant at first, but he needs the money and goes full out.And this is where the story really picks up steam. It is here that the author brings to the surface a whole set of emotions and events that made Wes even more dear to me. What he goes through during this time is horrible. He is alone, feeling very low on himself and struggling with his studies. In a turn of events that made the story interesting and showed a different side of both characters, Connor and Wes are reunited again.I liked that this wasn't an insta-love scenario, I wouldn't have liked if it was. The approach the author took and the events she brought to the story made their connection deeper and more believable to me. I loved to see how Wes grew throughout the story and how he and Connor adjusted to each other.The writing was good, even if the end felt a bit rushed. I would have loved to see more interaction between them as friends and even more interaction between them as lovers. I knew there was another book that explored their relationship further, so I could overlook it in regards to my rating. Both characters were adorable, even if I feel I connected more to Wes than Connor. I enjoyed their dialog and their chemistry. Steve didn't register much from me, but I guess he added to the story, so that's okay. I really liked how the Wes struggles were presented, not the part about having to sell himself. Geez, he never heard of Stafford Loans? But this being fiction and the events that shaped him because of his experience as an 'escort' were enough for me to overlook it.All in all, a great read with interesting characters and great chemistry.