Review: Not bad
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 16, 2014
Our story begins with a short prologue where we learn Alex and Chance were lovers in highschool which ends with Alex’s father finding out. Alex is beaten and Chance runs away. Move forward 9 years and Alex is now a documentary filmmaker. He’s followed Chance’s rock star career all this time but neither has reached out to the other. Alex hears a song on the radio by Chance that Alex wrote for Chance years ago. Angry, Alex decides to enact some revenge for theft.As goofy as the beginning is, I rather liked it. While we may pretend we’re above it, petty slights and highschool fights can stay with you a long time, especially when connected with love and the trauma of coming out to an abusive dad. So I get Alex’s motivation.Chance of his part hasn’t forgotten Alex but tried to walk a “straight” line and keeps his bed plenty full of women and drink. One drunken night he can’t help but play the song Alex wrote for him and before he knows it the they’ve recorded and released the song.Alex and his crew are embedded with Chance and his band to make a documentary. Chance and Alex get in their petty cuts early but can’t resist the attraction and jump into bed quicker than I would have expected. Chance finally realizes what he’s been missing but the idea of coming out on the scale he’d have to is daunting and it’s no surprise he doesn’t jump to it. Alex irritated me by blowing hot and cold on this issue. One moment he supports Chance staying in the closet then the next he’s pissy Chance hides the relationship. It’s no surprise Chance can’t figure out what he’s doing. However most of the play between Alex and Chance is real and moving, full of emotion, even when I wanted to slap someone.Where this book falters is by dusting off and pulling in standard story tropes. Alex’s assistant is a former lover of Alex who resents the time Alex pays to Chance. You see how that story will end a mile a way. Then you have the little break up, which was just plain weird, and it takes a car accident of all things to bring them back together.Not a bad story. Lots of emotion and some very good secondary characters, but too much weirdness on Alex’s part and an ending that’s been done many times before.I received a copy of this story free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.