Author: Andrea Dalling
Purchase/borrow - KU at Amazon
Cover Artist: n/a
Genre: contemporary, coming of age
Length: 26k, novella
Formats: mobi
Princeton-bound Jordan Callahan is done with pining over his straight best friend Rick. He can’t wait for college so he can find a man to drive away his pointless crush. Alone on a camping trip just weeks before the semester starts, Rick confesses he’s been fantasizing about Jordan. With his secret wish within his grasp, Jordan is torn between lust and good judgment. Sex will change their relationship forever, and giving in could cost him his oldest friend.
Rick Ferguson can’t escape his obsession. To get Jordan out of his system, he plans a weekend away together without revealing that the mountain cabin has only one bed. Curiosity gives way to deeper feelings, forcing Rick to choose between his best friend and his own identity. Seducing Jordan could be the biggest mistake of his life.
Warning! This m/m gay erotic romance novella is intended for an adult audience. It contains scenes of groping, fumbling, wet kisses, angst, shirtless volleyball, sex toys, and two-man showers.
Eighteen years old and full of questions, Rick sets up a situation where he can get his openly gay best friend into bed. He’s manipulative, and owns up to it, which doesn’t keep him from doing it again and again, and Jordan lets him get away with it about half the time. Calling BS on your best friend takes some guts, especially when he’s teasing you with what you want most.
Rick genuinely is questioning his orientation, but dragging Jordan into his dithering was pretty self-centered, and he flipflops a lot on what he’s willing to do. Kind of understandable, kind of irritating, and probably why nobody should have to date eighteen year olds except other eighteen year olds. Some of it is sweet, some of it is hot, and some of it made me reach for the cluebat. Flirting with the waiter deserved a quick rap in the teeth. Holding back on reciprocating after being the one to set everything up—grrr... Jordan and the readers definitely get whipsawed.
The guys at least are talking, although a fair amount of what they’re saying sounds like wisdom from a much older person, not young men at an age when they know it all and think more frequently with their little heads than their big ones. It wasn’t always the thought that made me think parental POV, more the phrasing and word choice.
Still Rick and Jordan do cover some important emotional ground, a couple years’ worth in a weekend, and some fumbly sexual ground. Jordan does find his spine when Rick tries to have things both ways, which was a big advance for him and a much deserved reality check for Rick. The story ends on a beginning, a romantic place to leave them. 3.5 marbles
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