C.C. Dado

Oh the angst! Levi and Jamie may be college freshmen, but they have some serious abilities to drive themselves and others nuts over their feelings, fears, and uncertainties. While Levi tells most of the story and has suffered for longer (since ninth grade in fact!) , Jamie has a contribution to make once he realizes what’s been going on. Between the two of them they’ve got the friends-to-lovers and gay-for-you market pretty much cornered. Having said that, their back story and Levi's penchant for tattoos were a nice touch, and not just pulled me into the story, but helped me enjoy the eventual resolution. It made me feel that if any two guys deserve to be together, it must be these two!

Levi has suffered for years. His life changed when he and Jamie had to work on a history project together in ninth grade. One part is good – it made him work for better grades, Jamie’s family gave him a home he never had with his emotionally distant mother, and Jamie became his best friend. The other part is bad – Levi fell in love with Jamie but is afraid to say anything for fear of losing his friendship. Now that they’re roommates at college and they are constantly around each other, Levi is beginning to understand what hell must be like. When Jamie’s older brother, David from ‘Imposter in Zebra-striped Briefs’ comes out, Levi loses it in front of Jamie, and the secret is out. The confrontation is gutting for both of them, and I wasn’t sure these guys were going to survive with their minds and hearts even close to okay.

Jamie has no idea what’s going on with Levi, but he does know he can’t live without him. It’s not that Jamie has anything to fear from admitting he is gay – his parents supported his older brother, and Jamie is not a coward. The confusion and desperate struggle with his feelings are portrayed well, but he needs a friend of Levi’s to explain the facts to him. After an ingenious experiment, Jamie asks “How could I not have known?” The friend’s answer sums it all up perfectly: “Closets are hard to see in if the doors are closed.” And the doors of Jamie’s closet were closed pretty darned tightly!

If you like angsty freshmen, if you want to read about best friends who know each other so well it's surprising they haven’t figured out they may be more than friends, and if you’re looking for a story that is occasionally funny but full of angst, then you will probably like this novella.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.… (more)

As the title promises, this is a cute, lighthearted story, with lots of humor. Nathan is in urgent need of some self-confidence, David is deeply in the closet, and Brandon and Josh (from ‘That Place Across the Hall’ in the ‘Grand Adventures’ anthology) are an adorable couple with issues all their own. The story is told mostly by Nathan, but the others get to have their say as well. I was relieved to see everyone’s contributions clearly labeled – without that I think I would have gotten a little lost. The way this has been done made the book a wonderful kaleidoscope of shorter and longer vignettes and quite an interesting way to tell a story.

Nathan is in trouble. He has graduated from college and wants to move out. What could be more natural, right? Unfortunately his mother (a neurotic basket case and overly domineering woman of the worst kind) doesn’t agree. She is so self-centered, it is no wonder Nathan has a few issues. His near-genius-level intelligence and social awkwardness don’t help, so his first steps out into the world are a little halting and a lot fraught with all kinds of smaller and bigger mishaps. All of them are highly embarrassing, but told in a very funny way. Adorable!

David is deeply in the closet, but that doesn’t stop him for helping out his straight stripper brother by accepting an assignment to dance for a group of gay men. Confronted with the reality of being attracted to Nathan, David has to face the fact he may be gay…

The wonderful group of crazy friends needs mention as well. To me, they were a large part of what made this book a big success. Josh is funny, Brandon is cute, and Mason and Elliot are hilarious. If you like sitcoms with their multiple characters you all end up liking (well, except for the crazy mother!), want to find out how Nathan deals with all the craziness, and if you’re looking for a read that is as funny as it is sweet, then you will probably like this novella.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
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