Rainbow Reviews

BOOK BLURB:
Zac Mitchell and Bryce Tellier were best friends for the first two years of college, but things got complicated their junior year. Their senior year isn't looking to get any easier. Zac is out with a bang, featured in a magazine article on queer college athletes. Bryce didn't have a clue, but now Zac's revelation is shattering his world, making him question everything he thinks he knows, making him wonder if he'll manage to keep things together.

Bryce's father wants him out of the house he shares with Zac and two other friends, doesn't want him around someone like Zac. Bryce has spent years ducking his brothers' accusations about his sexuality. Now, Bryce has to decide where he stands, and he has to face how Zac makes him feel. Zac spent years working up the courage to come out and now he might have to go back in the closet to be with the person he wants most. Nothing seems right when Zac and Bryce part, so can these boys make their relationship work?

BOOK REVIEW:
Zac and Bryce are seniors in college and have been friends since freshman year, but now it appears that their friendship is in trouble. Bryce is having a hard time dealing with Zac coming out the previous year. Zac misses the closeness they shared and decides to get Bryce to talk about their problems. They start talking things out and slowly working their way back to being best friends, but along the way Bryce begins to get curious. He's still playing the field with girls, but now finds himself thinking about Zac. From his first tentative request for a kiss from Zac, Bryce undertakes a long and emotional journey that will ultimately change both of their lives.

I really enjoyed Bryce and Zac's story. It was very easy to get a feel for Bryce, who's a really nice guy from what appears to be a not very nice family. His father is very controlling and rigid and his older brothers aren't much better than him. As he struggles to deal with the fact that he never knew Zac was gay and his father's reaction to it, Bryce also has to deal with the realization that he's sexually attracted to Zac. Coming to terms with that fact is going to be a long and hard process, but with Zac by his side Bryce soon finds there's not much he can't face.

As for Zac, he's already come to terms with being gay and out so it's easy for him to help Bryce through it. He's a really sweet guy and even though at times he's hurt by Bryce's actions, unintentional as some of them may be, he's able to work through it and still do what he can for his best friend and lover.

Although this story sounds like a "gay-for-you" theme, it's really not. As Bryce struggles with his sexuality we find that he's had thoughts about being with guys for years, but because of his family has always repressed them. Instead, this is a sweet and deeply emotional story of friends falling in love. Yes, it is full of angst and tears, and while that's something I usually don't like to read, in this case I found myself helpless to resist Bryce and Zac, even with all the crying. The relationship between them is well written and interesting and as for sex, there's plenty of it and it's scorching hot, but there are also some very nice tender scenes that show the love and care between them.

Anah Crow and Dianne Fox are wonderful writers and when they partner up to write the result is books that are hard to put down. This book is no exception, and it's an engaging story with characters that held my attention throughout. Bryce and Zac come alive on the pages of the book, and while this is an emotional story, it also has some very entertaining and fun scenes. Overall this is a very well written story that touched my heart and has won a spot on my keeper shelf. I highly recommend it.

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