Rainbow Reviews

BOOK BLURB:
When Sloan Driscoll and Cole Fujiwara become reluctant roommates, neither man is willing to share too much. Sloan is instantly attracted to Cole but knows it's a hopeless cause; Cole has a steady girlfriend. But one night they share a joint, and Cole opens a window neither anticipated.

A relationship may be impossible ~ both men are living with heart-breaking secrets. While Sloan is smart, sassy, and a brilliant graphic artist, he’s also a pothead with severe body image problems. Cole, a former major league pitcher, has his own personal crisis: he's going blind. Sloan and Cole are suffering on so many levels, they might not realize that the ultimate salvation could be within each other’s arms.

BOOK REVIEW:
The blurb says that both boys are suffering and that is an understatement. Sloan has body image issues but he also has no coping skills when he is under stress, emotionally hurt or agitated. He resorts to extreme measures to help take away his inner pain for short periods of time. Demons ride him mercilessly in the guise of lower than low self-esteem. The way Sloan deals with his problems was very unique and really gave the book a fresh feel. Sloan is facing both physical and emotional pain constantly.

Cole has his own issues with going blind. Not only does he have to come to terms with it, so does everyone in his life. Unfortunately, not everyone resolves issues the same way. Some ignore it, others bury it and still others push and push. Cole has to find a way to accept his fate and still balance how he wants to be perceived by those around him. Deciphering how all the people in his life are willing or unwilling to move forward with him on his own terms means Cole must make some hard decisions.

If that weren't enough for Cole it’s still a lot on his plate. However, after Sloan moves in he now must deal with repressed sexual desires that are just as difficult for Cole to accept as his blindness. Cole is facing both physical and emotional uncertainty constantly.

Sloan and Cole do not communicate there problems with each other well. They exasperate the situations they are in by their reluctance to share. They fear to emotionally bond further than the hot passionate sex that explodes between them when they let their attraction to each other slip its boundaries.

I loved this book. Sloan and Cole are both very damaged boys in completely different ways that come together and really heal each other. The book takes twists and turns that could have led the boys down completely different paths away from each other. As we follow along it actually isn’t always clear if they shouldn’t follow different paths until we get to the real emotional connection they finally make to each other. Together they face their demons, their families and the world.

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. However, some books were purchased by the reviewer and not provided for free. For information on how a particular title was obtained, please contact us at reviews@rainbow-reviews.com.