TrustingHimRating: 3.25 stars
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Length: Novel


Trey Bromley lives with his two older brothers, Henry and Travis. All three of them are out and loud and proud, but Trey is the youngest. One night, all three Bromley brothers are on the prowl, heading to a club to drink, dance, and have a little fun. What Trey finds is frustration in the form of a tall, muscular, and taciturn bouncer who catches his eye… but not much else. Trey can’t seem to get the guy to pay attention to him until, as the club is closing and he is more than a little drunk, Trey accosts the man and accuses him of being a dickhead, a dick, and a homophobe. He’s quickly proven wrong when the object of his affections pulls him into a side room and proceeds to kiss Trey as if he’s starving, and Trey is dessert. And then… he’s done and gone and all Trey is left with is an empty bed for the night and a hangover for the morning. That and work.

Trey’s an event organizer, a good one, who just had a last minute cancellation from their usual security service. Fortunately Henry happens to know a guy who might be willing to do the job. David Rossi has an impressive resume, Henry and Travis vouch for him, and Trey needs the help, so David is hired.

David turns out to be the mystery man from Trey’s drunken evening. The man who makes Trey’s pulse race. David seems to know just what buttons of Trey’s to push and before the night is over, he not only demands to be invited in… he takes it upon himself to invite himself into Trey’s bed. Not that Trey minds, not at all! While Trey is willing — more than willing, if truth be told — for a one-time fling, he’s not interested, or ready, for anything more real than a quick night of fun. David, though, doesn’t seem concerned with what Trey tells him he wants, instead focusing on what Trey really wants. One night turns into two, two turn into a week, and soon Trey is attending a wedding with David as his boyfriend.

Tragedy and misunderstanding come between them and all it takes is one hurt and angry text to end their fledgling relationship. Trey is hurt and angry — at himself, at David — but he wants to be there for David even if… even if it’s just as a friend.

This story is told in first person narration through Trey’s eyes, so you get to know him fairly well by the end of the book. The things to know about Trey: Trey is gay. You get the feeling he’s known for a long time who he is and what he wants and is neither ashamed of it, nor militant about it. He has a flag tattoo, occasionally wears makeup, and likes to flirt.

David, however, is bisexual and has only lately come to the realization that he is interested in men as well as women. He has also only recently ended his relationship with his girlfriend and has chosen Trey to be his first. His first gay sexual encounter and his first gay relationship. Trey has some issues with this since his ex was also bisexual and he treated Trey like a dirty secret, never openly acknowledging their relationship and being quite open with his girlfriend, even as he was sleeping every now and then with Trey. The idea of being with another man who is using Trey to explore his gay side has Trey a bit nervous, but he’s willing to take that chance. However, when it seems like Trey is out with a woman, it brings every fear, every insecurity, and every bit of rage to the forefront.

There are honest moments of anger and hurt and confusion in this book, especially with these issues of trust… but they’re all wrapped up so nicely and neatly in a bow, and so swiftly, that the characters never had the chance to actually deal with the issues that were raised. There was never a chance for them to develop the relationship. It was meet, kiss, into bed, and then striding confidently into the future. Trey’s trust issues are glossed over and David goes so quickly from his past relationship into his new gay life with Trey without a second thought. It feels a little as if, in the hustle and bustle of writing the story, the characters got left behind.

Trey and David had excellent chemistry in the bedroom, but the book never went much past that into the day to day life of the pair of them. When David wasn’t dominating Trey in bed, what was he thinking? I expected there to be a mention, at least, of how David was coping with having a male lover, or some thought in Trey’s head about how David broke up with his girlfriend only two weeks prior. David moves fast, all but informing Trey that he’s going to be using him to sow his gay oats. He even says that he wants to stay single and explore his new desires, only to say he wants to be exclusive only a few minutes later. It’s a little alarming, the intensity and the sudden fixation and — later — the dithering about whether he wants to get back together with Trey or not. But even that is swept under the rug so that the story can continue along. If the pace had been a little slower, the characters — and the reader — given a chance to get to know each other, I think I would have appreciated this book better. The writing was good, but there were no real sparks between Trey and David. Hopefully in the next book the author relaxes and takes a little more time with her characters.

elizabeth sig