Rating: 3.75 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance
Length: Short Story
Jace is a successful man. Well, he’s a successful author, but not as successful with relationships. He has a habit of sleeping with the “straight” guy or the ones not ready to be out. His latest example was having sex with his not-so-straight, but definitely not out, neighbor Ethan.
Ethan is confused. He never really thought of himself as being in the closet and is just trying to come to terms with thinking that he’s probably bisexual. Hearing that Jace will be gone for a month on a book tour is sort of crushing to Ethan as he would like to see Jace again. But Jace has made it clear he is not getting attached again to the unavailable man. As the two men exchange phone numbers, late night texts may just be the way for Ethan to come to terms with what he really wants.
When No Straight Boys opens, we are dropped into the middle of the story as Jace and Ethan have just spent their first night together and it does take a moment to catch onto what is going on.
At first, Jace appears as a fairly competent guy, just unlucky with relationships. Jace has no intention of being Ethan’s experiment and is cutting him loose before he gets attached. He comes off as being much younger than his thirty-two years, but comments that Ethan is just a boy at twenty-six.
While Jace is traveling, Jace and Ethan start to bond over a series of texts that are fun and flirty as they get to know each other better. Ethan starts to think that they can sort things out until Jace texts him that he met someone. At first, I kind of thought that maybe Jace was joking and trying to make Ethan jealous, but nope, he not only met someone, but brings him home to live with him.
Jace is really all about trying to rush the forever relationship. He wants to be in a relationship with someone so badly that he makes really poor choices. And when his latest poor choice gets the best of him, it is Ethan that takes over and we do not ever see Jace take responsibility for the situation. As Ethan then takes care of Jace and falls in love with him, Jace is now pushing really quickly for a forever with Ethan. We don’t get to learn a lot about Ethan overall, and because Jace is in such a relationship rush, his feelings lacked depth at times. There was just not enough character development, connection, or time in this short story for me to become fully and completely invested in their happily ever after.
No Straight Boys is a flirty short story that reads as cute and fluffy. The addition of Jace and Ethan getting to know each other via texts is fun and playful. The entire story can be read quickly and is perfect for those that enjoy a fairy tale ending.
