Rating: 4 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Scott Cohen had a rough time in school, but now he’s a successful, Grammy-nominated musician. But of all of his songs, it’s the one that is most personal to him that gets the spotlight. It’s been over a decade since he wrote that song about Marshall, his brother’s best friend, and even though Scott has not seen Marshall in years, the crush remains. Scott thought that submitting the song for a movie soundtrack would be his way of finally letting Marshall go; after all, the man did just get engaged to a woman. But now the song is everywhere and his thoughts about Marshall are back in full force as well.
After having the best and worst night simultaneously, Scott finds himself snowed in with the man of his dreams. It’s impossible for Scott to stop thinking about and wanting Marshall, but he knows it’s not possible as Marshall is straight and he still sees Scott as a kid, right?
At 30 years old, Marshall has kept an important part of himself locked down tight and when he sees Scott again he knows exactly what he wants. However, Scott isn’t sure that he not just an experiment and doesn’t think it’s possible to get everything his heart has ever desired. But Marshall will do whatever it takes to prove him wrong.
I read a shorter, erotic book from this author recently and I was interested to see what she would do with a longer novel. The book focuses mostly on Scott and then Marshall as they work toward a relationship. Scott has always been enamored of Marshall ever since he was a kid. It’s part first crush and part hero worship, but even though Marshall is Scott’s brother’s best friend, they had their own friendship. It’s now years later, and while Scott is living his life and has dated, he has never forgotten Marshall.
Through a series of events, Scott and Marshall wind up snowed in together at Scott’s family’s cabin. Marshall had been attracted to men in the past, but growing up with an abusive, alcoholic father had him locking that part of himself away so tightly, he never acknowledged it was there. Until he sees Scott all grown up.
Marshall moves fairly quickly into a physical relationship with Scott and it becomes Scott that puts the brakes on when he feels that Marshall needs to be out in the world sampling what it has to offer, because Marshall couldn’t possibly want Scott for all time. The intimate scenes are well written and Parker delivers the heat where it’s needed. There was a predictability to the scenes, as the progression of their relationship fit a fairly familiar template. There is also some repetition in thoughts from one paragraph to the next.
The book is heavily character driven, but the story also relies heavily on the men having a background to draw from. The end brings some events that came off as drama simply for the sake of drama and the epilogue offers a timeline where some areas didn’t quite fit into the overall story. There’s nothing new here, and there were definitely issues with Marshall’s family that were too easily brushed aside, but I do enjoy this author’s style and this book is an easy story to read with two guys that have known each other for a long time getting their HEA.
