inevitable coverBuy Links:  Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel

 

Today Jay and Michelle are here with a Buddy Review of Inevitable by Briar Prescott. After the story overview, be sure to check out each of their reviews below!

Drew has been in love with his best friend and roommate, Bas, pretty much forever. Drew would love for their friendship to move into a romantic relationship, but Bas has been resistant, believing he is not enough for Drew. So Drew does his best to control his longing for Bas and to satisfy himself with one-night stands. When Drew meets Ezra, the men have a hot night together, but neither expects it to turn into more. Drew is in love with Bas and Ezra is a struggling student barely making ends meet. So while the men connect, neither is pursuing anything beyond a night together.

Bas loves Drew, but he doesn’t believe things can work out long term and he doesn’t want to lose the close friendship they have. Part of Bas wants Drew to find someone else, though it is hard for him to imagine watching Drew move on. When a chance encounter has Drew and Bas running into Ezra, Bas can see something about Ezra is different than Drew’s past hookups. And when Bas finds Ezra sick and living on the street, he doesn’t hesitate to step in and offer the man help.

Ezra is both relieved at a safe place to stay, but also uncomfortable relying on Bas and Drew. He can also see clearly that the men are in love with one another, and the longing between them is palpable. Ezra has no interest in getting between them, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still find himself drawn to Drew, and eventually Bas as well. Figuring out how the men could all work together isn’t easy, and all three worry about how they might fit into this new relationship. But if Bas, Ezra, and Drew can make it all work, they could have the happiness they have longed for together.

 

Jay’s Review
Rating: 4.25 stars

Inevitable is a really engaging, character-driven story that was a great introduction for me to Briar Prescott’s work. Sometimes books that are very character focused can suffer from lack of plot, but here Prescott does such a nice job of developing three really interesting characters and the nuances of their relationship that it carried this story for me easily. Each of these men is dealing with their own issues, as well as the relationship dynamics among them. For Drew, he is desperately in love with Bas, but trying to move forward from something he thinks he will never have. He is also dealing with issues with his parents, who essentially froze him out of their lives when they found out he is gay. There is a potential for reconciliation, but Drew has to decide whether the relationship can be salvaged. Ezra is a struggling student, trying to make his own way with a family in and out of jail. He is attending community college for engineering and he is a brilliant student, but even that step is so far out of what he expected of his life, he doesn’t even consider he might reach for more. When he ends up homeless (due to some shady dealings by the guy from whom he rents his room), Ezra doesn’t want to lean on Bas and Drew. He is also very wary about getting involved with either man when they are so clearly meant for one another. For Bas, he worries that as an asexual man, he will not be enough for Drew. He has been burned in the past and he is scared to take a risk for fear of losing their friendship.

These three guys are so likable together and, as the title suggests, their relationship feels inevitable. But Prescott gives time for things to really develop, both the individual connections, as well as the relationship among the three. I could really see how things worked between them, and how Ezra helped to soften some of the rough edges that years of friendship (and pining for one another) have given Drew and Bas. There are some times when the two of them get caught up in their own minds, or can’t stop rethinking old problems, and Ezra is there to help them work through things. There is a nice balance among them as well, as Drew is an over thinker, and Bas sort of jumps right in, and Ezra bridges that gap. So I could really believe how the three of them would work, even with Ezra such a late addition to the relationship.

The only thing I wish had been developed a bit further is the issue of Bas’ insecurities about being asexual. He has been avoiding a relationship with Drew because he feels like that issue will come between them. Oftentimes Bas wonders if Drew and Ezra are better off just the two of them without him involved. Drew and Ezra are always very clear that they love Bas just as he is, and that his asexuality is not a concern for them in the relationship. I would have liked just a bit of a finer point put on it all, just a touch more straightforwardness that Ezra isn’t needed to provide a sexual alternative for Bas, and that Bas would be enough for Drew on his own. Like I said, Drew and Ezra never suggest otherwise, but I would have liked it hammered home a little more.

As I mentioned, this was my first time reading Briar Prescott’s work and I was really impressed. This story is full of emotion and really great character development. I loved these guys and really enjoyed seeing their journey to happiness together.

 

Michelle’s Review
Rating: 4 stars

Character-driven novels are my favorite to read and Inevitable offers the chance to get to know three characters in Drew, Bas, and Ezra. Drew and Bas have been the best of friends for years and are now roommates. They have a deep, involved, and emotional connection, but their relationship has always been platonic, although they are each in love with the other. Bas knows Drew is in love with him, but Bas thinks that he can’t give Drew everything that he needs so he won’t even try. It’s clear that both men want something more and the longing is intense.

Drew meets Ezra and the men hookup the same night. I do like when characters connect quickly and I always like to see that really great, on fire chemistry, which I didn’t see here at first. Ezra and Drew were attracted to each other, sure, but that extra spark I like was missing from their earliest interactions for me.

Each man has struggles they feel they have to overcome. Ezra is in college and is the youngest of the group and found himself homeless, Drew has intense family issues on top of his longing for Bas, and Bas feels that as an asexual man he will be holding Drew back from complete happiness. It seems that Drew has approached Bas in the past about moving their relationship forward and Bas has always been hesitant and I would have liked to have had more history on those interactions. As it stands, Bas and Drew are supportive of each, but don’t talk about their relationship and, when it cuts too deep, one of them is usually walking away.

I was able to see how these three men could form a lasting relationship, but I also did feel that Ezra was a bridge between Drew and Bas and there was a bit of a missing component for me overall. This author writes on different topics and I do enjoy how different all of her books are and Inevitable would be a good one to pick up.

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