Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Links:  Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel

Rhys left home at 18, needing to get away from his conservative neighborhood and the judgement that came with it. Now, Rhys has made a happy life for himself working for the Camboy Network, pole dancing at a club, and enjoying his found family of close friends. Rhys avoids going back home as much as possible, but when it is his dad’s birthday, he doesn’t have much choice. No one is outright mean to him, but Rhys knows with his makeup and colorful hair, no one quite understands him either.

Angel grew up friends with Rhys’ brother and sees Rhys at the birthday party. It has been a few years and Angel finds himself just struck by Rhys, so much so that he seeks him out for a conversation. When Angel inadvertently learns about Rhys’ job in porn and the idea of “gay for pay” performers, Angel is intrigued, though he can’t really understand why. He may not have much sexual experience, but he knows he has never been interested in men, nor has he been interested in doing porn. But something about their conversation just sticks with Angel and he can’t get Rhys out of his mind.

Rhys knows better than to fall for a straight guy and he can’t quite believe it when Angel works up the nerve to call him about doing a shoot together for the Camboy Network. The two men have such a connection, part of Rhys can’t help but believe Angel must be interested. But Rhys has been burned before and knows he needs to keep some emotional distance. However, the chemistry between the men is intense, both during their recorded sex scene and as they begin to hang out together afterwards. Before long, Angel is acting on his feelings outside of the studio and realizing that he may not be as straight as he thought. Now, the men have to figure out if they are willing to take a chance on this new relationship and see if they can build something real.

Angel is the third book in Linden Bell’s The Camboy Network series, but the first one I have read. I have been enjoying some of Bell’s other books, so when I saw this worked as a standalone, I decided to give it a shot and I really enjoyed it. While we do meet other MCs here from the first two books in the series, I had no problems jumping in at this point and this story worked just fine on its own.

The book is really a journey of self discovery for Angel, combined with the love story between the two men. Rhys is a flamboyant twink who is brimming with confidence and knows who he is and what he wants. He enjoys his jobs, both dancing and in porn, and is happy with his life. Angel, on the other hand, begins the story thinking he knows who he is and what he wants, and realizes he has so much more to learn about himself. Angel comes from a conservative family, lives with his mom and sister, and has always been the dutiful son. He thought he knew what his life would be, and suddenly it is all opening up for him and he is realizing he is not that person at all. Angel’s journey is really lovely, both as we see him come into his own and stand up for what he wants, as well as the way that Rhys supports him and is there for him as he figures out his next steps.

These two are like magnets with one another, pulled together almost against their will. Angel has never even considered being with a man, and Rhys knows better than to fall for a straight boy. But they are so drawn together, they can’t stay apart. Angel is a big old cinnamon roll, an adorable, blushing, sweetheart of man who is just too darling for words. He is loving and doting and caring with Rhys; he is a protector, but at the same time, he is totally in awe of how strong Rhys is on his own. Basically, Angel is the perfect teddy bear of a man and totally endearing. And Rhys is strong and confident, but also patient and gentle with Angel. They can barely stop thinking about each other, hardly take their hands off each other, and are gone for one another pretty much right away, even if they can’t quite admit it at first.

I would have liked to see Angel’s background developed a tiny bit more to better understand how he is so incredibly innocent and naive. He is a construction worker from Staten Island and he played football in high school. Even if he is a virgin, certainly he would have been exposed to locker room humor and sex jokes and have at least heard about some of this stuff, even if he hasn’t experienced it himself. Yet Angel is basically clueless and like an innocent little lamb and I did wonder why that is. Even having a Catholic family didn’t seem to fully explain it, so I just would have liked a little more development into his background to help explain this side of him.

That said, I really enjoyed this story for what it is — super sexy, incredibly sweet, and low angst. The guys fall hard for one another and can’t stay away. They are sweet and romantic and mushy, but also super hot. I think this one will appeal to a lot of readers and it definitely whet my appetite for future books in the series.