When high school student James has trouble with his truck, Dylan, who is studying to be a mechanic, comes to the rescue. James thinks he hides his immediate attraction well, but is happy to be wrong when Dylan asks for his number. Since James is new to romance, they take things slowly, and because Dylan is in college, James keeps the budding relationship secret from his overprotective dad.Across … dad.
Across town, Mark, a teacher and single father to James and his sister, Frankie, meets Steve at a bar for what both believe will be a quick hookup. Mark doesn’t see any reason to tell his kids about Steve or press Steve for details about Steve’s adopted son…. It’s just sex between them. Isn’t it?
Two very different love stories grow side by side, each hidden from the other. But all of that changes at a family barbecue, when Mark decides it’s time for his kids to meet Steve and for him to meet James’s boyfriend, who none of them realize is Steve’s son, Dylan. The inevitable explosion means the two couples have some explaining to do to soothe the hurt feelings of their families—and lovers.
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James’ truck breaks down and he has to call for a tow, when the guy that comes to his rescue is super hot, James of course tries to hide his interest, that is until Dylan, the mechanic, asks for his number. The two hit it off and start a bit of a fledgling relationship. Mark, a single parent of twin teenagers (one of them being James), goes out with his friend and ends up meeting Steve, a single parent of an adopted son, the two have their quickie, but leave the option for another meet up. The two deciding that they are just going to be friends with benefits as they both need to focus on their kids. But what happens when feelings become involved. The younger kids are just starting out, are they ready for a serious relationship. The older two are trying to keep the lines from blurring but with each date it gets a bit harder… until finally it was time for the families to meet. What happens when it turns out they are more connected then they first thought?
This reminded me of a Lifetime movie I watched a long, long time ago.. like the 90’s, sans the MM stuff. This has loads of drama and some nice naughty bits. This had the added bonus of not one romance but two. I did want to see more from both relationships, certain things actually played out versus just xyz happened and a nice bow on top. I give this 4 stars.
3.5+ stars- Definitely an interesting premise
I was really intrigued by the idea behind Helix, following both an older and younger couple. Overall, the book held my attention and was an enjoyable read, but there were some elements that gave me pause and kept Helix from being as wonderful as I hoped.
I really liked the contrasting relationship paths with the young men having a slow burn romance and Steve and Mark burning with lust before morphing into a deeper emotional connection. I appreciated what you would expect considering the characters’ ages was exactly the opposite of how the relationships played out. James and Dylan’s tender love mixed with their fumbling physical and emotional moments were so sweet and I enjoyed seeing their bond strengthen over the course of Helix. While I appreciated how Steve and Mark offered a completely different pathway to love, their relationship left me wanting. Their quick and dirty hookups ended up feeling more salacious than sexy and I never really got to see the relationship deepen beyond a surface appreciation for each other’s company. While that’s okay, it’s not what I look for when reading romance.
I also struggled with some elements that threw off the pacing in Helix. A few different times characters revealed “new” information that was already divulged chapters before. When I already struggled to feel that connection between Mark and Steve, these repetitive reveals definitely didn’t help me get lost in the story. All that said, I really liked the stories within Helix; I guess I simply expected to be more blown away given how much the blurb snared my attention.
*Reviewed eARC for Alpha Book Club*