At ten years old, Noah Jameson and Cooper Bradshaw collided mid-air when they dove for the same football. For three years, they were inseparable…until one day when Noah and his parents disappeared in the middle of the night.
Noah and Cooper never knew what happened to each other. Now, seventeen years later, after finding his boyfriend in bed with another man, Noah returns to Blackcreek looking … Blackcreek looking for a fresh start. And damned if he doesn’t find his old friend grew up to be sexy as sin. Coop can’t believe Noah—the only person he trusted with the guilt over his parents’ death—is back. And gay… Or that Cooper himself suddenly wants another man in his bed for the first time.
There’s no denying the attraction and emotion between them, but can they overcome the ghosts of their pasts to have a future together?
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Audiobook Review:
Overall – 5
Performance – 5
Story – 5
Blackcreek 1
Spicy
Great Out-for-You/GFY story!
Collide is only the second book I’ve read by Riley Hart but I have several of her audiobooks in my Audible library. I have no idea why it’s taken me so long to listen to one of them but I do know that I’ll be listening to more of them soon. This is also the first book I’ve listened to by Luke Itzvic and I really enjoyed his voice.
Collide is a great friends-to-lovers/out-for-you story with Noah and Cooper reconnecting after 17 years. There’s a surprise that I didn’t see coming but the meat of the story is about Noah and Cooper. It’s about Cooper discovering that he likes men – or at least he knows that he wants Noah when he’s never been interested in men before.
I listened to this book straight through once I started it. I’ll be listening to the next one in this series very soon!
When we first meet Noah and Cooper, they are childhood friends, who met when they collided one day at football and became the best of friends. Cooper is being raised by his aunt after the devastating death of his parents, so finding his kinship to Noah is special. For reasons unknown to either of them, Noah’s family movies them away, leaving both of them scratching there heads. What’s even more confusing is Cooper not answering Noah’s letters… not only had they shared all the childhood and teen memories, Cooper had shared his guilt over his parents death… fast forward to the present, their world’s collide again…After running away from a bad relationship, an openly gay Noah decides to return to the only place that ever felt like home… back to Blackcreek. imagine Noah’s surprise when not only is he hit by a truck, but a truck driven by Cooper! The camaraderie they shared is still there, but Cooper is surprised not only to find Noah is gay, but that he has an increasing attraction to him, especially when Cooper sees Noah bring a man home. While trying to resolve their past, questions are unanswered, especially where Cooper’s uncle is concerned… I love the friends to lovers aspect as well as Cooper dealing with his sexual awakening… when life interferes again and they almost lose each other, not only by a fire, but Cooper’s asshat uncle… truths are revealed. Nothing will keep them apart this time. Side stories of Cooper’s wiseass friend Braden helps to keep the story flowing as well. Looking forward to Braden and Wes’s tale.
Noah and Cooper were childhood friends separated by the follies of their families. Years later, Noah is back in Blackcreek ready to start over when Cooper literally collides into him on a dark road. Cooper was not expecting to hit his childhood best friend with his truck, and yet there they are, meeting again for the first time in years, with Noah gasping from pain of being hit by a vehicle. The story of their relationship and how they both deal with the pain from their past while forging ahead with their relationship is sweet and of course our guys get their happy ever after.
This was a pretty standard Gay For You love story. It followed the formulaic theme, and although there was angst, it was pretty clear from the start that Cooper and Noah would end up together. Although I wasn’t wow’ed by the story, I still enjoyed it. There’s a lot of steamy sex, hurt/comfort moments, and sweetness that the book is still quite enjoyable.
ALL THE FEELS!!!
A compelling story that had me feeling every emotion.
Wonderful characters that you can’t help but love.
I smiled and ached for them.
Loving this author!
I was “introduced” to this authors work by another author. Leslie McAdam was singing praises about Riley Hart. She even gave me a Riley Hart book. I smiled and said I’d love to read it. However, this is my first foray into Riley Harts work. An Audible sale snared me and bow I want to kick my own ass for the delay!
Collide is fantastic. Well written and everything you need and want in a romance!!!! The feels, the chemistry, the longing…Sigh! Don’t even get me started on the self doubt, the insecurities. These two are real, sexy, and unfortunately not interested in what I have to offer! Lol.
Riley Hart has given Black Creek and epic start. I am absolutely going to devour the rest of this series as fast as I can download them!
Did I mention, Cooper is a hot fireman…? Oh sorry, and that Noah, is former military… Now you’re starting to picture it. Instead of imagining all the hot, delectable things and the intense chemistry, rough hands….Just buy it!!!!
Audible Escape. DNF @ 35%. I really tried to give this a shot, but I just couldn’t finish.
I’ll admit that GFY is probably one of my least favorite tropes, so I tried listening longer to see if it would get better but it didn’t. My biggest issues were:
1. The POV is constantly swinging back and forth between the MC’s as well as from present to past. A better narrator *might* have been able to help the listener navigate this, but Luke Itzvic didn’t. Honestly, I’m not even sure a second narrator could have rescued the lack of clarity.
2. While Itzvic has a great voice, he read this book, he didn’t narrate it. Cooper and Noah (and every male in the book) sounded exactly the same. Female characters were a bit higher/softer, but they all sounded the same as well. I want to enjoy the experience, not have to constantly try to figure out who is talking.
Additionally, I listened to “Him” & “Us” by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy about 6 weeks ago. It’s a very similar storyline and was executed & narrated almost perfectly. If I had found “Collide” first it might have been more impressive.
Lives can become so intertwined that only years later do you understand the causes and the results of so many people’s actions. The story of Noah and Cooper’s love for each other transcends years and brings them full circle. I am so glad that this is a series that continues to tell about the community of Blackcreek. Riley Hart is a talented author with such a gift for story telling. I look forward to reading more from her.
I absolutely LOVED Noah and Cooper and their love story!!
I loved it
* AUDIOBOOK REVIEW *
This book was filled with feelings and the main characters passion for each other was quickly revealed.
I found the storyline intriguing and had a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming in the beginning.
No unnecessary descriptions of surroundings
Good and plenty dialogues
Narrator was great, a pleasant voice that had clear pronunciation and the story was read with passion.
Wonderful mm romance I highly recommend.
5 stars overall
Ah, this book is so sweet! I love friends-to-lovers, gay-for-you, childhood friends storylines and I hit the trifecta with this one!
Cooper and Noah are so wonderful. Best friends who lost contact as teens only to collide once again as adults. Just such a really touching story. My heart hurt and the tears fell for Coop, every time he relived the heartache of his childhood. A childhood that was brightened when Noah moved next door. But then darkened again when Noah’s parents uprooted him and tore his world apart.
These 2 were always the most important person in the other one’s life, and that hadn’t changed, even after 17 years.
I just loved their friendship and how much they cared about each other, how much their love for the other completed them. I wish I could hug them!
Anything by Riley Hart is fabulous!
Slow moving and quite boring. First book in the series was much better
The writing (especially the dialogue) was not as good as the story and characters deserved.