Never fall for a broken, younger man… matter how much I fight it, I cannot stop thinking about him—or wanting him.
It’s when tragedy strikes that I realize Alec might be all I ever needed.
But… Is it already too late for us?
DiverCity—Seattle’s hottest bar—invites you to a place where love is love is love.
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This is my first book by Kamisa Cole but deffinatly not the last, really enjoyed this well written fast reading book. When Kash met Alec he had just started working for DiverCity, with the death of the head of security at the club him and his crew were going to start working there. Alec had come in beaten and bruised by his father after coming out looking for work. For Kash the whole idea of a serious was a new thing, add in the age difference and a total made it a total no go, but no matter how he tried Alec was what he wanted. To Alec although he was young he knew Kash was what he needed, that and a chance to have a chance to make him his, now if stuff would stop happening and ruin everything.
There are a lot of nice things about this book. There’s honesty, reality, tension, steam…none of those things are to be discounted in this story of two men, damaged in different ways, trying to find a way to love someone others think they shouldn’t. What I like less is the pacing, the push and pull, and the many instances of forced progression in the story and the individual conflicts. But overall, we’re given a good story with two men who obviously need one another and despite all the difficulties, they find a love that fits.
All the pieces of the story had their place, but the way they were put together only kind of fit. They worked chronologically, but most of the progression between them felt forced. Instead of allowing them to move forward organically some conflicts were thrown in to give them somewhere to go, something to push them forward too strongly, too quickly. The way things started with the instant attraction and element of protection was a good start. It’s just when the very next thing that happens is pages and pages of vehement denial, pushing one another away, immature decision making and reactions…none of it really bodes well for a functional relationship. And when the things that make them give in are constantly thwarted by conflicts that don’t really feel natural I’m hard-pressed to say I was eager to find out where they went from there. I wasn’t compelled by the overall story unfortunately.
Kash was the more interesting of the two men with a personal history that was believable and, from start to finish, felt like it added depth and was something that could be reconciled fully in a meaningful way by the end of the story. A couple surprise revelations worked to bring the family concept full-circle, but it also seemed a little bigger than simply keeping it with his mother and realizing that families can be chosen by virtue of love and support and not merely by blood and paperwork. Alec embodied his age and maturity level at virtually every turn. While I admit that he had some horrendous things happen in his young life, those experiences may have taught him about cruelty and also healing, but they don’t necessarily bring maturity. I never truly felt like he became anything more than a 19-year old boy who loved an older man and was at the cusp of life. His own personal evolution was a bit lacking though he does have great potential with someone like Kash at his side.
Tenderness and steam eventually came together once all the drama was behind them. Before that point there was either one or the other, but not a whole lot of the two combined. Both elements were held back at different times for one reason or another and once everything was all on the same page, the intensity that should have been there all along finally culminated into a really sweet ending. So while I can’t really say this is my favorite story, there were some things that really did work that will likely speak to a whole lot of other readers. I’m mildly intrigued in the rest of the series because there are some truly interesting side characters and hints at connections that I’d really like to see pan out in the end. In that respect, drawing interest for more from their world and their real family, I’d say the story achieved its aim.
Age does not really matter in the grand scheme of things!
Violence erupts around us in different forms, but there are just those that bespoke of just plain cruelty, to put it simply. A reason so nonsensical that you wonder if humanity has really spiraled downwards.
Kash feels deeply. When he saw the young man with one eye swollen, a broken arm, a body full of bruises, he immediately thought the worst. He is kind and mindful of what he could and couldn’t do. He likes to help.
Alec has just come out to his family and it didn’t turn as he hoped it would. Now, he is force to provide for himself and that means he needs to find a job. Entering the LGBTQ+ bar and sort of demanding a job, and the way he looked at the time, made Kash and the club owner, Gage, take a good look at him. He is nineteen years old.
As a reader I love a good build up, maybe I am just set in my ways but I love to read a good background story of the characters and the particular situation it revolves around. The storyline in this tale is a favorite of mine, age gap, protector-protectee, but I felt that the story was rushed. But for a first book in a new series, I am positive we will be seeing more improvement as the stories continue. All the best Ms. Kamisa Cole.