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Choices And Changes (2013)

by K.L. Belanger(Favorite Author)

3.88 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1623803462 (ISBN13: 9781623803469)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Dreamspinner Press

review 1: So going into reading this book I was extremely skeptical. I read the description and kinda shuddered. I was all worried this was going to be a major cross-dressing/transgendered storyline which really isn’t my favorite trope. I was ever so pleasantly surprised when that wasn’t even remotely the case. Sometimes gay for you works and sometimes it doesn’t and in this case it definitely worked!Bo Sanford is turning twenty five and more than a little frustrated with the state of his life. He’s tired of the parties and the random hookups. He’s sick of being under his father’s thumb in the family construction company. He’s extremely dissatisfied with the state of affairs in pretty much every aspect of his life, but he has no impetus to change it either. Whe... moren his best friend drags him out to yet another college house party Bo expects to be bored out of his mind and looking to run as quickly as possible. He never expected to sight the girl of his dreams across the room, he certainly never expected to find out that girl is really a guy.Erick has been mistaken for a girl on many occasions, he’s used to it. So he’s a bit disappointed when the guy who catches his attention falls into that category and is straight to boot. Still he can’t resist talking to the guy and is surprised when Bo doesn’t out and out ditch him. Bo may identify as straight but the connection between them is vibrant. Erick believes they’ve entered each other’s life for a reason and as a psychology major he’s determined to help Bo figure out the crossroads his life has reached.Ok I really loved Bo and Erick together. I liked how their relationship developed and wasn’t an insta-love story on top of the gay for you. The connection between them was strong and things developed in a way that was believable for Bo to accept his feelings for Erick. I liked that they were ok with being friends first and that that may be all that they were ever going to be. Erick never tried to pressure Bo into be comfortable with the attraction between them. He accepted that Bo was straight and that what Bo was feeling was strange for him. I appreciated that the guys didn’t just jump into bed together either when they chose to move forward with their feelings. Not just because of Erick’s issues, but because it was nice to see Bo easing into trying out things with a guy.Speaking of Erick’s issues…I enjoyed the fact that they didn’t over power the story. His history with his ex played a part in the story, and had left him with emotional baggage he was dealing with, but it wasn’t the end all be all of the story. This story really was a case of both guys dealing with their issues and growing up and moving forward together. Erick may be good at diagnosing all of Bo’s issues, but he wasn’t very good at facing his own. I liked that Bo called Erick out on his own hesitations at the end as well. I just really really enjoyed these characters and the way their story developed. It was sweet and caring. Bo’s family was a great mix of awesome and awful. I adored his sister-in-law! Of course Bo’s father is a controlling ass, but it just pushed Bo to stand stronger on his own. Which of course brings me to Mac…I didn’t think I was going to like Bo’s best friend very much in the beginning of the story, too immature, but at the end of the day I appreciated his feelings and how he stood by Bo. This was a great read and I will definitely look for more books by this author. I enjoyed her writing style and the smoothness of the prose. I’m very surprised to find this is her first novel as there was a lot of maturity in the writing style. I will definitely be back.
review 2: What a well written, SMART book this was! I love the characters; Bo the construction guy, frustrated with his life and being stuck under his father’s thumb, who, as he tells Erick upon their first meeting, WANTS the drama of someone in his life. Erick is our patient, understanding hero, who is sure he’s meant to meet Bo, to help him, or to be helped in some way, but he is also convinced that Bo isn’t going to be in this relationship long term, and he’s trying to brace himself for the hurt he knows is coming. The story had a nice slow build to it, realistic reactions, smart choices, and down to earth characters. Bo is very brave for stepping out of his comfort zone to be with Erick, and we discover Erick has some secrets around the middle of the book that kind of break your heart. But these two are so much better together, and bring out the best in each other and I absolutely loved how the ending circled back around to the beginning, with a nice sense of closure!One thing I wanted to mention; the book cover is a little misleading (though gorgeous!), there is no cross dressing, Erick is effiminate, and wears a scarf during one of thier dates, but this is mostly a story about a man coming out of the closet and being true to himself, not really anything about crossdressing, wearing make up or anything else thats hinted at with the cover or blurb. Overall, I truly enjoyed this book and intend to read more by this author, this has been one of the best books I have enjoyed in awhile! less

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