Sandra @ My Fiction Nook

Not a bad story, but also not one that kept me all that interested. I started skimming the love scenes after the first two or three because they seemed repetitive. It's definitely erotica, but I found myself rather bored with them. I was more interested in their actual relationship. And that's where this story lost points for me. I questioned a lot of the circumstances as well as their eventual resolution.Gay man (Jacob) has lover's spat because lover (Beau) fears bringing the relationship into the open in the conservative Alabama towns they live in. Upon their break-up, gay man has one-night stand with female in retaliation. And oops, she gets pregnant (uhm, condom????) and he marries her out of obligation.Instant disbelief. That seemed completely out of character. Yes, it's explained with alcohol and the need for revenge, I guess, but still - that plot point seemed contrived. And the wife is a college student? Who lied about her age? And after the divorce, she's never seen or heard from again. Yeah...that didn't work for me. I believed Beau's reasons more. A sick mother in a nursing home who shouldn't be moved and his job as a county judge seemed more believable as reasons to stay in the proverbial closet. Though of course, Jacob's job at a Christian school would also be in jeopardy if they were to come out - again, that part seemed reasonable. So, the two having decided that they will give their relationship another try, are now using the planning of a summer program as an excuse to spend time together, thinking that this will hide the true purpose of their meetings from prying and disapproving eyes. Not only does Jacob cheat on his wife, but then he also cheats on Beau with his wife. Oh, the guilt. It drives Jacob to divorce his wife. Which then begs the question - if Beau hadn't come back into Jacob's life, how long would Jacob have lived the lie? I wasn't too happy with Beau's characterization. He seemed to make all kinds of promises to Jacob that to me felt more like placating his lover. I wondered if push came to shove, would Beau renounce him again? It seemed Jacob felt that way too, still mistrusting what Beau was telling him, but reminding himself that they had agreed to give it another shot.It wasn't until they're found out and Jacob is fired, that Beau truly stands up for their relationship and outs himself to the town, his friends and his mother.Of course, they are initially ostracized by some people the town, but then a providential meeting at the local eatery proves to be the turning point. And they live happily ever after.I liked how Beau and Jacob worked through their differences, and how the story depicts a real relationship between two people who love each other, want to be together, but face adversary because of who they are. It also paint a realistic picture of prejudice and small-minded people who pick and choose parts of the bible to explain and justify their bigotry. The sheriff said it best when he reminds them that he's stared hatred in the face, and that the only reason he was hated on was because of the color of his skin. In today's society, no matter where you live, whether it be Nowhere, Alabama or New York City, neither skin color nor choice of partner should be a reason for hate. Hopefully, we'll get to that point eventually. The narrative is rather emotionless, and the constant discussions around their dilemma, especially the whining from Beau's end, became a bit grating towards the middle. What also bothered me is that even though the principal accused Jacob of being in a sexual relationship with a man, there was never any proof divulged from his end. How did they find out? We're not told. I would have liked to know. Also, the reaction of Jacob's ex-wife is completely absent. I would have expected her to at least have a confrontation with Jacob - he tells her he wants a divorce because they don't love each other and got married for the baby's sake, but she never questions him coming out as a gay man when he loses his job and moves in with Beau? It seemed as if her only function in this novel was to provide a warm body for Jacob's revenge f*ck and to be the mother of his child. Strangely enough, we do hear about her parents' reaction but nothing from her. The book's message is pretty straight-forward: Love and acceptance. It's one we all should heed. I received a free ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.