Blurb:

Moments In Time: Books 1-3

Moment of Impact
Beyond Collin Fitzpatrick’s dorm room, the students of his conservative college think he’s straight, as does his Catholic family, who’d disown him if they learned the truth. Inside, he’s safe with his sexy roommate Tanner D’Amico. Tanner wants to show the world how much he loves Collin, but Collin’s not sure he’s ready for the impact stepping outside will make.

Moment of Truth
Collin expected to spend another summer fixing cars and working at the college pizzeria. Instead, he’s living in a beach house on Fire Island, and for the first time, he and Tanner can publicly be known as boyfriends. Being “out” takes some getting used to, and doubt and jealousy threaten their happiness. Collin and Tanner must confront the truth or risk losing it all.

Moment of Clarity
Spending the summer on Fire Island brought Collin and Tanner closer than ever, but back in their conservative college town, new challenges confront them.

When Collin’s relationship with Tanner becomes an issue in his brother’s custody battle and Tanner struggles with feelings for his heartbroken friend Wendy, Collin wonders if everyone would be better off without him. In order to save them both, Tanner must make it clear his love for Collin is all that matters.

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Rating:        ??????

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Review:

This is a strong *I LIKED IT* three stars.

This review is for all three books read as a whole. There’s no way I can parse out my thoughts for each installment since I blazed through this like the smut reading fiend that I am.

When I purchased this the other day, it was $0.99 on Amazon. (It still is as of today, Dec. 21, 2015.) So really…just go get it.

This is the story of two college-aged guys, dorm-mates, in their senior year. One who totally knows himself as bisexual, the other from a super-duper strict Catholic household who mostly knows himself, but is afraid for lots of valid reasons I could understand—especially at that age.

I liked this enough to say that I like this author’s writing style and have no excuse as to why it’s taken me so long to read her books.

However, I’ve got some quibbles—and I’m still working out how I feel about them.

There are some instances of lack of communication and some miscommunications that can be easily pinned on the age and maturity of the characters. There was some difficult bigotry to contend with that was, frankly, hard to get through. And there are some valid fears of acceptance—or lack thereof—especially when, at this time in life, most kids are still a little financially and emotionally dependent on their family.

It could be the fact that this is three stories packed into a collection, but I also found this to be very top-heavy in the sex scenes. Is that something I can complain about? I’m undecided. Because also, these guys are in their early twenties—THAT’S WHAT YOUNG BOYS DO.

So on one hand, I get it. I truly do. And I can’t say the sex was repetitive or redundant. Frankly, they were all scorching hot, and quite often very intimate and beautiful.

But, on the other hand, it sometimes felt as though these guys were attempting to solve problems with the sexy times and use it in place of productive communication and building a sustainable relationship. Again, I can easily chalk that up to the age of the characters. I’m just not convinced that every single sex scene was important to the overall plot or growth of the characters.

And it’s like…stacking a bookcase from the top down. You can’t do that without the threat of the books and the bookcase tumbling down on your head. Start at the bottom with the heavy books…the encyclopedias from 1979 you’ve been hauling around since your first apartment because your grandpa gave them to you. They’re meaningful for reasons, they’re full of knowledge–some that never changes, and they’re sturdy. They’re the foundation and will give the rest of your bookcase stability for all the pretty books you love to showcase.

So yeah, I wish there had been a bit more character building to give these guys a foundation I could fully believe in. And if I haven’t said it enough…I’m kind of a picky and greedy reader who is simultaneously very easily entertained. While I was a bit disgruntled about not getting everything I wanted in character development, I was truly entertained by the author’s style…and these guys DID get under my skin enough that I was rooting for them the whole way. Also, it bears repeating; the sex was often nuclear and often intimate in the ways I like.

I’m following the series because there’s definitely enough here that tells me I want to. And, well, I already bought book four–and read it, review coming soon.

This review also posted on GoodReads and (partially) on Amazon.