Apparently this was a "light" book, at least from the blurb if not from the cover (that it's quite "dark"), but after few pages I realized that it was not.

It's a first point of view narration seeing through the eyes of Mike that for the umpteenth time is helping his friend Jay to move; there is even a creepy aspect on it, since Jay is used to move since a) he always chooses men who dump him b) if they don't dump him, they die. It's obvious that Jay chooses men that are not for him, and the reader starts to think that he is a bit of a butterfly and that he is blind to not see that the right man, Mike, is always there for him, near enough to be catch. On the other hand it's not that Mike chooses his partner in a better way: from having relationship with men who aren't even sure to be gay, to flirt with women well knowing that he prefers men. Both of them are in denyal, but not about who they are, but who they love.

But this time things are different, Darren, Jay's lost lover, was not one other desperate case in Jay's path toward self-destruction; Jay is really upset from his death, and Mike for the first time is jealous... and so the reader starts to sense that things are not simple as at first he though. It's not Jay who doesn't want to commit, it's Mike who always pulls back: if Jay chooses the wrong men, Mike is always sure that in the end he will come back to him, and so Mike will always be the real love for Jay, even if he hasn't to commit or speak the L word. Doesn't matter that there is no a physical relationship between Mike and Jay, the only thing Mike needs is the exclusivity on Jay's heart: a proof that Mike doesn't "think" to Jay in that way is that Mike has never realized that Jay is a dominant lover.

Mike always prided himself to be available for Jay when his friend needs him, and he probably thought to be the answer to all his trouble; but this time Mike is not able to help Jay, this time Jay realized that, doesn't matter how many men he tries to love, doesn't matter how many little pieces of their life he retains for himself, doesn't matter how many unfulfilled dreams he makes own, Jay will always miss Mike, and it's now or never with him. And Mike has to finally take that final step.

As I said the book is a little more angst than expected, and at first I was a bit disconcerted to be thrown in the middle of the story, in full play mode, but then I started to collect hints and bits here and there and ended this novella length book having enough details to comprehend the reasons of both men.

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/648542.html

In spite of the gothic-looking cover, this is a sweet "I've loved you forever" type of romance story between long-time friends. I enjoyed Samms' strong, personable, artistic characters and the many social and emotional ups and downs between them. I thought this was a great 'feel good' story. ( )