Since the first book in this series was okay I figured I'd go along and read the second. It started off okayish. But it quickly sank into something that didn't quite live up. Basically, it was more of the same as the first except this one had even more chances to be gritty deep and interesting while still being hilarious and erotic at the same time.
Cody starts off just being mean. I actually like him the most and he isn't that likeable. Mean isn't a bad thing per se but when coupled with his ignorance about his injuries. It was too hard to buy. No man that hard up on not being what he used to be wouldn't do all he could to get that life back. It was hard to fall in line with his anger when he routinely did things to make him permanently damaged just to prove a point.
Something about his sheer determination to act like he was pain-free when everyone could see he wasn't didn't gell well with his mental state. I dunno. Something about the way he was written didn't make it all fit. I honestly only started to like him when the sex started happening. My biggest gripe with that, of course, was constantly saying he wants consent but never waiting for it. Eye roll. But at least the sexual Cody phase was interesting.
The real reason I liked Cody was that I could not like the other guy any less. He made zero sense to me. Me being someone raised in church around ministers who are never going to marry a gay couple to this day, his justifications for trying to be good held little weight when his father had done so and was actively preaching about everyone being equal. In a predominantly Christian small town. And yep, no one seems to care about gayness. So more of the same unbelievable acceptance in a small southern town as the first book since it's the same town after all. This made his dad unrelatable as well.
His monologue while laying naked in bed after one particular sex act was juvenile at best. All of them during after or thinking about sex in another scene. There are loads of closeted Christians who don't think that way let alone out loud after an orgasm. That one justification speech really took me out of the story. I was more than thrilled when Cody stalled it for another orgasm. Especially with Trey being an out gay boy. He really shouldn't be thinking like this. And if he must cant he think about it on a level that fits his age.
Just like with the first book this one reads a bit too juvenile for the content it's giving the readers and Trey's dilemma with his sexual desires and being a Christian didn't hold weight. His belief that his father had changed seemed to be all in his head as well. There was no evidence of this so when the confrontation at the end of the book happened I couldn't attach to it. Without any fights or discussions or obvious dealings with this idea that's all it was. An idea.
All in all, it was hard to believe that an out gay pastor's son, who's dad openly preaches acceptance would be struggling in even the slightest with sexual desire towards a man. If he was struggling with sex before marriage fine. But that ship would've sailed after the first encounter with Cody. And it wasn't as funny as the first book. I really wanted to get into this. A damaged soldier, a good boy turned bad, and the steamy sex between them but the depth wasn't there. I skimmed most of it because Trey's internal monologues were annoying and didn't make sense with who he actually was. He'd have to be someone in completely different circumstances, like a control freak father who doesn't like gays and is a Christian fanatic for me to buy Trey's thought process. And most importantly, he would have to be not out.
I really only like Cody because of his sex appeal and how much better he got once he wasn't angry for no reason. The problem there was it made Trey's flaws stick out even harder as the book progressed. It's a shame cause if Trey was written better the rather good ending would've had the weight it needed. If Cody was also written better this book would be amazing.
Lastly, if I as a reader can somewhat sympathise for Cody, the way the town treats him is a little much. It's like when it comes to being gossipy and standoffish they fit the small-town mould but when it comes to their outlook to homosexuality they are all peace and love wins. I honestly couldn't make sense of this logic.
This book had a better plot set up than the first but didn't deliver. It suffered from the same juvenile writing feel as the first one. Trying to be a serious in-depth read but not reaching it. And most of it I can't remember because a lot of Trey's ill-placed thought processes are still swimming in my head. There were so many places, dark and gritty places this book could've gone. Matched with the southern sass and humour found in the first book and this book would've been amazing. Sadly neither of those things happened so it was mostly aggravating, hard reading.
I guess I should've known better after the first book but after reading two books I'm finding mature themes handled in rather immature ways in unbelievable circumstances that require way too much suspension of reality to enjoy. I'll probably start the third book only because I'm committed to finishing the series at this point but I definitely won't be forcing a third read if it seems like it's heading down the same not adulty enough for its content tone path.
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