Wide Open Spaces (Renee Stevens)
2.5 stars
Devon Rhodes – may I first comment on how this character’s name tickled my fancy because I’ve read MM books from an author with the same name (Devon Rhodes?) *lol* — returns to Rock Springs, Wyoming after six years in Washington. While he is out of the closet there in the big city, he doesn’t feel happy so he welcomes getting a job back home. Although it means that he is going back to the closet since he’s not ready to announce his sexuality for fear of the small minded people in the small-town…
While I agree that coming out is personal, I couldn’t help but feel aggravated with how Devon reacted, especially among his friends. His friends were homophobic douche-bags and I kind of expected more from him. I also felt that Levi was a bit too forgiving. I did like Levi for not pushing Devon to come out though. Like I said previously, I sincerely think that coming out is personal, and nobody needs the pressure or push because I believe the internal conflict itself is already hard for the person involved.
Anyway, I guess I expected the story to be more about Devon and Levi reuniting, maybe taking time to work things out considering that Devon didn’t want to come out while Levi was already out and proud. There were some sexy times, but I always feel that reading about how the characters communicate to deal with conflicts is way better than reading sex scenes. So yeah, I skipped all the sex scenes, and wished for more conflict resolution in my head instead.
The ending, though, was probably the biggest disappointment for me because it felt like it was a sudden cut-off. It didn’t even feel like HFN because it was so rushed. It was like seeing the word “The End” in the middle of a movie scene. Phooey.
A Guest Review for The Blogger Girls
The ARC is provided by the publisher for an exchange of fair and honest review. No high rating is required for any ARC received.
Devon Rhodes – may I first comment on how this character’s name tickled my fancy because I’ve read MM books from an author with the same name (Devon Rhodes?) *lol* — returns to Rock Springs, Wyoming after six years in Washington. While he is out of the closet there in the big city, he doesn’t feel happy so he welcomes getting a job back home. Although it means that he is going back to the closet since he’s not ready to announce his sexuality for fear of the small minded people in the small-town…
While I agree that coming out is personal, I couldn’t help but feel aggravated with how Devon reacted, especially among his friends. His friends were homophobic douche-bags and I kind of expected more from him. I also felt that Levi was a bit too forgiving. I did like Levi for not pushing Devon to come out though. Like I said previously, I sincerely think that coming out is personal, and nobody needs the pressure or push because I believe the internal conflict itself is already hard for the person involved.
Anyway, I guess I expected the story to be more about Devon and Levi reuniting, maybe taking time to work things out considering that Devon didn’t want to come out while Levi was already out and proud. There were some sexy times, but I always feel that reading about how the characters communicate to deal with conflicts is way better than reading sex scenes. So yeah, I skipped all the sex scenes, and wished for more conflict resolution in my head instead.
The ending, though, was probably the biggest disappointment for me because it felt like it was a sudden cut-off. It didn’t even feel like HFN because it was so rushed. It was like seeing the word “The End” in the middle of a movie scene. Phooey.
A Guest Review for The Blogger Girls
The ARC is provided by the publisher for an exchange of fair and honest review. No high rating is required for any ARC received.
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