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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
I don’t know if in the end I loved this story more because I had no familiarity with the author and hadn’t read any of these before (when they were published separately) or whether I would have loved it even then. This book is a collection of three short stories and two novellas that were all released individually and tell the story of Rusty and Sean’s discovering what it really means to be in love with each other. For me there was a lovely dose of realism and true to life fears in this story that really made it work in my mind.
Rusty and Sean have been best friends their entire lives. They’ve been dating since either of them figured out that they liked boys not girls. When Sean came out as gay to his parents it was Rusty’s family that took him in after he was thrown out. Now Sean is graduating from college and for the first time they’re facing real life without a solid plan. Sean doesn’t have a job in his field lined up and the apartment they’ve been living in belongs to the college and they’ll have to move. Rusty’s family is more than happy to have the boys move back in while they get everything settled, after all they’re family and Rusty works for his dad anyway. It’s the first day to the rest of their lives and yet everything is in turmoil.
There’s something about the way all of these stories were put together in this book that I really enjoyed. Despite being all separate books essentially the flow of everything as a whole worked for me. It didn’t feel choppy and like we were jumping ahead in the story. By the end of the book I really felt like I’d gotten to know all of the important pieces of Rusty and Sean as they moved out of their childhood love affair into a real adult relationship. Both of them had a buttload of insecurities and unreasonable expectations they needed to get over and work out. I enjoyed seeing them start to grow up and realize that growing together in a relationship isn’t easy, but if you love someone enough the sacrifices are worth it.
I think having no expectations when going in to this book helped me a lot. Sure I wanted to smack Sean over the head at times as his angst and childishness got to be too much. But I wanted to do the same to Rusty when he couldn’t pull his head out of his ass and realize that sometimes change is a good thing and that to grow up you need to explore new things. I felt like both boys love of each other in the beginning was a childish one, it didn’t have the depth of experience and trouble that a real long lasting love does. Through their trials in these stories they both began to grow up, it gave legs to their relationship and allowed them to really start to love the man the other was becoming.
Of course Rusty’s family was awesome! I loved the way his parents related to Sean. They understood his insecurities and we willing to take him as he was. The first time he ever called them Mom and Dad was very touching. I appreciated the way they respected his boundaries even as they tried to include him in all of the love they had for both the boys. Despite it’s troubling nature I enjoyed the reality of Sean’s family situation as well. His father was abusive and that made it so much harder for Sean to accept the good things around him. I’m glad he sought some counseling and began to see where his insecurities stemmed from and could finally start to move on. His reunion with his mother and sister was touching and the final situation was so much the way things truly often are is was heart breaking. But I felt I got to see the growth in the strength with which Sean handled it all.
All in all these are a series of slice of life stories that while they don’t show the initial falling in love of these two boys they do depict the strength and soul searching needed to grow in to men and hold onto the love you have. Rusty and Sean realized in this book the children they were and have begun the journey into becoming the adults that can be the support system they both need in their futures. There were a few minor editing issues, but overall I really enjoyed this read. I’ll definitely look for more books by Ms. Cox in the future. :D
Rusty and Sean have been best friends their entire lives. They’ve been dating since either of them figured out that they liked boys not girls. When Sean came out as gay to his parents it was Rusty’s family that took him in after he was thrown out. Now Sean is graduating from college and for the first time they’re facing real life without a solid plan. Sean doesn’t have a job in his field lined up and the apartment they’ve been living in belongs to the college and they’ll have to move. Rusty’s family is more than happy to have the boys move back in while they get everything settled, after all they’re family and Rusty works for his dad anyway. It’s the first day to the rest of their lives and yet everything is in turmoil.
There’s something about the way all of these stories were put together in this book that I really enjoyed. Despite being all separate books essentially the flow of everything as a whole worked for me. It didn’t feel choppy and like we were jumping ahead in the story. By the end of the book I really felt like I’d gotten to know all of the important pieces of Rusty and Sean as they moved out of their childhood love affair into a real adult relationship. Both of them had a buttload of insecurities and unreasonable expectations they needed to get over and work out. I enjoyed seeing them start to grow up and realize that growing together in a relationship isn’t easy, but if you love someone enough the sacrifices are worth it.
I think having no expectations when going in to this book helped me a lot. Sure I wanted to smack Sean over the head at times as his angst and childishness got to be too much. But I wanted to do the same to Rusty when he couldn’t pull his head out of his ass and realize that sometimes change is a good thing and that to grow up you need to explore new things. I felt like both boys love of each other in the beginning was a childish one, it didn’t have the depth of experience and trouble that a real long lasting love does. Through their trials in these stories they both began to grow up, it gave legs to their relationship and allowed them to really start to love the man the other was becoming.
Of course Rusty’s family was awesome! I loved the way his parents related to Sean. They understood his insecurities and we willing to take him as he was. The first time he ever called them Mom and Dad was very touching. I appreciated the way they respected his boundaries even as they tried to include him in all of the love they had for both the boys. Despite it’s troubling nature I enjoyed the reality of Sean’s family situation as well. His father was abusive and that made it so much harder for Sean to accept the good things around him. I’m glad he sought some counseling and began to see where his insecurities stemmed from and could finally start to move on. His reunion with his mother and sister was touching and the final situation was so much the way things truly often are is was heart breaking. But I felt I got to see the growth in the strength with which Sean handled it all.
All in all these are a series of slice of life stories that while they don’t show the initial falling in love of these two boys they do depict the strength and soul searching needed to grow in to men and hold onto the love you have. Rusty and Sean realized in this book the children they were and have begun the journey into becoming the adults that can be the support system they both need in their futures. There were a few minor editing issues, but overall I really enjoyed this read. I’ll definitely look for more books by Ms. Cox in the future. :D
4.5 stars!!
This is the story of lifelong friends Sean and Rusty. It spans over a few years from college Graduation, to first jobs, to moving away and coming home. We get their back story of how they met and fell in love. It's extremely well written and it's romantic and very realistic. Sean and Rusty are both out but Sean is still hiding from himself. Rusty is loud and outgoing and has a family that loves him for who he is. They make sacrifices for each other and they are truly in love and want to spend their lives together. There's a is also a peak at the next book which stars a character we met briefly but I was very drawn to.
When Sean was having a good time, just a little bit drunk, when he forgot to censor himself, Sean wiggled when he walked and he moved his head or gestured a certain way. Relaxed, not thinking, his body would go liquid instead of that stiffness he tried for most of his waking hours.
He just floated, f**k-dumb and hazy, not thinking. Just feeling the moment.
Reality burned through his c**-induced mind fog.
Rusty's big warm hand rubbing on Sean's bare shoulder made him purr. "Like a cat," he said out loud. Rusty leaned in and laughed. "No p**sy in my bed." Sean licked up Rusty's throat, loving the bristle of Rusty's beard on his tongue. "Only me."
"Only you."
This is the story of lifelong friends Sean and Rusty. It spans over a few years from college Graduation, to first jobs, to moving away and coming home. We get their back story of how they met and fell in love. It's extremely well written and it's romantic and very realistic. Sean and Rusty are both out but Sean is still hiding from himself. Rusty is loud and outgoing and has a family that loves him for who he is. They make sacrifices for each other and they are truly in love and want to spend their lives together. There's a is also a peak at the next book which stars a character we met briefly but I was very drawn to.
When Sean was having a good time, just a little bit drunk, when he forgot to censor himself, Sean wiggled when he walked and he moved his head or gestured a certain way. Relaxed, not thinking, his body would go liquid instead of that stiffness he tried for most of his waking hours.
He just floated, f**k-dumb and hazy, not thinking. Just feeling the moment.
Reality burned through his c**-induced mind fog.
Rusty's big warm hand rubbing on Sean's bare shoulder made him purr. "Like a cat," he said out loud. Rusty leaned in and laughed. "No p**sy in my bed." Sean licked up Rusty's throat, loving the bristle of Rusty's beard on his tongue. "Only me."
"Only you."
***** I was gifted a copy of this book for an honest review*****
This book had me turning pages from the very beginning. I was a little worried that I might end up confused since it starts when Sean and Rusty are already deep into their relationship. However that was not the case. During and Sean and Rusty's trips down memory lane during the story you get just enough detail to understand why the characters are they way they are and what they have gone through. Chris Cox did an amazing job writing this wonderful love story! While reading I could feel what both Sean and Rusty were feeling and it made me fall in love with both of them.
Reading about how sure Rusty is with the fact that he is gay and how much Sean still struggles with it all because of his past is very true to real life. Some really do struggle like Sean and that makes him a very relatable character. To read about Sean learning to except himself and Rusty learning to except how Sean is now and becoming so proud of him! It is very heart touching! I would recommend this book to everyone who loves a great love story!
This book had me turning pages from the very beginning. I was a little worried that I might end up confused since it starts when Sean and Rusty are already deep into their relationship. However that was not the case. During and Sean and Rusty's trips down memory lane during the story you get just enough detail to understand why the characters are they way they are and what they have gone through. Chris Cox did an amazing job writing this wonderful love story! While reading I could feel what both Sean and Rusty were feeling and it made me fall in love with both of them.
Reading about how sure Rusty is with the fact that he is gay and how much Sean still struggles with it all because of his past is very true to real life. Some really do struggle like Sean and that makes him a very relatable character. To read about Sean learning to except himself and Rusty learning to except how Sean is now and becoming so proud of him! It is very heart touching! I would recommend this book to everyone who loves a great love story!
ARC RECEIVED FOR AN HONEST REVIEW
My latest obsession is with m/m books. I can't get enough of them. It is a sickness!
So when I was given the opportunity to join the blog tour for When Sean Loves Rusty, you couldn't have kept me away if you tried.
And I was not disappointed.
Rusty and Sean are childhood best friends who realise very early in life that theirs is not just a friendship, but so much more. When Sean Loves Rusty tells their story and allows the reader to get to know them both as young boys and as the men they are today.
And you will fall in love with them both. Told through a series of 6 novellas, each novella tells us a different period of time in their relationship.
We get an insight to their childhoods, where they were discovering who they were. They could not come from two such completely different families. Sean's family is abusive, wiping him from the family when he comes out. Rusty's family is the family we all want. Close, loving, accepting. Not just of Rusty but especially of Sean.
Some of my favourite moments in the story are conversations that Rusty's parents have with both these sweet boys. They have a way of putting things in perspective and making those around them feel better about themselves and their situations.
Sean and Rusty's relationship has it's fair share of ups and downs, twists and turns. They are making their way in the big bad world. There are lots of trials and tribulations as they deal with everything life throws at them.
I loved watching them grow emotionally and spiritually. There were plenty of times when I wanted to scream at on or the other (and occasionally both) for their actions or attitudes to each other. You could feel the tension, the worry, the anxiety between them. But more than that, you could feel the love. The love between them shone from the page. There is no way you could imagine them ever not making it, even though there were enough tests to the relationship.
Chris Cox has a very easy going writing style, and the stories flowed together seamlessly once they got going. I do admit that for the first one or two novellas I was not as much into the story as the following four, but the was probably as we were in that learning curve, feeling out the characters. After that I was totally immersed. And by the time we get to the final novella, the story had taken a wonderful, fairy tale-esque arc that left me with a huge smile on my face, and maybe the occasional damp eye.
Let's not forget the secondary characters. Rusty's family were wonderful, Sean's not so much. Sean and Rusty's friends, two in particular, are so heartwarming.
But the one I want to know more about is Levi. Levi is woven in and out of Sean and Rusty's story and he becomes a bit of an enigma.
Chris Cox ~ please tell me we get more of Levi. We need to know about him!
If you are after a sweet romance with not tooooo much angst, then you must read When Sean Loves Rusty.
My latest obsession is with m/m books. I can't get enough of them. It is a sickness!
So when I was given the opportunity to join the blog tour for When Sean Loves Rusty, you couldn't have kept me away if you tried.
And I was not disappointed.
Rusty and Sean are childhood best friends who realise very early in life that theirs is not just a friendship, but so much more. When Sean Loves Rusty tells their story and allows the reader to get to know them both as young boys and as the men they are today.
And you will fall in love with them both. Told through a series of 6 novellas, each novella tells us a different period of time in their relationship.
We get an insight to their childhoods, where they were discovering who they were. They could not come from two such completely different families. Sean's family is abusive, wiping him from the family when he comes out. Rusty's family is the family we all want. Close, loving, accepting. Not just of Rusty but especially of Sean.
Some of my favourite moments in the story are conversations that Rusty's parents have with both these sweet boys. They have a way of putting things in perspective and making those around them feel better about themselves and their situations.
Sean and Rusty's relationship has it's fair share of ups and downs, twists and turns. They are making their way in the big bad world. There are lots of trials and tribulations as they deal with everything life throws at them.
I loved watching them grow emotionally and spiritually. There were plenty of times when I wanted to scream at on or the other (and occasionally both) for their actions or attitudes to each other. You could feel the tension, the worry, the anxiety between them. But more than that, you could feel the love. The love between them shone from the page. There is no way you could imagine them ever not making it, even though there were enough tests to the relationship.
Chris Cox has a very easy going writing style, and the stories flowed together seamlessly once they got going. I do admit that for the first one or two novellas I was not as much into the story as the following four, but the was probably as we were in that learning curve, feeling out the characters. After that I was totally immersed. And by the time we get to the final novella, the story had taken a wonderful, fairy tale-esque arc that left me with a huge smile on my face, and maybe the occasional damp eye.
Let's not forget the secondary characters. Rusty's family were wonderful, Sean's not so much. Sean and Rusty's friends, two in particular, are so heartwarming.
But the one I want to know more about is Levi. Levi is woven in and out of Sean and Rusty's story and he becomes a bit of an enigma.
Chris Cox ~ please tell me we get more of Levi. We need to know about him!
If you are after a sweet romance with not tooooo much angst, then you must read When Sean Loves Rusty.