Him - Book Review

By Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy

Synopsis

They don’t play for the same team. Or do they?

Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.

Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever.

Jamie has waited a long time for answers, but walks away with only more questions—
can one night of sex ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it? When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend…and a big one to learn about himself.

Warning: contains sexual situations, hotties on hockey skates, skinnydipping, shenanigans in an SUV and proof that coming out to your family on social media is a dicey proposition.

Review

I’m loving Sarina Bowen’s The Ivy Years series and I’m also loving Elle Kennedy’s Off-Campus series. So when you put these two authors together, you end up with HIM, a sweet, hot, heartbreaking and beautiful story that is one hell of a ride.

I absolutely loved both Wes and Jamie. Wes is gay, he acknowledged that about himself years ago, but Jamie is straight, having only ever been with women, except for that one night four years ago when he messed around with Wes. Wes comes off as a confident and cocky young man, but just under the surface you see his fear and insecurity; fear about how his sexual orientation will be accepted by his NHL team, and insecurity that as much as he loves Jamie, he can’t see a future between them.

Wes: I feel sick when I picture him leaving me. I feel sicker knowing I’m competing with not one, but two gender pools for his affection.

Jamie is amazing. He’s confused by his growing feelings and desires for Wes, but being the laid back guy that he is, he simply accepts them as a part of who he is. I like to think that Jamie easily accepted his sexual relationship with Wes not because he came to the realisation that he was bisexual, but because it was Wes; that entering into a sexual relationship with his best friend was simply the natural progression of their friendship and affection for one another.

I absolutely loved HIM. The chemistry was amazing. The sex was hot. The relationship was beautiful. The roadblocks were heartbreaking. Jamie’s family was adorable. Wes’s family sucks. It’s a story you don’t want to miss. A must read. In fact, HIM is going on my Must Read Again shelf pronto.

Wes: He doesn’t need skill-he just needs to be here. Him. Here. With me.