3.5 out of 5 stars
Ebook. 100 pages. Published June 26th 2013 by Dreamspinner Press
Blurb:
Former model Brent Phillips now works
the other side of the camera. He makes his money on senior portraits but wants
to create an art exhibition. His only problems are lack of a central image and
a three-week deadline.
Enter Brent’s friends, who resolve to discover the perfect model for his
project. They find him in Tristan Greer, a college student who left home after
coming out and is trying to make ends meet.
Though initially reluctant, Tristan agrees to work with Brent to capture the
image Brent wants—a gay version of Herb Alpert’s Whipped Cream album photo. It
turns out the camera loves Tristan, and the photographer may as well.
Likes:
- Only one gym scene.
- Brent’s hangup was unusual but reasonable.
- The plot.
Dislikes:
- The cover, while it works with the story, is different from the rest of the series.
- There is no real buildup of the romance.
- Brent’s issues with his appearance aren’t really dealt with.
- Only Brent’s issues with his photography project are dealt with, while none of Tristan’s are.
- No preparation before sex.
This is probably my favorite of the whole series. I’m not sure if it’s because Gray’s writing style changed, though it was definitely better in this book, or because this story only had one quick scene set at the gym. Either way, I’m glad I stuck with the series until the end.
Like the rest of the books in the series, this one followed the formula of the main character having a hangup about getting into a relationship with someone interested in them. Brent’s hangup came as a bit of a surprise, more because it wasn’t hinted at in the blurb than anything else. But I thought it went well with the story, and it didn’t annoy me the way some of the past character’s hangups did.
The plot in this story was what pushed it above the others in the series. There was a goal, something I could cheer Brent on for as he worked to accomplish it. The cover gives me a good idea of the sort of picture he came up with, even though the photoshop job isn’t great. It works with the story, but not with the theme of the rest of the series. I honestly think this book could have been written as a standalone novella, but seeing Dan and Gene one last time was nice.
I think this novella could have been stretched out to a full length book. The guys got together in the blink of an eye, without a lot of buildup or romance. And while Tristan makes it clear at the end that he’s happy being with Brent for now, there were still a lot of things left unresolved. Tristan’s living situation didn’t get any better, and the demands on his time didn’t get any less. The story had a happy ending for Brent, while Tristan felt more like he was a prize Brent got to take home than anything else.
My biggest complaint has to do with the lack of prep before penetrative sex. No matter what book or what author, if there’s no prep, not even a single quick sentence about it, I notice. Because prep = care for your partner, and without that care, my opinion of the relationship goes down.
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