5 out of 5 stars
E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 420 pages. Published September 10th 2015 by Ledra
Blurb:
Can a priest and a rock star obey love’s call?
Seventeen years ago, Jasper Hendricks and Nicholas Blumfeld’s childhood friendship turned into a secret, blissful love affair. They spent several idyllic months together until Jasper’s calling to the Catholic priesthood became impossible to ignore. Left floundering, Nicky followed his own trajectory into rock stardom, but he never stopped looking back.
Today, Jasper pushes boundaries as an out, gay priest, working hard to help vulnerable LGBTQ youth. He’s determined to bring change to the church and the world. Respected, admired, and settled in his skin, Jasper has long ignored his loneliness.
As Nico Blue, guitarist and songwriter for the band Vespertine, Nicky owns the hearts of millions. He and his bandmates have toured the world, lighting their fans on fire with their music. Numbed by drugs and fueled by simmering anger, Nicky feels completely alone. When Vespertine is forced to get sober, Nicky returns home to where it all started.
Jasper and Nicky’s careers have ruled their lives since they parted as teens. When they come face to face again, they must choose between the past’s lingering ghosts or the promise of a new future.
Likes:
- Jasper and Nicky, together and separately.
- Jasper didn’t feel preachy.
- Kept me hooked.
- People’s reactions to Jasper felt real.
- Nicky’s views on his maintenance patches.
- The dark night of the soul moment.
- The story flowed well.
- The memories were woven into the story well.
- Safe sex.
- The LGBTQ youth shelter.
Dislikes:
- The band manager.
- The way the church pressured Jasper.
- The setup is heavy-handed.
I’ve had this book on my TBR list since 2015, which is around when I got into MM romance. I probably wouldn’t have ever read it, if not for a reading challenge. The setup of priest x damaged musician is heavy-handed to say the least. Plus, at 420 pages, the book is long, and I’ve encountered so many self-published books in need of major editing that I tend to stay away from anything over 300 pages.
Needless to say, I wasn’t expecting much from the book. Which is part of why I was so shocked that I loved it. Despite being a priest, Jasper wasn’t preachy at all. He was quietly content with his faith, and didn’t push any of the kids at the LGBTQ youth shelter to convert. Jasper just wanted to give them a safe place to live. He even made sure to help them transition into adult life when they aged out.
Nicky was a typical damaged musician. That’s not a bad thing. I’ve enjoyed books about damaged musicians before (hello Sinner’s series), and it helped that Nicky wanted to change. He missed how things were before all the drugs, but was worried that he couldn’t get back there sober. His journey through the book, struggling with sobriety and explaining to Jasper that he’d likely always need a management patch to control his addiction, was well grounded. For all the fans Nico Blue had, Nicky Blumfeld turned out to be a really great guy.
Both men go through powerful journeys during the book. I might have initially been worried about the length, but the book takes the time the story needs, without cutting corners or stretching anything out. There’s no soggy middle, and I was hooked the entire time.
The story’s a slow burn, which felt natural. Jasper and Nicky have history, and while neither of them expects to become more than friends when they reunite, they kept circling each other, getting closer and closer until falling back in love became inevitable. The memories the two had of their time together as teenagers were woven into the story well, as were all the non-romantic plot points.
Not everyone excepted an only gay priest, despite the fact that Jasper was celibate. His superiors in the church weren’t happy with the LGBTQ shelter, and it was heartwarming to see how hard Jasper fought for it. The way people, both in church leadership and in the community, viewed Jasper and the shelter, felt realistic. The same goes for the band manager, constantly pushing drugs on the members as a way to keep them compliant.
I was glad to see Jasper and Nicky practice safe sex. Not only did they know that spit wasn’t enough, they were both willing to stop when Jasper wasn’t willing to take things to the next level.
The dark night of the soul moment should have been cheesy, but it worked really well. My emotions flipflopped around as I worried about Nicky, then Jasper, then back and forth again.
I can see why more than 50% of the Goodreads ratings for this book are 5 stars. It’s the best kind of rollercoaster of emotions. I’m so glad I finally read it.
Love is Love Reviews 