Faith & Fidelity
Author: Tere Michaels
Reviewer: Jen
Rating: B/B-
#TBRChallenge
- November’s Theme is “Lies”
- This book has been on my TBR since February 13, 2017.
- Why I selected it: Two men who have to hide their love for one another. It’s more of omission of truth equals the lie.
What I’m Talking About:
Evan, a detective with NYPD, lost his wife: his first and only love. He’s shut down and barely living day-to-day, but doing what he can for his four kids. Matt was a detective with the NYPD until he turned in other beloved cops for being dirty. He was forced to Staten Island as a beat cop, and then he quit almost a year ago. The pair meet though a mutual friend at a retirement celebration. They strike up a friendship built around loss and soon it becomes more.
Overall, I enjoyed Faith & Fidelity. There are lots of positive feelings, lots of butterflies and falling in love, tempered with the fears of the unknown and starting a relationship with a person you would least expect to fall for. Both men are in jobs where being bisexual or gay can be difficult. The author writes with sensitivity to the mens’ questions and concerns without overplaying fears.
But I had a few issues. One, the writing isn’t always even – with some passages and chapters that go on for a while and others that are extremely short. The shifting POVs were inconsistent, and I didn’t like the quick back-and-forth changes in the POV during highly emotional scenes. Time flow was sometimes tough to follow as well – I would have liked a firmer grasp on the timeline.
I loved how the relationship was crazy lustful, then love, and then fear, but after that… It fell apart for me. I love that Evan seeks professional help dealing with his mental and emotional wellbeing, and that he talks to his kids and the appropriate people before getting back together with Matt. I did NOT like that Matt apparently doesn’t share what he was up to when they are apart. And the ending is very sudden and abrupt. With the emotional intensity of the story, I needed more at the end to make it satisfying.
My Rating: B/B-
Jen
About the Book:
New York City Vice Detective Evan Cerelli has lost his wife, the only person he ever loved and slept with. He’s trying to get on with his life, build a life for his children. Former Homicide Detective Matt Haight is a ladies’ man, all sex/no commitment. He’s depressed, having a midlife crisis, and not sure where his life is headed.
The two find friendship in the bottom of a shared bottle. When the friendship turns to love, it shakes two straight men to the core and flips their lives inside out. Kids, families, careers that are not gay-friendly — can all the love in the world overcome the obstacles to faith and fidelity?
Release Date: October 1, 2014
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Series: Faith, Love & Devotion #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQ, Gay Romance
Format(s): paperback (400 pages), e-book, audiobook
Book Source: Purchased with my own funds
Purchase Info:
Amazon (affiliate link)