Reviewed by Roberta      

TITLE: Blue Collar

AUTHOR: Sean Michael

PUBLISHER: Amber Quill Press, LLC

LENGTH: 42,000 words

BLURB:

Kendall Webber is deep in the closet. Between working as a mechanic in a garage, having served in the army during the era of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and being raised by a fundamentalist-preacher stepfather who sent him to summer camps to make him straight, he’s learned to hide his sexuality from absolutely everyone.

Still, when a tall, dark, and handsome stud named Barton Willis III roars into the garage in his vintage Mustang, Kendall can’t help but look admiringly and longingly at the man, just a little. And when the flirtatious Barton not only looks back but eagerly invites him to explore his hidden desires, Kendall’s whole world is turned upside-down.

Now, the question remains…can Barton help Kendall let go of the past and the attitudes he’s had, literally, beaten into him?

REVIEW:

I read the blurb for this book and was truly captivated by the premise of this book. Can a young man who was raised and beaten as a youth to be straight, truly find his own acceptance?

Kendall Webber is this young man who truly heart my heart. He wants so much to be “normal”. Or what normal is supposed to be according to his stepfather and the monsters at the De-gay camps. Kendall is hiding the fact that he’s gay. Even when he just looks at an attractive man, he tumbles into a whirlwind of thoughts and feelings. Kendall is this really sweet guy. He’s so lovable and kind. You just want to wrap him up in your arms and keep him safe. He’s so worried about the being gay and if he does, what will happen to him. Geez, this guy just wants to be able to live his life. Unfortunately…he doesn’t truly know what that really entails.

Barton Willis III is this slightly older man who see Kendall and he wants him. Barton is used to getting what he wants. Yet, with him, it’s not that arrogant way…it’s more like his confidence and his charm are in full effect and you are along for the ride. Barton isn’t sure what he wants with Kendall, but he’s more than willing to take the time to find out. Barton is this wonderful man who sees something so special in Kendall and wants to help him bring that out. Barton is not quite selfless in his pursuit of Kendall, he wanted him, but he also wanted to help Kendall see that there was nothing wrong with being gay. With being who he truly wanted to be.

Now, if you’ve ever read a Sean Michael book before, you know that there are frequent sexy times in his books. This book was no different. I will say that even if some of the sexy times were just pure sex….there were times that you could really see and feel the growing intimacy between Barton and Kendall. It was like Barton opened up a whole new world for Kendall….which he truly did. He allowed Kendall to feel pleasure without the guilt that he was raised with. I will say that the sexy times were truly hot and my kindle was burning up. Go Sean!!

I will say that there were times that I felt that Kendall acted really young. At first I thought he was like 19 or 20 at the most and yet, I felt it was probably because he didn’t have the opportunity to grow up fully with the awareness to be ok with who he is. Kendall’s relationship with this entire family hurt. He was living in his truck and barely surviving. Pretty much kicked out of the house and his mother didn’t say or do anything for her firstborn child. I loved how sweet and naïve Kendall was. He just made my heart hurt, yet there was such strength in this young man.

This was such a sweet book and even though you were dealing with the homophobia that Kendall was raised in and also the machismo that was abound in the mechanic shop where he worked, this book really resonated with me. I am still thinking about this book days later. I’m not sure I can tell you just how this book made me feel, but know this….I will ALWAYS remember this book and the way that this story touched me.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

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