Reviewed by Elizabetta

TITLE: Collide
SERIES: Blackcreek Series #1
AUTHOR: Riley Hart
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 254 pages
BLURB: At ten years old, Noah Jameson and Cooper Bradshaw collided mid-air when they dove for the same football. For three years, they were inseparable…until one day when Noah and his parents disappeared in the middle of the night.

Noah and Cooper never knew what happened to each other. Now, seventeen years later, after finding his boyfriend in bed with another man, Noah returns to Blackcreek looking for a fresh start. And damned if he doesn’t find his old friend grew up to be sexy as sin. Coop can’t believe Noah—the only person he trusted with the guilt over his parents’ death—is back. And gay… Or that Cooper himself suddenly wants another man in his bed for the first time.

There’s no denying the attraction and emotion between them, but can they overcome the ghosts of their pasts to have a future together?

This title contains two strong, sexy men, and a passionate friendship that transforms into a sizzling hot romance.

REVIEW:

There’s this deep connection between Cooper and Noah. Childhood best friends, who from an early age, shared each other’s fears and family problems; they were separated in their teens when Noah’s family suddenly moved away. Noah has returned, thirteen years older and more worldly, to the small Colorado town he can’t forget. Blackcreek reads as one of those picturesque spots, beautiful and set apart, an idyllic setting. It still feels like home to Noah and he’s looking to settle down. Is it just the town he returning to?

This is a very slowly unfolding story of two old friends reconnecting in a different way. Noah is gay, it’s only men for him, and Coop loves the women, the more the merrier. Neither of them, now in their thirties, has thought of settling down with anyone. As they renew their old friendship there are complications as the men start to feel more than friendly toward each other. Get ready for one long tease.

Collide is definitely in the GFY trope, usually not a favorite of mine. I found the book to be very ‘talky’. The men really get into discussing and analyzing their feelings, especially Coop’s confusion, and processing their relationship. It doesn’t read as terribly realistic to me, all the palavering…

Collide very much reads like a first book, with familiar traps… the pacing is draggy with all the extra explaining and repetitive information. The adage, less is more would work best here. If the book had been half the length, I think it would have been much stronger. Especially as it seems to be more of a character study. There is a bit of action at the end of the story but mostly we’re steeped in the interaction between the two guys.

There are some nice things happening. I like the author’s easy going voice, you are lulled into a very up close and personal romance. And I like both Noah and Coop: Noah, who believes in honesty and truth (and is so hot with his piercings and dragon tat), and Coop, who is so big-hearted. I keep reading to see if, or how, they make things work out especially against such great odds.

The mirroring the author sets up between them throughout the story is a nice touch too… twice they’ve collided, or come together in important life-changing ways: when they first meet as kids going after the same thrown football, then, as adults, when Coop accidentally bumps Noah with his truck. It all reinforces the real connection felt by Coop (who has a hard time seeing himself as even bi-sexual) so necessary to make his evolution believable…

“Noah’s strength turned him on. The fact that they matched each other in so many ways, turned him on. He never thought he would find something like that, so… erotic.”

There is a sequel due out next year which looks to feature friends Wes and Braden, another interesting, conflicted couple. I do hope that the author engages a good beta reader and editor to avoid the pacing issues, proofing errors and POV/consistency confusions found in this book. There’s a lot of heart in the writing and it would be great to see it shine even more. Readers willing to overlook these issues, and looking for an angsty wallow with some hot guys will surely like Collide.

Elizabetta rates it –

BUY LINKS: Amazon

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Elizabetta is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all her reviews, click the link: ELIZABETTA’S REVIEWS
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