Reviewed by Sid

TITLE: Five Ways a Boy Can Break Your Heart

AUTHORS: Cate Ashwood & Skylar M. Cates

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 116 Pages

BLURB: When Trey and Liam meet in boarding school, they couldn’t be more different. Liam is a classical violinist with a scholarship, and Trey is a punk rocker with famous parents. Despite their conflicting backgrounds, they hit it off and bond over their love of music. But after spending every waking hour together, Liam is devastated when Trey leaves school without an explanation. Worse yet, Trey capitalizes on a song they wrote together.

Seven years later, they bump into each other at a charity benefit in New York. Old sparks fly, but Liam hasn’t quite recovered from the pain Trey caused. Liam doesn’t know if any explanation Trey can offer will be enough, or if he can find it in his heart to forgive the only man he’s ever really loved.

REVIEW:

There is only one way a book can break this boy’s precious lil’ heart here and that is to see two guys – who were always meant to be with each other – separated for so many years!

Five Ways… begins with a scene in the past where the boys are still in school. They are the kind of friends who are tied to the hips all the time. It’s their common love for music that binds them together. But we also come to know of Liam’s deep dark secret – his ever-growing crush on his best friend Trey. He dares not say a word though with the fear of losing out on him and this special bond of friendship they share. Holidays approach and Liam knows Trey would go away for a vacation like he always does. What he doesn’t expect is that Trey would being going away to never return. Worse than that, he goes away without a word of explanation.

In a few years, he finds Trey reaching up to the top as a well-known music artist and becoming a celebrity. All of that – because of one song that gets popular very soon – the song Trey wrote with Liam back them. It hurts him, it breaks him and the hurt alleviates by the  guilt checks Trey keeps sending his way.

After a long period of wait, the boys come face to face once again at a charity event. Liam has anger in him that has built up for years now and Trey has got a lot of explaining to do. Would he get another chance? In the mix of all the hurt, anger, lust, sex (lots and lots of sex) these boys have to seek some space for their love and get back that special connection they once shared in the past.

It’s a mesmerizing concept that the authors have presented to us in form of this book. The story has all the perfect elements for a bestseller in M/M genre. The brilliance in carving out humanly characters gets a loud cheer from me and I will scream and shout like a crowd gone mad because these boys are worshippers of music! I love M/M stories with men who are in a musical profession! I find them kind of hot and truly appealing. And oh gawd, the sex! It’s down-to-earth. I could hear the bed squeaking and even breaking as they do it … twice! 😀 I am a happy man! I thought the storyline could have been more enhanced in order to give it a refreshing feel though. But some amazing moments between Liam and Trey make up for it.

And a special mention to the song Trey and Liam wrote – outstanding work on the authors’ part to let the lyrics speak volumes about their feelings.

I really enjoyed reading this book, something I already expected.

RATING:

BUY LINK: Dreamspinner Press