Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: Level Hands
SERIES: Bend or Break #4
AUTHOR: Amy Jo Cousins
PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing
LENGTH: 293 pages
BLURB:
When it comes to love, there’s no such thing as smooth sailing.
Rafael Castro is so far out of his element he can’t even see it anymore. Carlisle College in Massachusetts is a long way from his Chicago home, even farther from his Dominican Republic roots.
The only thing keeping him attached to his last nerve is the prospect of seeing Denny Winslow again. The first time they met, Denny taught Rafi to fly across the water, rowing hard in a knife-like boat. Now, two years later, on the wings of a rowing scholarship, Rafi is attending Denny’s elite college.
Even before the excitement wears off, Rafi is struggling with classes and fending off rumors that Denny’s family, not Rafi’s talent, won him his spot. To quash the gossip, Rafi tries to steer clear of the man he wants. A plan that evaporates in the fire of renewed attraction.
But Carlisle’s academic pressure cooker has Rafi barely treading water. And when a family crisis hits, both Rafi and Denny must pull hard to keep their relationship from capsizing in rough waters.
Warning: Contains a surly Dominican-American guy determined to show no weakness, a golden boy who knows his soft spots, some seriously dirty bachata dancing, and an excellent excuse for voyeurism in the locker room.
REVIEW:
I am really enjoying this series by Amy Jo Cousins. I was a little disappointed that Book 3 was m/f because I have really loved this little college world and its awesome cast of characters. It was awesome to see Cash and Steph in book 4 and it actually made me want to go and read book 3 to see how it all came together. Something I will have to think on…but back to book 4. Level Hands really sucked me in and I contribute a good 90% of that due to Denny. I absolutely fell in love with Denny. He made this book for me. His steadfast belief in his feelings and who he was kept me engaged throughout.
Rafael Castro just got a pretty big break landing a scholarship to the wildly exclusive Carlisle College. He wants to pave his own way and show everyone he earned every bit of the scholarship he was awarded. Unfortunately, Rafi is plagued with insecurities and self doubt. It doesn’t help that his long time crush also goes to Carlisle and had a hand in him getting his scholarship.
Denny Winslow loves Rafael Castro. Has always loved him and also knows he deserves his spot on the rowing crew and his scholarship money. Denny is exhausted however with all the doubt Rafi has. He’s exhausted because Rafi doesn’t believe in himself as much as Denny believes in him. Push comes to shove and a lot of things are laid on the line…
If I had one complaint about this story it would be, Rafi. He drove me crazy. Absolutely out of my mind crazy, he was so hot and cold and the constant push/pull was giving me whiplash. It’s hard to wrap my brain around the fact that someone could have so much family support, good childhood, etc. and doubt themselves so much. I don’t know…I overlooked a lot of Rafi’s attitude problem just because Denny was so friggin amazing. He made up for Rafi, that’s for sure!
Like I stated earlier this book was great. Like all Amy Jo Cousin books the writing was exceptional and I could feel myself getting giddy when we were reunited with past characters. It was obvious something was going on between Tom and Reese so I’m pretty much beside myself thinking about Book 5. Anyone in love with this series will absolutely enjoy this one too. And if you haven’t read this series yet…get book 1, ASAP!!!
RATING: 
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