Reviewed by Tori (Vicki)
TITLE: Rush in the Dark 
SERIES: Common Powers #2
AUTHOR: Lynn Lorenz
PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing
LENGTH: 189 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 11th, 2017
BLURB:
Rush is so deep in the closet he can’t find the door, but meeting Brian might give him the courage to step out of it.
When Brian and Rush meet in a dark alley, sparks fly. The attraction is fast and hard, but Rush is a rancher with a reputation to uphold and Brian is out and open.
Both men have secrets, including the small powers they each have, and a relationship means they might have to share. It would require Rush coming out of his closet and putting his ranch and his friendships with the people around him at risk.
For Brian, it means putting his heart on the line for a man who’s afraid of being himself. He’s been down that road before and Brian won’t go back in the closet, not even for Rush.
Each time they’re together, Rush and Brian set the air around them on fire. As they move closer, both are still holding back, still unsure of each other. One of them will have to take the first step or this thing between them will flounder.
For Rush, it’ll take a huge step and a lot of trust to risk his entire life in the small Texas town of Spring Lake. And once he’s out, there’s no going back.
For Brian, his heart isn’t the only thing at risk. If he keeps seeing Rush, he knows he might just lose his life.
REVIEW:
We met Brian in book one of this series, as Mitchell’s best friend. He’s a private investigator, working for himself. In this story, he agrees to help find Sammi’s history, since Sammi has no idea who he is. We actually see him working on another case as this book starts, hiding in an alley watching for employees steeling video games. He encounters the man of his dreams, while covered in garbage!
Rush is a cowboy from a small town, now running his family ranch. He’s gay, but so far in the closet he can’t even see the door. He heads to Houston periodically to have sex, and is very attracted to the man he sees in the alley behind a club. He goes against his usual routine and gives the man his business card, hoping he’ll call.
This starts off the so-called relationship between Brian and Rush…. Really it’s chapters of them jerking off on their own, sometimes while on the phone together. It also starts off my hatred of Rush. Rush is certainly attracted to Brian, but he doesn’t want a relationship since he’s not willing to come out for anyone. Brian is instantly in love with Rush, and lets him treat him like shit for most of the book. Rush shows up, fucks and runs, several times. Brian gets pissed, decides he’s done, then lets him do it again. I had no respect for Brian! He’s worth so much more than that.
I get that this is a redemption story for Rush. He’s meant to start out as a scared closeted man, meet the love of his life, fight an internal battle about his sexuality and his father’s homophobia, then have his redemption moment, come out for the man who he loves. And basically that does happen, but in the meantime, Rush is too horrible for me to like at all. His redemption moment comes way too late, and there is little time for them to enjoy their time together after that moment, before the book ends. It was too little, too late for me.
The part that I loved about this book, was Brian’s search for Sammi’s history. That is what saved this book for me. I admit to skipping over the endless jerk-off scenes but I gobbled up the details about Sammi. I was much more interested in Brian as a PI than Brian as Rush’s lover. When Brian wasn’t being a doormat for Rush to stomp on, he was a great guy. He actually attempts to change his life to accommodate Rush, I did like that part as well. There were some good sex scenes too, when Brian and Rush finally get in bed they are good together. Then there is Rush’s “power”…. Only mentioned a few times and seemed kind of pointless. It didn’t add much to the plot, other than one scene at the end.
I feel bad about this one… I did read these book several years ago and I remembered enjoying them, but this one just didn’t do it for me. I did like parts of this, Brian’s search for Sammi’s past, some of the sex scenes, and Brian’s willingness to change. Unfortunately I didn’t like Rush as a character, so that brought the whole book down for me. He may be fine for others though, so if you like tough cowboys, and lots of jerking off, maybe give this book a try.
RATING: 
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