Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: Helix
AUTHOR: Anna Martin
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 200 Pages
RELEASE DATE: February 26, 2019
BLURB:
When high school student James has trouble with his truck, Dylan, who is studying to be a mechanic, comes to the rescue. James thinks he hides his immediate attraction well, but is happy to be wrong when Dylan asks for his number. Since James is new to romance, they take things slowly, and because Dylan is in college, James keeps the budding relationship secret from his overprotective dad.
Across town, Mark, a teacher and single father to James and his sister, Frankie, meets Steve at a bar for what both believe will be a quick hookup. Mark doesn’t see any reason to tell his kids about Steve or press Steve for details about Steve’s adopted son…. It’s just sex between them. Isn’t it?
Two very different love stories grow side by side, each hidden from the other. But all of that changes at a family barbecue, when Mark decides it’s time for his kids to meet Steve and for him to meet James’s boyfriend, who none of them realize is Steve’s son, Dylan. The inevitable explosion means the two couples have some explaining to do to soothe the hurt feelings of their families—and lovers.
REVIEW:
I’m afraid I’m going to have to agree with the majority of the other reviews on this one, and say that while I loved the romance between the two youngsters, the relationship between their fathers didn’t work for me as much. Having said that, I still really enjoyed this book, but whenever time was spent on the dads, I was kinda waiting to get back to James and Dylan.
The best part about having the two different romances in the one story is the contrast between the two. Whereas Mark and Steve began by hooking up in a club toilet and then progressing to steady bouts of casual sex, Dylan and James have a much sweeter, somewhat innocent connection as they head to Starbucks for their first date. I think the author did a great job of showcasing that difference, taking into account the stages they’re at in life and what they are looking for in a partner. I appreciated that Ms. Martin followed through with that distinction right to the end of the story, with both couples living the lives they want, but their happy endings looking very different from each other.
A few other things I liked about this book, I very much liked the fact that James was uncertain of his sexual orientation. He’s aware of the different labels but isn’t really sure which one fits him yet. However, there’s no agonizing over it by either young man, they simply go with “not straight” and leave it at that. James is just James and he’s in love with Dylan. While the two younger characters did seem to act youngish for their ages, I’m assuming that that’s because many readers aren’t keen on their MCs being under eighteen so the author used that as her cut off age.
I loved the complexity of the storyline. The way the two relationships were entwined yet coincidences kept them from all meeting up…until they do actually all meet up. There were times when I was sure they were going to make the connection but nope, just missed it. There was a little bit of tension, knowing from the blurb that when they do meet it isn’t going to go well, but on the whole this was a rather light, easy read.
RATING: 
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