Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Distant Cousins 
AUTHOR: Eric Huffbind
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 247 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 28, 2018
BLURB:
Konner was looking forward to learning more about his family heritage. What he found was his entire life was a lie. Even the worst mistakes can be forgiven
Konner O’Flattery, a passionate amateur genealogist, has finally gotten back the results of the DNA test he took. He’s been waiting months to uncover what mysteries his DNA has locked inside. But his results aren’t anything like he expected, and he unearths a secret buried since birth. His heart becomes shattered leaving no room for forgiveness. Now, Konner feels compelled to go on a journey to find the truth of who and what he truly is.
Through the miracles of modern technology, Konner meets his distant cousin, Aaron Kirschenbaum. Turns out, he knows exactly who Aaron is, yet they’ve never met. Aaron makes the girls and boys alike swoon from his stunning good looks and velvety voice. Unfortunately, he’s picked up a bad habit of abusing his status for his own personal gain.
Konner’s story pulls on the strings of Aaron’s heart. So, he offers to help Konner, in any way he possibly can. Aaron finds Konner to be incredibly attractive, so the two men are swept up into an intense romance filled with sensuous heat and passion.
Distant Cousins is Eric Huffbind’s second published novel, a Contemporary Gay Male Romance. Take a journey with Konner as he finds heartbreak, intrigue, love, passion, and the importance of forgiveness. If you want to rekindle the euphoric high of falling in love, Distant Cousins is the book for you.
REVIEW:
Konnor is out, proud, with a body to die for and is lucky to have a supportive family. He loved his life. Hooked on genealogy, he invested in a DNA kit. Confident of his roots, he clicked the e-mail to open the results with eager fingers. What he found decimated his world. Konnor was the oldest of five children. He was thirty years old, and his parents had never told him he was adopted – the only one in his family to be adopted.
Konnor’s search for true relatives leads him to Aaron Kirschenbaum aka David Kirkman- a famous singer. The DNA results suggest they are distant cousins. Aaron and his sister Rebecca help Konnor in his search.
Told in the third person, present tense, from multiple pov’s, this story was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I liked the font and the artistry between the chapters; it made the story easy to read. For people who want dialogue and descriptions, you will be in heaven because Distant Cousins is full of both. However, some conversations read as though they’d been engineered rather than flow naturally. Nevertheless, there is brutal honesty during many discussions that are up front, and in your face. I was on the fence as to whether they were refreshing, concocted for effect, or the author’s style.
I tried to imagine how I’d feel if given the same news as Konnor. I get that Konnor would be shocked and hurt, but shouting at parents who’d done nothing but love him and made him feel wanted, came over as cruel and did nothing to endear him to me – others may feel differently. One of the arcs of the story is how Konnor comes to terms with his parents’ actions.
The romance between Konnor and Aaron progresses quickly. One minute they’re talking about how fantastic it is to find a friend and how the other is family, then they’re succumbing to sexual desires.
It was evident that genealogy is a subject close to the author’s heart and the research is something to be admired. The parts of the story that focus on Konnor’s search for his heritage, I found engaging albeit occasionally tough on the brain cells. Later in the story, other characters enter the mix which leads to a nicely needed twist.
If you are into huge dicks, ripped bodies, beautiful people, and up front… well, everything… then this book is for you. Sex, and highly-strung emotions, share equal time with genealogy. Subtle is not a word I’d use at any point during this story. I appreciated certain aspects, and personally, it wasn’t my cup of tea, but I can see the appeal for some.
RATING: 
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