Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: I’m Straight, Right? 
AUTHORS: Romeo Alexander and John Harris
NARRATOR: Michael Ferraiuolo
PUBLISHER: Books Unite People
LENGTH: 4 hours and 37 minutes
RELEASE DATE: April 27, 2020
BLURB:
Can a best friend become a lover without throwing away years of friendship?
Sometimes, all love needs is a little courage.
Sloane: I know I can be a grumpy bastard, and I’m not the easiest man to deal with, but you’d think my best friend would trust me. We don’t keep secrets, even about our love lives. That’s what I thought until I found out Dean was seeing someone. I don’t like it…don’t ask me why. But there’s more to the story than I thought, and now I have to deal with feelings I didn’t even know were possible for me.
Dean: I would not recommend being in love with your straight best friend. I met Sloane in Basic Training and fell head over heels. Years later and a deployment under each of our belts, it’s still not easy. All I’ve wanted for six years, six fucking years, was Sloane. Maybe it’s time I moved on. I’ll never have the same feelings for anyone else, but I’ll never get what I want from Sloane, right?
After one slightly drunken night, will Dean and Sloane ever be able to get back to what they’d been, or has everything between them changed forever?
REVIEW:
Dean and Sloane have been best friends since boot camp. Dean is a Medic and he likes his job. They are stationed at the same facility after having returned from tours in overseas war zones. Sloane works the guard shack and base and is thinking maybe about being an MP. He likes the military and he’s content with his lot in life and his best friend is there, so what more could he ask for? He’s close to his mom and sisters and he has shared his family with Dean, since Dean’s family isn’t that supportive or close with him. Thing is, Dean is gay and Sloane is straight. It’s not an issue for Sloane, but he’s tired of everyone else trying to make a big deal about it.
Dean is content with the military as a career. There isn’t anything else he really wants to pursue and he’s happy to be on base with his best friend again. He’s started seeing a new guy, Marco, who is local and has an IT job. They’ve been on a few dates and Dean likes him. He’s a good guy – funny, smart, affectionate, understanding. What he is not, is Sloane. Dean fell hard for Sloane from the beginning, but he’s kept that hidden since Sloane has never once indicated that he’s anything but straight.
When Sloane discovers, quite by accident, that Dean is dating Marco, he’s actually furious. He feels like Dean is hiding things from him and he’s never done that before. He’s kind of an asshole to Marco when they meet because he’s completely blindsided and angry with Dean. In response, Dean is furious with Sloane over his behaviour and so they go the longest ever without communicating. But they are both miserable. When they finally see each other again, Dean explodes! And Sloane is so not ready for that. And once again, they seem to be at an impasse now that Sloane understands Dean’s position.
Neither is happy at all without they other and they endeavor to try to get back to where they once were. But something Sloane’s mother says niggles at him. And then a night of drunken Netflix and chill, things change yet again. But Sloane doesn’t know what he’s doing and Dean is terrified that he’s now lost his best friend – his family.
I really enjoyed this story. As usual, Michael Ferraiuolo did a fantastic job of narrating and showing the depth of emotion of these two guys as well as the supporting cast. Sloane is a grumpy Gus and that’s totally obvious in this portrayal. Dean is a sweetheart and he’s been through some stuff. He’s not shared a lot with anyone, and if he loses his best friend, he’s not really sure where that leaves him. So that makes him desperate to do what it takes to salvage what he can with Sloane. For Sloane’s part, he’s really confused about his feelings because he’s never reacted this way before whenever Dean was seeing anyone. The crux of the story and their relationship is that he’s got to really examine what it is he wants and what he’s willing to do to get it. He’s got to reframe his go forward plan and what it means to him and to Dean. I really liked the supporting characters also – from Marco to Sloane’s mother to some of the other guys and gals on the base who work with Sloane and Dean and try to offer advice and comfort. While there are definitely tense moments, the overall feeling is a positive one of acceptance. Sometimes what you think about yourself and your life can shift for the right person 😉 Recommended for those in particular who like sweet and sexy stories of self-acceptance and awareness with an open mind and an open heart.
RATING: 
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