Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: Trouble
AUTHOR: Devon McCormack
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 430 pages
RELEASE DATE: August 18, 2020
BLURB:
KYLE
Trouble.
That’s all I am to people in this town. They’re always waiting for me to mess up–prove them right. But I’m happy to keep to myself and mind my own business to survive my senior year at Wyachet High.
Then one rainy Monday morning I meet the dirty blond in glasses. A confusing first encounter turns awkward, but it’s short-lived since James Warner has a way of setting me at ease.
Mr. Warner, I should say.
Teach.
A fumbling nerd with a tendency to slip Milton and Shakespeare into conversation, he’s a peculiar mix of charm, wit, vulnerability, and protectiveness.
Curiosity leads to intrigue, which leads to…I don’t even know anymore. Not a day in class goes by where I don’t catch myself admiring the way he fills out one of his tight button-downs…hoping I’ll catch his gaze at just the right moment… wondering if he bites his lip after a bad joke just to drive me out of my g*ddamn mind.
I’ve never been like this over a guy…and he’s never been into guys at all.
What am I doing crushing on my straight teacher? And why is it that, the more time we spend together, the more I feel like something between us is changing?
No, it isn’t possible, and even if it were, he has too much to lose.
It’s trouble with a capital T. We could never cross that line.
We won’t. We can’t. We shouldn’t.
But if only we could…
REVIEW:
Trouble, Devin McCormack’s latest, has a teacher-student trope featuring Kyle Forsythe, an eighteen-year-old high school senior who has garnered a label he doesn’t deserve: Trouble. Rumors abound about Kyle which won’t be helped by his falling for his British Lit teacher, James Warner. Both men come loaded with baggage: Kyle comes from an abusive home and James is undergoing a divorce from his gaslighting, nasty, piece of work wife. Oh, how I despise her!
Their friendship begins when Kyle rescues James after he falls in a puddle of rain the first day of school. Kyle is attracted to James from the onset. When Kyle joins James on Saturdays to build houses for charity, they gradually get to know each other. There are many layers to these men that are gradually peeled back, one at a time, to reveal their true selves that no one else sees. They bare their most dire secrets to each other as a sign of trust, and by sharing the awful memories of despicable events, they help each other heal. As the relationship intensifies, I like that James, who is in his mid to late twenties, has enough respect for Kyle to admit he has romantic feelings for him.
My feelings about Trouble were all over the place. When I began reading, I couldn’t put the book down. Then I became fearful about what would happen (the one thing I didn’t want to happen – prayed wouldn’t happen – happened). So much could go wrong in so many ways. I actually had to take a break from the book because the tension was ramping up. Then I was tempted to skip ahead to the epilogue (something I’ve never done) to be assured everything would work out okay. I know, I know, I’m a wimp but at least I didn’t skip ahead.
Kyle is a neat character who’s had a crummy life. Beneath the bad reputation is a highly intelligent man wise beyond his years. He’s caring, charitable, and sociable when he tries. He helps James realize he’s demisexual. I like that James doesn’t hesitate in the sexual side of their relationship even though he’s never been with a man before. Kyle gave him an extensive and crazy hot intro to gay sex, but I have to say, his first time with anal was on a staircase without lube. Come on!
I’ve read other teacher-student novels before and the subject doesn’t bother me at all. I’m fine with the forbidden nature of the relationship, the age difference, and Kyle’s age since he’s an adult. My feelings about Trouble, however, devolved as I progressed through the book. Although I like James quite a bit, I developed a lot of anger toward him. I thought about the hardships he’s faced and can understand why he’s vulnerable and aching for things like love, compassion, respect, and gentleness, all things Kyle offered. But James acted so stupidly, so recklessly.
“I breached an ethical boundary. I’d risked everything in my life. I’d committed a crime.”
He could literally go to prison for his passion. I get that he is conflicted, but waiting nine months wouldn’t be the end of the world. Getting caught, however, would be the end of James’ world. It’s easy to make rash decisions when in lust and love, but this was a step too far.
On the positive side, Trouble is a well-written novel with Kyle and James as likable, sympathetic characters, interesting side characters, and a thought-provoking plot. But what started out having so much potential began to drag in the middle and felt flat in the end. The book could stand to lose quite a bit of length. Mostly, I could never get past James acting so perilously and it distracted from my enjoyment of the book. I can’t pinpoint why it bothered me so much in this book when it hasn’t before. If you don’t think this will bother you, I say go for it. There’s a lot to enjoy about Trouble, it just wasn’t for me.
RATING: 
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