Reviewed by Stephen K.
TITLE: Push & Pull
SERIES: (The Midwest Series #2)
AUTHOR: Brigham Vaughn
NARRATOR: James Edward Jones
PUBLISHER: Two Peninsula Press
LENGTH: 8 hours and 29 mins
RELEASE DATE: July 30th 2021
BLURB:
It was just supposed to be a road trip.
Former hockey player Brent Cameron has a plan now that he’s out of the closet. He’ll take a summer road trip, find a job, and settle down with a fellow jock. Lowell Prescott is not part of that plan, but when Brent’s travel companion bails, he’s the only option.
Out and proud, Lowell has a love of sports, a flair of fashion, and a disdain for anything conventional. Burned by past relationships, he’s wary of jocks who want to change him – and that includes Brent Cameron.
Tempers flare and sparks fly as the miles disappear behind them. Just as it seems they might be on a journey to something more than Lake Superior, Brent receives a phone call that could change everything.
Will Brent stay with Lowell and ignore a friend in need, or go sit by the bedside of the man who broke Lowell’s heart?
The stakes are high when you play for keeps.
REVIEW:
Brent is a well meaning college hockey player. He’s just graduated and come out of the closet. Lowell is a “poor little rich boy” of the same age, who’s been openly and enthusiastically gay for years now. In Bully & Exit (Book 1) the two helped get their respective best friends and room-mates back together after a four year break-up. But now Brent’s dream summer, a two month road trip around Lake Michigan with best friend Nathan is in jeopardy. Having just gotten back together with Caleb, Nathan backs out of the plan and Lowell “cuts in.” A two month long blind date? Probably NOT the smartest of plans.
Oddly, the way that this came about was one of the “sticking points” I had with the first book. It seemed like all kinds of bad idea and painted Nathan in a bad light that seemed inconsistent with his character. Brent is understandably pissed, but has always been a bit attracted to the feisty and flirtatious Lowell. And when the lad throws in driving rights to his Porshe Panamera as part of the deal, the boys are shortly on-the road to adventure. Once the boys get rolling, this classic road trip romance was a sweet joyride of a novel.
In this fictional world almost everyone we meet is someone you wouldn’t mind spending time with. That makes these lads getting to know each other an enjoyable low angst journey. Yes, they push each other’s buttons (and comfort zones) enough to keep things interesting, but less that a quarter of the way through their journey I was a bit in love with each of them. The one “heavy” in this story, Micah, who’s the source of most of the difficulties doesn’t make an actual appearance until almost the end; though by then we’ve seen the damage he’s done, through conversations and there’s even a (somewhat awkwardly placed) flashback scene.
In my viewpoint, this book was far superior to its predecessor and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am a bit worried about the next book in the series. It centers on Micah, who was the villain of this piece. He’s been so thoroughly painted as toxic and dislike-able that I can’t imagine rooting for him as a protagonist in the next book. If that’s going to happen, the author has some serious “splainin to do”, and right now, I doubt that that’s even possible.
As with the first book, this one is narrated by James Edward Jones. He once again does a credible job as narrator. The pacing is good. The two main characters voices are different enough that the dialogue sections are clear with the voice acting adding shades of personality to the characters. This book is even a bit more graphic in the naughty bits than its predecessor and Mr. Jones does a good job with those sections as well.
RATING: 
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