Reviewed by Cheryl K
TITLE: Where the River Meets the Skye: A hurt comfort mm romance
AUTHOR: Felicity Snow
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 300 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 17, 2024
BLURB:
Skyelar McKenzie doesn’t believe in God. River Dawson was raised in the church and his faith is the most important thing in the world to him. It gave him strength when he needed it most.
Despite their differences, the two men have been roommates, and best friends for ten years. But things get more complicated when Skye starts to realize that his feelings for his best friend aren’t strictly platonic. That maybe the pull he feels towards River, the desire to comfort him, soothe him, chase away his demons, and make him smile goes deeper than he thought.
When River starts to face unexpected health issues Skye is there for his friend just like he always has been, and the feelings grow even deeper. But how can Skye say something when River is straight? And is he really the best fit for his friend given their differing beliefs?
But then River starts looking at him in ways he hasn’t before, and touching him in ways he hasn’t before, making Skye wonder if River is really straight after all, and if, maybe, there’s a chance for the happiness he’s longed for with the most amazing man he’s ever known. If maybe, River has feelings for him, too.
As time goes on, though, and River’s health issues get more complicated, can Skye be the anchor his friend needs? Can they be each other’s strength and courage when it looks like things are falling apart and the answers they seek aren’t coming?
Will they find joy amid all the heartache and doubt, and will their love be enough?
Where the River Meets the Skye is an 83k word best friends to lover’s mm romance featuring a slow burn, bi awakening, hurt comfort, opposites attract, a religious mc, and past trauma. This story deals heavily with chronic pain and illness. It contains adult content and is not intended for anyone under the age of 18
CW: mentions and discussions of past SA, including a brief on page flashback, passing of a minor character, brief mentions of self-harm
*Please read the Author’s Note at the beginning of the book before proceeding.
REVIEW:
If you are up for a seriously heavy hurt/comfort book, this is the book for you.
Disclaimer time: Do not disregard the author’s trigger warnings for this book. This is a hurt/comfort book, that deals with a lot of hurt, while getting to the comfort.
I have to be honest and say this would not be my normal choice of book to read. That being said, the worldbuilding for this story was very good. It brings insight to, what I feel, is an under diagnosed or incorrectly diagnosed disorder – called POTS (Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome). As Felicity builds out this world, we are exposed to the life altering issues, people with this disease deal on a daily basis.
Which brings us to her character development. Which is so good. The shear depth of character in this story is top notch. We get to delve into River’s world and see and feel everything he does, from his past assault to dealing with his POTS diagnosis. We get to see as he starts to question his faith, while at the same time trying to assess his new feelings for Skye. Skye is a wonderful free spirit character, that in the end brings balance and safety to River’s life, even though they have been roommates for a long time. He engenders so much of what is good in the world. He’s kind, loving and best of all comfortable with any level of intimacy River is willing to share with him…
I found the prose to be well done and took a serious tone when needed. But also created an intimate look into their lives, that included laughter, tears and an honest look at sexual assault. But what drew me into the story and kept me hooked was her honest portrayal of River and Skye’s relationship progression. Her ability to convey each character’s feelings, came through the page and brought me to tears on more than one occasion. The passing of a side character was just gut wrenching.
He couldn’t do it anymore. It was what he kept telling himself after months of non-stop physical pain, frustrating limitations and feeling overwhelmed emotionally and mentally. He was frustrated, depressed, and honestly the most prevalent emotion was fear. Because he didn’t know what to do, or why the pain was so strong. He didn’t know why his body wasn’t healing itself or if he would ever be back to the way he was before the accident. If he would ever be able to sit again without being in pain.
But the truth of it was, he could tell himself that a hundred times a day, and it didn’t matter, because he didn’t have a choice. Whether he felt like he could do it anymore or not, he had to.
This story was a lovely combination of hurt/comfort and best friends to lover’s trope, that I’ve read lately. This is an extremely well written story, dealing with some heavy issues, that I hope everyone will pick up and enjoy.
RATING: 
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