First of all, this is a quiet book. Architect Cody comes to a small town in Oregon to renovate an old lighthouse. He meets and gets to know artist Nick, who is here on vacation with his partner Ray. Over the course of the next couple of weeks, Nick and Cody come closer, realizing they are kindred spirits. But Ray can also see the attraction, and starts fighting for Nick the only way he knows how: by guilt-tripping Nick.Ray is an interesting character, actually the most complicated and intriguing character in this book, even though he's also unlikable, scheming and generally behaving like a spoiled brat. We only see him through Cody's eyes, though, so his portrait might be negatively colored.Cody left LA and his former boyfriend because, at forty, he was fed up with the fast life that Steve cherished so much. Cody realized he wanted to settle down in the peace and remoteness of a smaller community, Steve wanted to party on under the big city lights, and so they parted ways amicably.There are parallels between Cody/Steve and Ray/Nick. For all that Nick is an acclaimed artist, he's also quite shy, almost unsociable. Ray is the moon to Nick's sun, bathing in his fame and doing all the socializing in Nick's stead. Superficially you'd think Ray a sponger, but as for me, I think there must've been something in it for Nick too. However, as they are now, it's really painful to watch them together, and I found myself rooting for Nick to make the "right" decision...for both of them, since Ray obviously isn't able to let go, even though all they're doing now is hurt each other.This story isn't about cheating, and Cody is no relationship wrecker. Still, I can clearly see why some might think so and despise this story for it. The "normal" m/m trope would've had Ray out of the picture already, and Nick, wounded and hurt, find solace with Cody. This isn't the case here. Ray IS still there, very present, and all three men have to deal with the fact that people can fall IN love, but can fall out of it too. I thought the premise of this book realistic and well executed, and I an recommend it.Review originally written for www.reviewsbyjessewave.com
