author: roni loren

A mini-review for Yours All Along, by Roni Loren (Random House/InterMix, June 16, 2015).

Cover Artist: Unknown

What it’s about: Hunter and Devon were best friends in college before a car accident put Hunter in the hospital and tore their friendship apart. Now Hunter is a star MLB pitcher in Houston, about to get married to his beautiful girlfriend, and Devon is running a restaurant in Dallas. Hunter is going with the flow on his upcoming marriage, but he can’t stop thinking about Devon and the friendship they had in college… a friendship which had just turned into something more before his car accident.

Why you should read it: It’s well written. The characters are interesting, and the plot takes an m/m romance cliché (ultra-straight boy is ‘gay for you’) and puts a fresh twist on it. It’s a framed narrative, with most of the story taking place in Hunter’s flashbacks to college, while the beginning and end are in the present day, where Hunter is starting to realize how unhappy he truly is.

Why you should give it a miss: It’s a novella. If you follow my blog, you know that I don’t like novellas much, because they never seem to get the pacing right. Loren’s story isn’t any different. It starts off great, and the flashbacks scenes are perfectly paced to show the growing attraction between Devon and Hunter, and Hunter’s curiosity as he builds the courage to act. But the ending is rushed, and I felt cheated.

Overall: A good, quick read. Loren can definitely write, there’s no doubt about that, but it kinda fell apart at the end for me.