3.5

First of all, I really liked the writing style, it's detailed and almost... lyrical? in the way it vividly depicts the emotions, moods and internal struggles that both MCs go through.
This could have been a great, great story for me, if it weren't for a couple of things that I'm going to detail below. Please note that there may be spoilers, so read with caution.
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One of the reasons I'm not giving it 5 stars is the infidelity. I mean, I have no problem reading about it, what bothers me is how it was treated. One thing that amazes me is how in several reviews, they all say how one of the MCs cheating on his husband was treated and solved very well, when for me it's not the case. Obviously, I'm in the minority. And it's that during the story, we have pages and pages where Gavin plays with his wedding ring while he thinks about his husband and how he regrets cheating on him but that he cannot help it. Where he says that despite the fact that they have started to drift apart for a while, he still respects and cares the most about that person who for over a decade has not only been his husband, but his best friend. So I think, if he respects him so much and it's so important, how come he cheats on him? I don't want to imagine what it would be like with someone he doesn't respect or for whom he doesn't give two bucks. I understand the need to care for and protect his new "interest", I understand the deep attraction or connection he has with Zev. But he could have taken care of Zev without cheating on his husband, or put his cards on the table with Milo before doing so. After all, they had already started talking on the phone about the status of their relationship. I think that if he hadn't exaggerated the weight of the marriage so much, how much Milo meant to him, etc etc, it would have been better. After all, it would not be the first time that a married couple distanced themselves and are indifferent to each other, and that one person cheated on the other, and it will not be the last. So... I think that when the others refer to it as being well resolved, is it that when Gavin comes back to his house, he confesses to Milo that he cheated on him and that he wants a divorce? I mean, does the confession and description of the inevitability of his feelings for Zev make it acceptable to Milo? NOPE.

The other thing that amazes me, is how everyone says "Oh what good friends Dillon and Carmen are!" What?! How are they good friends? I mean, they were the party buddies, Dillon gave and shared drugs and drinks and had relationships with Zev (and apparently, Carmen was also another friend with benefits when the mood was up, or so Zev implies) and. .. well, just because when he comes back from the rehab and they accompany him they are good friends? If I see my friend fall into a self-destructive spiral, I don't give him drugs or accompany him to these parties/orgies, etc, etc etc...

I think I read a completely different book than most of the people who have reviewed it so far. Or did I completely misinterpret what I read? Obviously I don't understand English as well as I thought.

And finally, in this case, I'm not bothered by the kinks themselves, but by the lack of warning content. Yes, there are several triggers listed, including the Daddy/Boy dynamic, but there is also an element of sadomasochism to their interaction, and that is not contained in the TW.

I was given an advanced copy and voluntarily wrote a review.