Review ~ Collide ~ Riley Hart

Collide by Riley Hart
Blackcreek #1
Release Date: November 17, 2013
Genre: Adult, M/M Romance
Source: Purchased on Kindle
Rating: 4 Bookworms

Synopsis
At ten years old, Noah Jameson and Cooper Bradshaw collided mid-air when they dove for the same football. For three years, they were inseparable...until one day when Noah and his parents disappeared in the middle of the night.

Noah and Cooper never knew what happened to each other. Now, seventeen years later, after finding his boyfriend in bed with another man, Noah returns to Blackcreek looking for a fresh start. And damned if he doesn't find his old friend grew up to be sexy as sin. Coop can't believe Noah--the only person he trusted with the guilt over his parents' death--is back. And gay... Or that Cooper himself suddenly wants another man in his bed for the first time.

There's no denying the attraction and emotion between them, but can they overcome the ghosts of their pasts to have a future together?

This title contains two strong, sexy men, and a passionate friendship that transforms into a sizzling hot romance.

Cooper Bradshaw and Noah Jameson met an an pivotal time in their lives. Through shared experiences and traumas, they forged a special friendship that really stood the test of time. After a seventeen year separation, they picked up right where they left off.

Cooper is kind of a horndog. He never does relationships but has had his fair share of women. He's a guy who feels thing on an extra-emotional level and works as a fireman as a way to redeem himself for something that he had no control over. He was raised by his aunt and uncle and they, his uncle especially, raised him with certain expectations about what a strong man is.

Noah wouldn't fit those expectations. After leaving Blackcreek unexpectedly when he was young, he's back in the only place he ever felt at home. He's back to mend his life and hopefully find Cooper.

I think my favorite thing, that Hart did so well, is conveying this tight bond between two men. The friendship and feelings shared between Noah and Cooper was a special thing. Only with one another did they find patience, understanding and acceptance...a feeling of belonging. This was important when they were young and even more so as adults as they find their feelings morphing into something decidedly more.

By the time Noah returns to Blackcreek, he knew he was gay. Cooper, on the other hand, is confused as he's never experienced feelings, attraction, or lust towards another man. Only Noah. And it was fascinating to watch as they each navigated this new territory. On top of that, Coop fears his family's reaction and that of those he works with. Seeing their relationship grow to the point where Cooper decides what they have together is more important than what people think was a powerful thing. A beautiful thing. These two guys are brave and beautiful in their love for one another.

I know the next book in the series deals with a different couple - whom I'm eager to watch - but I hope to see more of Noah and Cooper as they go against small-town ideas in a fight to love who they want to love and be accepted for it.