Review- Rush by Nyrae Dawn

Goodreads Summary:

This heartbreaking, powerful New Adult male/male romance will be loved by fans of Jamie McGuire, Jessica Sorensen and Abbi Glines, as well as by all fans of Nyrae Dawn's The Games trilogy... 

What if you fell in love with your best friend? But no one could ever know... Brandon Chase has always defined himself by one thing: football. He's the star of the team, an idol to his teammates and surrounded by the hottest girls. But Brandon has a secret - how he really feels about his friend Alec Andrews. Rather than confront the truth, Brandon pushes Alec away. But when Brandon is seriously injured in a car crash, the only person who can get through to him is Alec. Against all odds, Alec helps Brandon train his way back to fitness and prepare for the NFL draft. As they spend the summer together, the two can't deny their attraction - the rush they feel when they're together is impossible to deny and neither wants to walk away. Will Brandon be brave enough to face the consequences of following his heart? No matter what the cost?

REVIEW:

I loved Nyrae Dawn's What A Boy Wants, What A Boy Needs and Measuring Up. Those are books I read when I was completely into Young Adult and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of them. I, however, no matter how big a fan of Nyrae's I became after that, didn't read any other books by the author. But once I got to know that her latest book, Rush, was a male/ male romance, I just knew I had to read it. And while I realised I missed out on Nyrae's simple and sweet writing, I didn't really enjoy the story as much as I was looking forward to enjoying it. 

Rush is the story of Alec and Brandon, who have been gay for as long as they know and they've been friends for a long time. When they first meet, sparks fly, but it's never a bed of roses. They know how difficult it is to survive in a world where anything outside of "normal" is taken as something that's bad, horrible and disgusting. They know how disappointed in them their respective families will be and how much Brandon, the football star's career will be affected by coming out of the closet. 

What I did like about Rush was the relationship between our two heroes. Alec and Brandon made for a very sweet and sensible couple, who cared deeply for each other and were at their best only when they were together. The chemistry between them was nice and hot. The few aspects that didn't sit quite well with me were the time Brandon took to accept that it's guys he likes. At the beginning, it frustrated me to no end when he kept pushing Alec aside. But to balance that out, Alec was a determined and practical person, who put Brandon first no matter what and who was the reason why the two came together. The huge difference between both their families gives two points of views on the breaking of the big news. While Brandon's side of the story was very sweet, Alec's side seemed more real and impacting. 

Overall, Rush wasn't a bad read at all. It was really good, in fact. It's just that I've read a lot of LGBT books and they've blown me away. In a way, I expected Rush to do the same. But now that I think of it, the whole theme on which Rush is based is different and taking into consideration that context, it was a very cute and compelling read that was good in its own way. Nyrae Dawn writes really well, although the typos could have seen better editing. Anyway, the author has written a nice, contemporary M/M romance that takes up the good and the bad side of things and in this day and age, we need more books like this. 

RATING:

Review- Rush by Maya Banks

Summary-

Gabe, Jace, and Ash: three of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the country. They’re accustomed to getting anything they want. Anything at all. For Gabe, it’s making one particular fantasy come true with a woman who was forbidden fruit. Now she’s ripe for the picking...

When Gabe Hamilton saw Mia Crestwell walk into the ballroom for his hotel’s grand opening, he knew he was going to hell for what he had planned. After all, Mia is his best friend’s little sister. Except she’s not so little anymore. And Gabe has waited a long time to act on his desires.

Gabe has starred in Mia’s fantasies more than once, ever since she was a teenager with a huge crush on her brother’s best friend. So what if Gabe’s fourteen years older? Mia knows he’s way out of her league, but her attraction has only grown stronger with time. She’s an adult now, and there’s no reason not to act on her most secret desires.

As Gabe pulls her into his provocative world, she realizes there’s a lot she doesn’t know about him or how exacting his demands can be. Their relationship is intense and obsessive, but as they cross the line from secret sexual odyssey to something deeper, their affair runs the risk of being exposed—and vulnerable to a betrayal far more intimate than either expected.

Review-

Rush is the first book I've read by Maya Banks. I'd heard great things about her KGI series and they do seem interesting but then Rush came out and I thought I'd give it a go. My feelings and emotions over this book are totally and completely mixed. I loved some parts while I hated some parts. I apologize in advance if this review seems more like a rant. But it is what it is.

Rush starts off by introducing us to Gabe, Jace and Ash who are three of the wealthiest and powerful men in the country. They have everything one could ever wish for except love and in this book we get to see Gabe's story. Gabe has always desired Jace's sister Mia but their fourteen year old age difference and his friendship with Jace has prevented him from doing anything about it. But now Mia has grown up and after one meeting with her he's ready to risk everything.

In simple words Gabe was an asshole. He was a jerk most of the times except when he actually lets himself feel for a change. Now Mia, she was a sensible person. She's always known Gabe's way out of her league, so when Gabe offers her an arrangement she jumps on to the chance even though she knows its temporary. She wants to get Gabe out of her system to that she can finally move ahead in her life. But she underestimates just how demanding Gabe can be and that's when things start getting complicated.

I admit, there was extremely hot chemistry between Gabe and Mia. You could see how into each other they were. Their relationship was intense and obsessive. The romance was definitely erotic. But then I hated the whole contract thing. Also, there was bondage, spanking and exhibitionism. I haven't read any bdsm books before so this was a whole new thing for me. I could be okay with it but then Gabe goes and does the most stupid possible thing EVER. I so badly wanted to punch him. Multiple times.

Mia was a bit too forgiving but she does make Gabe crawl in the end. Like I said I liked and hated the book in parts. Some things were just too wrong for me to get on board with. What I loved the most in the book though was Mia and Jace's relationship. Jace was the perfect concerned, over protective, over bearing and stubborn brother who loves nothing more than his sister. His love for her made me swoon for him. I am eagerly awaiting for his book Fever. Ash was fun.

Maya Banks has an amazing writing style. It just makes you want to read and read and then read some more. I will definitely be picking up her her KGI series. I have not read much of erotic romance and it is a new genre for me. Maybe that is why I found this book the way I found it. I will still be continuing the series though. For nothing other than to satisfy my morbid curiosity. One thing I can say about the book though, you may love it or hate it but you can't get it out of your head.