Spirit Gate

Eh. It was just okay. It just... didn't do it for me... like I liked it enough for 3 stars, but...

(Definitely just went down a deep rabbit hole exploring what I didn't like about this book and just came back to it after 4 hours)

Ultimately, at the heart of it, the book was fine. Good. The passion, desire, heat was there. It was good. I physically had to turn off the audiobook multiple times because it hurt too bad to hear how badly they wanted one another (loved it but hurt because I don't have that in my life). Once the guys started hooking up, I felt a definite shift in my feelings toward it. It was all too quick and too unrealistic, according to my lived experience. Suddenly it was all about the sex and didn't feel that same tension as before, so I didn't care for it as much.

But in a larger sense, I don't know how much I'm going to enjoy M/M romance books, even though I am gay. I went down the rabbit hole of why women are predominately the ones who write gay romance novels (could be one of many reasons–number of romance authors who are women, forbidden love trope is easily done by changing sex of MC, fetishization, sexual exploration with a safe distance without a woman, etc.).
I realized I didn't like this book more, because it didn't feel real. It felt like a woman's portrayal of gay relationships or gay sex (granted my opinion might be wrong of what I expect a relationship to be like). It was almost like it was the woman's idea of what the male gaze is (and could be for many or most gay men). It just isn't what I want from something that I hear called a romance novel.

I will still read other books. Riley Hart did nothing wrong and honestly this book was hot and was a good read to get me started into the M/M genre. I'm not sure how much I will enjoy the other books I read, but it's still good.

I detested the narrator's voice for any female characters. Not great narration. I found myself mocking some of the scenes because of the narrator. Just my personal take.

I didn't have any connection to the characters it was like so much was happening yet I still couldn't grasp who the character were really. I like the book but by the end it was pretty boring also towards the end bc I couldn't connect with the characters. They were happy but it felt like I was ready for the book to end like 58% into the book. Not a bad book just wish we could have more character background and less time jumps in the beginning of there relationship.

Re-Read/Listened February 2019Well .... what a difference a day makes or 3+years. I'm not going to change the rating because evidently that's where may head was back then and that was my level of enjoyment. Today this would be more like a 4.25 for the story and 3.50 for the AB. I'll explain.I don't dislike the story, on the contrary, having now listened to the whole series I like Bryce and Nick very much, though I love Nick, however it seems more like an optimistic, wishful thinking kind of story about two suddenly bi-curious guys coming to embrace their new sexuality. I'm happy for them and am enough of a romantic to believe in their HEA, and I liked that [a:Riley Hart 7013384 Riley Hart https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1364660147p2/7013384.jpg] kept enough family grittiness in, some of it spilling in to the other books, to make the story feel real. However I would've expected a smidge more introspection from the MCs, given their age and heretofore heterosexuality. This second go around did give me a chance to ponder that perhaps Nick is maybe a bit demi, which makes his unabashed acceptance of Bryce plausible. I also got a fresh start on hating or at least strongly disliking both their families, particularly the mothers. Maybe I'm too far removed in age from up-in-your-business family, but ... ugh!!! @#% they were just too much. Even though there's this undercurrent of “they just love their children so much and want the best for them”, it was annoying and I would've happily made Bryce & Nick orphans in a heartbeat. The other thing is that this book, and series, can easily be subtitled Straight Guys Learn How to Have Gay/Anal Sex, and Love It. It might be Woody Allen's next project. shrug I know it's de rigueur to have everything overly explained and to have both parties be verse or your not really gay or haven't “given yourself completely” but that's not necessary or real. Just saying. As for the audio it saddens me to say that I now feel like Sean Crissden rushes or shilly shallies the delivery. Everything is very NICE but also kind of casual. Emotions creep in occasionally but not as much as I would've hoped. I dunno, tastes change, I guess, but he does do a professional job. Maybe it the story?*************************ORIGINAL REVIEWWow!!! This was awesome!!! I loved everything about it. I won't recap the plot as I'm sure many have done so. I'll just go with what worked for me in this book: EVERYTHINGSorry for the fan-girl gushing but this just made me happy and I think I was very much in need of that. A story of two good people discovering love a little later in life than most and dealing with the expected and unexpected reactions from family, friends, society and themselves but the obstacles never outweigh the romance and you are rooting for them every step of the way. From their first awkward attempts at sex to Bryce's “can-do, jump-in-with-both-feet” to any situation and Nick's loyalty and willingness to give himself up to love. If this love story had a theme song I think “Two Fine People” by Cat Stevens would be ideal.Bryce seems like a guy who just flits from one thing to the next but that's only until his passion is engaged and that passion is Nick. Nick who has only been with one other person in his life and that happens to be his ex wife. But they make sense and fit like pieces of a puzzle and the best part is that we see this love blossom and grow, we're not just told about it. Kudos also to [a:Riley Hart 7013384 Riley Hart https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1364660147p2/7013384.jpg] for creating a real and lived in world for these two, populated by recognizable siblings, parents and friends who may have prejudices and preconceptions but who in the course of time change and adapt like loving families do everywhere. I liked that Nick's wife was not portrayed as a shrew & that Nick acknowledged the role he played in their parting.This was an audio for me by the excellent [a:Sean Crisden 4531094 Sean Crisden https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] and I loved it so much that I'm getting the book too just for those moments when I need a little reminder of good stuff in the world.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED