Uneven

At first I wasn't sure I would like Rase, but wow, how context can turn things around. I also thought that Rase and Gabriel's meeting was too straightforward, but then I got some context on that too and oh my.

I read a while ago that people are able to tell in the first 3 seconds from meeting someone if they could be with that person (dunno if that's true or not, meh, it's a cool story) and to me it looks like this is what happened to Rase. He saw Gabriel and that was it, he was hooked.

Rase and Gabriel had some sort of understanding of each other that's a tad surreal. I'm not sure things work like that, but well, they are so good together, I won't dwell into it. I loved how careful Gabriel was, even on their second encounter, and I would have liked to get more inside Gabriel's mind. I am so curious about what his deal is, I craved some conversation between him and Rase on it. Needless to say I am shattered that there is no sequel.

The side characters were great too, they weren't there only to fill up space (I would like to read more about Allen too), they really had a purpose and that's awesome!

The sex is brutal. There is no way around it, it is violent, it is raw and it is so damn hot. I loved how Anah Crow wrote the sex scenes, the creativity and the bluntness of it. I have no more words for it, it was pretty darn perfect.

I would love to rate this book 5 stars, but I go one down because I really would have liked some more background on Gabriel. Other than that, awesome read.

... and this is why I read fiction. Because a good story teller can take me into someone else's world and make me empathize or maybe even identify with situations and life experiences not only outside the scope of my experience but way out of my personal interest or predilections. I shouldn't be surprised, this is [a:Anah Crow 2225255 Anah Crow https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1314820532p2/2225255.jpg].Rase Illion, a forty-something captain of industry finds himself no longer able keep the tight lid he's had on his deepest darkest desires, “He'd hated what he was for so long, he didn't know who he'd be if he didn't.” and is overwhelmed and giddy by what it entails.The reason for his downfall comes in the form of the angel Gabriel or in his case his namesake Gabriel Chariton, a maybe stockboy/poolboy/lawyer who bursts into Rase's life as a harbinger of change and revelation, much like the angel himself.The blurb for this book and the many other reviews have pretty much covered what happens or the gist of the story but what the story is about is something else entirely probably best summed up by Rase's son Takis when Rase reveals he's gay:“The best thing that can happen to anyone is that they get to be themselves.”The relationship between Rase and Gabriel is anything but uneven, rather they satisfy each other's needs on a visceral level. That these two engage in sexual practices that are perhaps outside normal or common, that there's a significant age difference is beside the point. What matters is two people who are the Yin to the other's Yang. This is the beauty of a writer like Anah Crow. A great prose stylist? No. Can the text use some polishing, editing, proofreading etc. Sure. Did I care about any of these things? Absolutely Not. I believed and was drawn in by Rase & Gabriel and read this in an almost breathless tear. I'm sure I'll be doing a reread of this in the very near future.I found that the story developed at a credible pace and the ending without grand declaration but yet brimming with hope had me in mind of [b:Katrakis's Sweet Prize 9301855 Katrakis's Sweet Prize Caitlin Crews https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349073095s/9301855.jpg 13565306] where actions and not words speak the feelings of the MCs. Thank you Cupcake!