Teaching Truthfulness: Forever in Middlebury Book 3, Brittany Cournoyer

Accepting yourself doesn't always mean you're confident about it.  Fear regarding the reveal can be just as scary as the realization, sometimes more so.  For Peyton and Marshall those revelations may lose them the person they're finally willing to take a chance on forever with.

Marshall accepts that he's gay.  But he's not ready to share that information with the world yet.  There are times he's worked up the courage to tell his family but one issue after another come up and give him both a reprieve and an excuse.  The reaction from his best friend isn't giving him much of a reason to risk the rest of his relationships either.

Peyton knows who he is and what he wants.  He also knows what he's willing to give.  Every single romantic partner he's had has rejected those needs in one way or another and while he's hasn't completely given up hope, he's not sure he wants to continue the auditions just yet.  Until he meets Marshall.  Their misunderstandings about their availability in the beginning is cute and we get to see a little dance that builds the anticipation.  It's clear, though, that as they finally get together there's something bigger than Peyton's hesitations that may end them before anything can begin.

So Marshall is in the closet.  We get that.  It's not exactly for the best reasons, but they're still his own reasons.  Coming out should be a personal thing.  It should always be the individual's choice for if or when.  Peyton's insistence on a timeline makes sense in terms of their relationship continuing and the happiness of the individual with the sexuality in question, but Marshall should never have been shamed into doing it.  Marshall should want to do it for himself first and foremost.  A boost or a push in that direction isn't bad, but I'm not a fan of him being belittled or berated for being scared.  Calling him out on excuses is one thing but his fear is the underlying cause for them and he needed a lighter hand, I feel.  The feisty grandfatherly client went about it the best way and I really disliked the way Peyton and Sebastian handled the situation.

The conflict should have stayed focused on Peyton's hurt at being kept a secret, not the timeline for coming out.  Perfectly wonderful parents and family members have still shunned, ignored, or even disowned LGBT+ family members before.  To discount his feelings is more than just rude.  The people that had a good coming out shouldn't judge or force...they might understand the fear, but they shouldn't judge someone for prolonging what they feel might be inevitable.

While I wasn't hoping for some sweet, happy, no-conflict story, I did kind of hope for more focus on the organic conflict.  Focusing on the timeline pushed the story forward but didn't feel like it was the right way to go about dealing with the types of sexuality discussed in the story nor did it feel like the right way to propel us to the resolution.  But overall, I really enjoyed this story.  I think there was a lot of chemistry and tenderness between Marshall and Peyton.  The ending was full of love as well.  It made their difficult road almost worth all the pain.  Both men captured my interest in the beginning and secured it at the end.  I'm looking forward to Steve and Dawson's story next...

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