Completely Changed: DiverCity Book 1, Kamisa Cole

There are a lot of nice things about this book.  There's honesty, reality, tension, steam...none of those things are to be discounted in this story of two men, damaged in different ways, trying to find a way to love someone others think they shouldn't.  What I like less is the pacing, the push and pull, and the many instances of forced progression in the story and the individual conflicts.  But overall, we're given a good story with two men who obviously need one another and despite all the difficulties, they find a love that fits.

All the pieces of the story had their place, but the way they were put together only kind of fit.  They worked chronologically, but most of the progression between them felt forced.  Instead of allowing them to move forward organically some conflicts were thrown in to give them somewhere to go, something to push them forward too strongly, too quickly.  The way things started with the instant attraction and element of protection was a good start.  It's just when the very next thing that happens is pages and pages of vehement denial, pushing one another away, immature decision making and reactions...none of it really bodes well for a functional relationship.  And when the things that make them give in are constantly thwarted by conflicts that don't really feel natural I'm hard-pressed to say I was eager to find out where they went from there.  I wasn't compelled by the overall story unfortunately.

Kash was the more interesting of the two men with a personal history that was believable and, from start to finish, felt like it added depth and was something that could be reconciled fully in a meaningful way by the end of the story.  A couple surprise revelations worked to bring the family concept full-circle, but it also seemed a little bigger than simply keeping it with his mother and realizing that families can be chosen by virtue of love and support and not merely by blood and paperwork.  Alec embodied his age and maturity level at virtually every turn.  While I admit that he had some horrendous things happen in his young life, those experiences may have taught him about cruelty and also healing, but they don't necessarily bring maturity.  I never truly felt like he became anything more than a 19-year old boy who loved an older man and was at the cusp of life.  His own personal evolution was a bit lacking though he does have great potential with someone like Kash at his side.

Tenderness and steam eventually came together once all the drama was behind them.  Before that point there was either one or the other, but not a whole lot of the two combined.  Both elements were held back at different times for one reason or another and once everything was all on the same page, the intensity that should have been there all along finally culminated into a really sweet ending.  So while I can't really say this is my favorite story, there were some things that really did work that will likely speak to a whole lot of other readers.  I'm mildly intrigued in the rest of the series because there are some truly interesting side characters and hints at connections that I'd really like to see pan out in the end.  In that respect, drawing interest for more from their world and their real family, I'd say the story achieved its aim.

*$2.99 on Amazon

Never fall for a broken, younger man…

Then again, I don’t think love happens accidentally anyway. You pick who you love. It’s what my adoptive mother taught me.
It’s what I believed all my life.
Until Alec McGowan walks in.

As head of security of the bar we work at his safety is my responsibility. But it’s more than that.
He buries himself under my skin, and no matter how much I fight it, I cannot stop thinking about him—or wanting him.
It’s when tragedy strikes that I realize Alec might be all I ever needed.

But… Is it already too late for us?