Honesty (Ben and Eric): Six Degrees Book 2, Sandy Smith

When we left Home, Ky and Nicholas' story, we got the sweetest, most honest, fantastic epilogue in a beautiful setting that gave a little hint that sent itself to grounding and supporting that moment.  And now we're on the other side of that setting with how everyone got to that point.  Well, how Eric and Ben got to that point.  I was on the fence about Home, but I cannot express how glad I am that I gave this author and series another chance.  Honesty was sweet, honest, and so much more engaging.

Told only from Ben's POV, we learn about his difficult situation and just how much he has on his plate.  When he meets Eric it seems that he's finally on the way to forming a relationship that can give him a lightness, a sweetness that is just out of reach.  It's very clear how young he is and while I would have loved to have a dual POV, Ben's evolution is the one that needed the most work so it was appropriate to have the tale told in his words.

Ben had quite a few immature moments and I wasn't exactly thrilled with them, but knowing his age and life experience, I wasn't surprised.  He had a couple of experiences that attempted to get him out of his own way, but it ended up being harsh words from a sweet friend that shocked him out of himself enough to see that his world is not as narrow as he's believed it to be up until this point.

Having met Eric a few times in Home, we're aware of who he is and what he does, so seeing that he kept that a bit of a secret wasn't surprising in the least and the reveal coming from someone other than Eric was incredibly cliche and predictable.  It wasn't bad, just formulaic and uninspiring.  What I did appreciate however, was that the man didn't become defensive, angry, or hurtful in response.  His heartbreak was more from his own acknowledgement that he could have made this a non-issue from the beginning and the scene with his grandmother really put that into perspective for Ben.

Ultimately, there were so many tender and sweet moments, especially in Byron Bay, that made me sigh and come to truly love these men.  Their separation wasn't too prolonged and their reconciliation was full of sincerity.  Their entire romance was governed by their hearts and their desire to be good, hardworking men.  Life sometimes got in the way of them seeing it in themselves, but finding one another gave them the foundation they needed to face everything life deigned to throw their way.  I truly enjoyed this story.

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How do you build a relationship without honesty?

To care for his teenage sister and her newborn baby, Ben Sinclair gave up his carefree university student life, playing gigs with a band, and his boyfriend Wyatt, who he thought was the love of his life. Handling a breakup, bills, and a baby is bad enough. Then Ben discovers Wyatt was cheating on him their whole relationship, and everyone knew but Ben.

Finding out his ex wasn’t quite as honest as he thought shatters Ben’s confidence, but it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t have time to do anything other than work, babysit, and stress over bills anyway.

When Ben starts a new job at a hotel and meets Eric, he begins to dream of a better life. Eric is hot, charming and funny. He’s also straight… or so Ben believes. Eric is everything Ben ever wanted but couldn’t possibly have.
Eric helps Ben find his footing and rediscover his passions. But when Ben discovers Eric has been lying to him all along about who he really is, can Ben ever forgive him? Or were they doomed from the start?

No matter what else happens, Ben vows never to make the mistake of falling for someone who lies again. There is no way he’d make that mistake a second time, right?