Guest Reviewed by Morgan
Title: Yellow Streak
Author: Susan Laine
Series: Heroes at Heart #2
Heroes: Yancy Bell/Curt Donovan
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 82 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: November 11, 2015
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: Yancy Bell, a book geek with a bladder problem, saved the life of suicidal gay jock Curt Donovan. But when Curt returns to college after the Christmas holidays pretending he doesn’t know Yancy, warning bells go off.
Has a frightened Curt decided the safety of the closet is preferable to coming out? A remorseful Curt comes knocking on Yancy’s door in the dead of the night. Yancy wants to help Curt find the courage to proudly be himself and pursue his dreams, but first Curt needs to come to terms with his past acts. Yancy can only hope their reunion ends in light, not darkness.
Review: This is the sequel to Yellowbelly Hero. In book one, Yancy “saves” Curt from almost killing himself one night before Christmas break in the dorms of his University. This picks up after break, when everyone has returned to classes.
Curt was supposed to have contacted Yancy and at least let him know he was ok. He didn’t. Yancy is both surprised and hurt but also sort of expecting this turn-around.
When Curt does show up, he ignores Yancy, confirming that he is neither ready to accept his being gay, willing to be seen with Yancy even as a friend nor coping with his near suicide.
Curt, however, immediately runs back to Yancy and outs himself to his friends. He’s still got a ways to go in terms of coping with his depression, but he’s willing to be out and recognizes Yancy as his boyfriend.
By the end of the story, the two boys are a permanent couple and living in New York… where we lead to book three.
**
This book was kind of all over the place. Curt jumps right into his relationship with Yancy but won’t go see anybody about his depression. He changes from jock to dancer seemingly overnight. Yancy continues to blithely support Curt no matter how he is treated and seems grateful that he’s found someone to be with despite his bladder issues.
I’m not sure why the bladder issues continue to take center stage. I got it in book one – it was sort of an entrée into the whole “meet in the bathroom” and “why I feel isolated, too” phase of the relationship building. But, in book two, it was mentioned several times but without an apparent reason.
I really liked the idea of tackling such a serious issue: suicide and homophobia in the college age group. The brevity of the story made it hard to invest in the characters and I’d hoped that book two could really delve more into these guys as people and as a couple. Instead, it felt a bit disjointed and kind of all over the place.
I wanted to spend more time with them developing their relationship, but instead, we spend pages discussing Curt’s dancing. I see in book three that continues to be a focus. I never really felt like I understood these guys as a couple. Besides the “you saved me” thing, we don’t see them forming much of a bond.
I’m invested enough to read book three, but I’m not really liking where things are headed.
Overall Impression: It was okay, but not good
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*
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