Monday, November 21, 2011

The Making of a Man Series by Diane Adams


Diane Adams
The Making of a Man, book #1 - #3
Silver Publishing

 

Backblurbs:
Our December (book #1)
Released December 2010

Sometimes two people fit together so well it seems their love was preordained, as if every step taken led inevitably to a happy ending. Deeply in love, Jared and Alex are such a couple, but the path to true and lasting love is rarely smooth. At 15 being gay isn't the best thing that ever happened to a guy. In fact, Alex Ross thinks it's down right scary. Then he meets 20 year old construction worker Jared Douglas, and Alex starts to think the gay thing might not be so bad after all.
The attraction between them is intense, but mindful of Alex's age Jared is determined to keep the sparks from igniting. The stress of controlling his feelings makes it almost a relief when Alex's father ships him off to prep school. Jared expects Alex to forget him and find a boy friend his own age; he doesn't anticipate how much it will hurt. When Alex comes home for Christmas, just turned 16 with his heart on his sleeve, Jared knows he can't continue to keep everything he feels a secret.

A Place to Run (book #2)
Released March 2011

School’s out and Alex is home, but things aren’t going as smoothly as he hoped. Jared is hesitant about advancing their relationship and fixated on the fact that Alex’s mother doesn’t know he’s gay. When she discovers the truth, her extreme reaction drives Alex back to school early. Jared is stunned. Motivated by his need to protect Alex, Jared begins to question the wisdom of their planning a future together. How will their love flourish when every circumstance makes it seem predestined to fail?

Stronger in Your Hands (book #3)
Released July 2011

Eighteen and still trapped at prep school, Alex feels he and Jared will never get together, and then a surprise visit from Jared puts all doubt to rest. After Alex graduates everything seems to fall right into place. The heat between them is scorching, but secrets from Jared's past and his need to take care of everyone around him, jeopardizes their fledgling relationship. How will they build a future if Jared can't to face the past?

Genre & Keywords:
M/M Romance, Contemporary, First Love

Links: Author’s website | Author’s Facebook | Buy book #1 here | Buy book #2 here | Buy book #3 here


Reviewed by Sharon:

These are all novellas, and we all know how I feel about those: a wonderful medium for a quick yet satisfying read. The Making of a Man series is a beautifully sweet, warm and fuzzy love story that spans 14 years. It is about making the right choices even though it hurts and that love is worth waiting and fighting for.

This is the story of Jared and Alex. Jared is only five years older than Alex, but when they first met Alex was only 15. Jared is openly gay and has had some relationships. Alex hasn’t come out, except to his best friend who is supportive, and has never had any gay experiences. The first book, Our December, is about how Alex and Jared met and dealt with their feelings. It is extremely touching and reminded me of how it felt to fall in love for the first time. My stomach got butterflies every time Alex’s did. Now I know what you are thinking, he is 15! Believe me, Jared knows this and refuses to physically act on his feelings. He makes all the right choices and helps Alex learn about his self and life in general.

I know you’re wondering now…why would I want to read a m/m romance with no sex? Adams was clever, and we get Jared and Alex’s story as a flashback. All three of the books are set in the present. Jared is 35 and Alex is now 30. They are together and happy and have lots of great sex. Each book has them looking back on a certain milestone in the beginning of their relationship. Book #1 is about when they meet and that first kiss *sigh*. In book #2 Alex is 16 and Jared allows some touching, but no sex. While Alex’s dad knows about Jared, his mom doesn’t. She finds out and doesn’t accept it. This causes a big emotional fall out between Jared and Alex. In book #3 Alex turns 18 and Booyah! You know what happens *g*. It was such a messy and crazy experience.

These are straight forward stories, no twists or surprises, but there are quite a few well developed secondary characters. There is some awesome smexing and a happy ever after. You need to read them in order and there are more books in this series to come. The fourth book, Clark’s Story, just released and is a M/F addition to the series which focuses on Jared and Alex’s best friend Clark, but features Jared and Alex as well. I can’t wait to read more about their love story.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 3 out of 3
~

4 comments:

  1. I have heard such good things about this series. The no sex did make me a bit wary (does that make me sound too pervy?) but sounds like that is not a big deal. Are there more stories featuring the MCs after the side book is released? I always struggle with starting a series that continues on before it is finished. I am too impatient!

    ReplyDelete
  2. jayhjay: I'm the same way about a series - mostly because I forget so much if there's only a book a year.

    ReplyDelete
  3. there are some other books planned for this series. She just released Clark's Story last week. Clark is the best friend of Alex and Jared. He is in love with a girl, but while the story is about their romance Alex and Jared and their relationship is part of the story.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gah google ate my comment.

    Anyways, I saw the books, but haven't read them yet. I always frown a bit upon book that wait until the characters are 18 to have sex. Whoever waits that long? Especially horny teenagers? Though I understand it's mostly for 'book' purposes and an American thing :P

    However, I always loved the booksk by this author so at some point I will read this! :-)

    Thanks for the review!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...