Undeclared(SSU#3) by Maris Black
BLURB:
UNDECLARED: SSU Boys #3
By Maris Black
Deep in the heart of the Bible Belt
Lines are getting blurred.
Liam Rush has never ventured too far outside the fences of his family farm, so college is a pretty big deal for him. Now he can finally claim his own identity one that doesn’t involve football, hunting, farm work, or four overbearing brothers. But when he finds himself falling for the androgynous dancer at Trybe, the nightclub where he works as a bouncer, things get confusing. He’s never been attracted to guys before. Not really. And what would the folks back home say if they knew?
Japanese-American mix Blake Himura has been on his own since he was seventeen, with no one to depend on but himself. He’s mere months away from realizing his dream of graduating college and becoming a dance instructor. Unstable men don’t factor into his plans, least of all “straight” boys who don’t mind ruining other people’s lives to keep their dirty little secrets. Liam is exactly the kind of complication Blake doesn’t need in his life. Unfortunately, his heart hasn’t gotten the memo.
Tracy's Review:
We first met Liam and Blake in Smitten (SSU#2). Liam sees Blake at a club the guys bring him to, where Blake is working as a stripper. Liam isn't gay, but someone forgot to tell his body. He is shocked that he can't take his eyes off of Blake, and he can't explain the hard-on he has the entire time he watches Blake. Later that same night Liam invites Blake to sleep in the same bed as him, then freaks out. Blake and Liam have it out and don't speak.
Fast forward a couple of weeks, and both Liam and Blake are working at Trybe, the new club opened by Julian and Beck. Liam is the bouncer and Liam is a dancer. Liam still claims to be straight, but his body still says differently. He spends weeks watching Blake dancing, then one night he gets stuck sleeping at Trybe, where Blake has a room on the weekends. Liam and Blake start hanging out and go from mortal enemies to friends. Eventually on a weekend visit home, where Liam invites Blake home with him, they take it beyond friendship. Will Liam follow his heart or listen to his redneck family and friends back home, and give up what his heart really wants, to love Blake?
This was an emotionally charged story. Blake, after being thrown out at the age of 17 by his mother, is just trying to make it through one more semester in school before he graduates and can get a job as a dance instructor. Liam is the all american plaid, cowboy boot wearing redneck. His family is very traditional and would not be happy to learn their son is gay.
Liam and Blake go back and forth in the beginning of this book. I enjoyed the verbal sparring that went on between these men. They are both very attracted to each other. Liam is scared of the feelings Blake evokes in him and Blake is scared of getting hurt, but has also had his pride stomped on after the way Liam reacted to them simply sharing a bed in the beginning. The sexual tension between these men is palpable and jumps off the pages at you. Once they give in to their desires, look out!! I thought my iPad was going to melt at times some of the scenes were so smoking hot!! Ms. Black has no trouble writing a sex scene, let me tell you.
I loved this book and have really enjoyed this series. So why not 5 stars you ask? Some things were left unanswered. Issues unresolved, if not for that this would have been a 5 star review. I can't recommend Maris's books enough. I haven't met a book by Maris that I haven't loved! I am hoping for more in this series....Seth needs a story :)
About Maris:
Maris Black lives in the Southern United States. In college, she majored in English and discovered the joys of creative writing and literary interpretation. After honing her skills discovering hidden meanings authors probably never intended, she collected her English degree and got a job at a newspaper. But she soon figured out that small town reporting wasn’t going to pay the bills, so she went to work in the medical field. Logical progression, right? But no matter what she did, the self-proclaimed compulsive plotter couldn’t stop writing fiction.
“The M/M genre feels sort of like coming home,” she says. “I can’t quite explain it. I’ve always had openly gay and bisexual friends and relatives, the rights and acceptance of whom are very important to me, so it feels great to celebrate that. But there’s also something so pure and honest about the love between two men that appeals to me and inspires me to write.”
