Moment of Truth: History and Australia's... Excellent essay full of so many pertinent observations I don’t know where to start. But I think the one that stays with me is his excellent expansion of our inability to imagine something like what happened to indigenous peoples happening to us. Our empathy and compassion is clearly conditional.

Well, I'm not completely sure about this one and my review might contain mild spoilers.

 

 

The first installment was well written, a little sexy and a little sweet, but not exactly my favorite read. I still wanted to know how things would progress between Tanner, the man who screwed his girl right next to the man he claimed to have a crush on, and Collin, a sweet guy coming from a messed up family and not at all comfortable with being out of the closet.

 

The second installment starts out with Collin and Tanner arriving at a house on Fire Island where they're spending their summer working as waiters. But Collin is not used to being out, while at the same time his insecurities get the best of him now and again, driving him to the kind of ugly jealousy that is never good for any relationship.

The story was well written, the pace was good and I enjoyed Collin and Tanner growing together, getting more intimate with each other and exploring their physical relationship further. The many side characters were a little... tiring at times. They all had a story, they all had their own angst, and some of them just got on my nerves. Because while they all wanted to have "screen time", they also stayed kind of vague and rough around the edges.

 

What I really didn't like was the jealousy/misunderstanding part. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of the readers who absolutely hate cheating in a book. Also, what we got here was a very grey area, if you ask me. Not exactly cheating, but not exactly fidelity either. But the way it happened was absolutely not my thing. Not only did we get a "Big Misunderstanding" that was never actually explained, but the whole thing felt forced from beginning to end. Especially because at first I was very happy that Collin found an actual friend on the island - he definitely needed one - but it felt so... "cheapened" after everything was said and done. As if people can't be friends without at least making out once. Didn't like that part at all.

 

It also says a lot when I start liking the "other man" too much and when I am actually considering for a moment if the two wouldn't make a good couple.

It's all resolved in the end, maybe even a little too easily and with too many rainbows and butterflies. But again, it's "only" a HFN, and not exactly a very strong one.

So I'm a little torn. On the one hand it's well written, with good pace and two likable MCs that had their moments. But then I didn't like the "big drama" and wasn't a huge fan of the ending.

 

So it was okay, and I was curious if these two would ever get their HEA, but it wasn't enough to bump this up to more than three stars all around.

Maurice (Mo) Ousley has been trying to escape his past, he is a NBA star, has a beautiful girlfriend, great teammates, a family who loves him, but he is about to go through the worst hours of life. First a secret in his girlfriend's past is revealed and he doesn't know how to deal with it. Then he is kidnapped while leaving a wild party and he is right back in the middle of the past he is trying to escape. His old gang wants some gold Mo's real dad stole years ago and they expect Mo to find out where it's hidden. He has spoken to the man in twenty years. They just night let me live after he leads them to the gold.



The story was suspenseful, a little confusing at times. I like basketball but that is just a small background to the story. There is the normal slang language between the gang members and the players. It is a short, fast read. I could see it as an episode of a television show, like Criminal Minds.

3 STARS *** IT WAS JUST OK


About the Author (from Amazon.com)
Mark O'Neal, who is a Chicago native, created a story that centers on a character who is essentially a good guy with a troubled past. The Moment of Truth is a mixture of sports and crime; two elements that spark O'Neal's interest the most. O'Neal initially began his career in retail after graduating from college with a degree in business. Dissatisfied with his job as an assistant manager at a large retail chain, he bounced around from company to company before settling in at a bank over thirteen years ago. Before he reached a decade in tenure at the bank, he pondered upon what his true purpose in life really was. He discovered a passion for writing and started creating stories that reflected a winding road of his many positive and negative life experiences. He molded those experiences into a writing style that was bold and captivating to many readers.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author.. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 19s 16 CFR, Part 255 : 1CGuides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. 1D

Maurice (Mo) Ousley has been trying to escape his past, he is a NBA star, has a beautiful girlfriend, great teammates, a family who loves him, but he is about to go through the worst hours of life. First a secret in his girlfriend's past is revealed and he doesn't know how to deal with it. Then he is kidnapped while leaving a wild party and he is right back in the middle of the past he is trying to escape. His old gang wants some gold Mo's real dad stole years ago and they expect Mo to find out where it's hidden. He has spoken to the man in twenty years. They just night let me live after he leads them to the gold.



The story was suspenseful, a little confusing at times. I like basketball but that is just a small background to the story. There is the normal slang language between the gang members and the players. It is a short, fast read. I could see it as an episode of a television show, like Criminal Minds.

3 STARS *** IT WAS JUST OK


About the Author (from Amazon.com)
Mark O'Neal, who is a Chicago native, created a story that centers on a character who is essentially a good guy with a troubled past. The Moment of Truth is a mixture of sports and crime; two elements that spark O'Neal's interest the most. O'Neal initially began his career in retail after graduating from college with a degree in business. Dissatisfied with his job as an assistant manager at a large retail chain, he bounced around from company to company before settling in at a bank over thirteen years ago. Before he reached a decade in tenure at the bank, he pondered upon what his true purpose in life really was. He discovered a passion for writing and started creating stories that reflected a winding road of his many positive and negative life experiences. He molded those experiences into a writing style that was bold and captivating to many readers.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author.. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 19s 16 CFR, Part 255 : 1CGuides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. 1D

I liked this one a lot.

"Don't let little Gigi over there mess with your head."

"Gigi?" I had no idea what she was talking about.

"GG-Gabby and Grabby."

The trick with this pair is that the do things other couples don't. In the first book Tanner suggests Collin should watch porn to see if he wants to try something. In this novel, Collin decides to trim himself and Tanner catches him doing so and finishes the task. I thought that moment was very funny and made me laugh. In fact, these two make me laugh because they have a chemistry not only in the sexual sphere, but in the emotional and friendship spheres, too. I believe they truly fit and make each other happy.



Collin and Tanner move to Fire Island during the summer to enjoy the beach together in a big size bed all for themselves and taste the freedom of being together as a couple amongst friends. Also, after Collin's family gave their back to him, it's good to save as much money as he can for the following year at college. The people is welcoming and don't even bat an eye when the kiss and hug, so it's a new experience for Collin, who has always lived in the closet. And it's also a honeymoon for both.



But something spoils it. A little or too much, I'm not sure. There is a Big Misunderstanding, so I got upset something so stupid and cliché could happen due to that need to give extra drama. It can almost be interpreted as an insult to the reader's intelligence. That an innocent scene can drive people apart and make them give up something they believed on shatters the image of a couple that can face everything that is thrown at them. Life is hard and they are just beginning their relationship, they are so young and new to each other but they already have doubts and suspicions about the other person's loyalty and fidelity. And that doesn't speak highly of them.



On the other hand, Collin has been living in a very restricted environment and he may follow wrong decisions out of insecurities and fear. Tanner is bi and that doesn't play at his favor, meaning that his partner will always wonder is he or she is enough, if he is missing the other sex's attributes. It's unfair but I liked how that conflict is portrayed here, and how hurt was Tanner due to Collin's lack of trust in him. Some this dispute can be kind of "necessary" to make them move forward and build something more solid and resilient.

All in all, I came to the conclusion that, yes, it very was frustrating some immature reactions were included in the story but it also worked. Sort of. I know that shattering the illusion of them being a strong couple, a "we against the world" unison, is cruel. However, after those shameful moments I was really anxious with the possibility of Collin and Tanner not being an "us" anymore.



The other problem our two MC have to face is the drama-llama of their friend Wendy. And maybe I sound like a bitch here but God, she deserves it. Aren't her boyfriend Dex and herself playing an "open relationship" since their very beginning? How come now she gets angry when she discovers Dex having sex with Maggie? Didn't she used to do the same with Tanner? And if she doesn't like to share, why the hell she doesn't break up with such a loser who will never treat her as a lady? If she wants flowers and hearts, she should act accordingly. These childish behaviors drove me mad.