Shifting Gears (Vallie’s Review)

Title: Shifting Gears (Crossroads #2)
Author: Riley Hart
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date:February 10, 2016
Genre(s): Contemporary
Page Count: 3828 kindle locations
Reviewed by: Vallie
Heat Level: 5 flames out of 5
Rating: 5+ stars out of 5
Blurb:

Rod Nelson is used to being someone’s good time, and that’s fine with him. Spending his days at his adult toy store, Rods-N-Ends, he never knows who he’ll meet. The second Landon Harrison walks in, he has Rod’s full attention. It seems as if Landon wants him too, so why won’t the man jump in the sack with him already?

Landon never thought he’d return home to the town where memories lurk around every corner. He has to admit, Rod makes the adjustment a lot easier. He keeps Landon laughing. Despite the fierce attraction between them, he’s not willing to risk his newfound friendship to get laid.

Neither man wants something serious, but the more they’re together, the harder it is to keep their hands to themselves, until eventually they stop trying.

But flings between friends are never simple, and as they attempt to shift gears, diving into their first relationship, they’re slammed with setbacks. If they want to truly move forward, before they hit the open road together, they’re going to have to let go of a past that could make them crash and burn.

Absolutely loved this! I liked the first book in the series, but this one blew the first one out of the water. Brilliant writing, well developed, flawed characters, dual POV, and hot sex scenes. What more to ask for?

So. Rod is the owner of a sex toy store and Nick and Bryce’s friend from book 1. He is incredibly quirky, full of smart-ass one-liners, an incorrigible flirt, and hilarious guy. But Rod is also very sensitive, insecure, and afraid that he’ll find no one to truly want him for more than a one-night stand. Landon is a motorcycle mechanic who just moved back to Virginia from Florida to be with his family for his sister’s upcoming wedding. He loathes having had to come back, is totally guilt-ridden for having been gone for so many years, and smitten with Rod. But Landon does not do relationships, so even though he buys ridiculous amounts of lube from Rod every week, he shoots Rod down when Rod hits on him.

The guys start hanging out more and more with Rod unapologetically flirting with Landon and Landon trying desperately to reject his advances. Until he can’t anymore. When they eventually start a sexual relationship with the understanding it’s a friends with benefits deal, things go out of control. That first scene before they consciously make this decision though? Holy mother! I don’t remember when I last read such a hot scene. I’m talking major turn-on here folks. Riley Hart outdid herself with this one, she really did.

The best part? They guys are pretending to be in a sex-only relationship when for all intents and purposes they are in a full on romantic relationship. They do “couple” things, they start sharing things from their respective pasts, and get closer and closer. And the sex gets hotter and hotter I might add! The feelings that come about are so beautifully explored in this book. I don’t want to spoil the plot with how the relationship develops but there’s a surprising turn of events and a lot of growth on both of their parts. I love that both characters are dealing with issues that have so far prevented them from opening up and trusting people and they are slowly acknowledging these issues, leaving them in the past.

The writing is excellent –I love some good dialogue and we get it here in spades: sharing moments, dirty talk, fights, texting, you name it. The guys TALK, and they are real with each other. I was glued to this book and couldn’t get enough. There is also some evocative sub-plot with Landon’s family history. I sure hope one of the characters for the next book comes from the resolution of that subplot!

I highly recommend this!

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