WARNING: SPOILERS. Let me say right off the bat that I'm suspicious of M/M romance as a genre. This, though, had several things going for it: 1) some sincere exploration of real sex lives vs. labels, 2) the book is about adults, with adult concerns rather than teens, which we've seen again and again and again, and 3) some excellent pacing decisions. Ultimately the book's downfall for me doesn't have much to do with the plot, and everything to do with me as a reader: I don't buy that forgiveness like this can happen. Had Craig ended the novel on page 220, this would be a four star review. The book transcends quite a lot of the stale M/M romance cliches, though, and for that I recommend it if you are looking for a good relaxation read. ( )