Title: Blindsided

Series: Fake Boyfriend

Author: Eden Finley

ISBN:978-1798910672

Goodreads Rating: 4.1, Amazon Rating: 4.5

Personal Rating: “Sounds gay, I’m in!”

4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Miller:

When Talon left to play pro ball six years ago, the hole in my chest confused me. I focused my heartache into making my own NFL dreams come true, and by the time I was drafted, the longing I had for my best friend was buried deep.Now he wants everything to be like it was in college, but we can’t have threesomes and be reckless like we once were. The media storm would be enough to break both our careers.That’s not my biggest concern though. The torch I had for him burns brighter after so long apart, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Marcus Talon is straight.I need to stay away from him.

Talon:

Years ago, Miller and I made a pact that we’d win a Super Bowl together. When I’m offered a position on his team in Chicago, I don’t hesitate. I move across the country to chase a dream that’s a decade old.Only, now that I’m here, he’s avoiding me every chance he gets. If he was anyone else, I’d cut my losses.But this is Shane Miller–the guy who makes everything better just by existing in my universe. The guy I’d do anything for. The guy who’s more to me than a brother, a friend, or even a teammate.I’m not going to let him get away

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First of all, there is no fake dating here. Yeah…I know, shits tragic but it kind of works. Instead of a fake dating, Talon and Miller had more of a fake friendship (?), or rather, they hid in the closet far longer than the other couples due to the depressing reality of being LGBT in spaces where such a thing can find you in a world of pain—possibly killed if fans get angry enough. Lucky for these two, that wasn’t the case, but it is still a real fear that people must consider.

Talon and Miller saw how the world reacted to Jackson when he came out, and they had first-hand encounters with teammates who only played at being supportive. This story, more than those that came before, does its best to paint a picture of hopelessness, but also one’s ability to look past that and see a glimmer of light. And notice that I didn’t say there is hope at the end of that tunnel, because it isn’t. While this relationship overcame many obstacles, they still faced situations that sometimes left them broken.

Both MCs have been friends since their early college days. There, they settled on a relationship that saw them sharing almost everything. However, it wasn’t enough to let them see how they truly felt about each other until later in life. In this, Miller fell first, but Talon fell so much harder, and it burned to watch them navigate their shifting relationship and come to terms that they are enough—that they are worth the battle they will ultimately be forced into.

This book made me laugh, a lot. Which means that the reason why this review sound way more dramatic than it should it because I binge-watched Law and Order prior to writing this and now my mind is a filled with trauma.

Novella here we come and one more Fake Boyfriend novel to go.

On the plus side, Noah is now one of my favorites. Yes, Law and Order is coming in clutch to unite families, as the good Olivia commanded all those years ago.

Amen