Title: Level Hands (Bend or Break #4)
Author: Amy Jo Cousins
Publisher/GR Link: Samhain, GR
Genre: MM Contemporary
Vice: New Adult, Coming Out,
Interracial, Atheletes
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Lock this book up : 3 keys
out of 5. The sex is hot and supports the storyline.
Length: Novel
Satisfaction: HEA
Cover Impressions: I love it- and all of
the other covers too!
Best Line: "You're better at this
than I am. Being together."
Synopsis: Rafael
Castro is so far out of his element he can’t even see it anymore. Carlisle
College in Massachusetts is a long way from his Chicago home, even farther from
his Dominican Republic roots.
The only thing keeping him attached
to his last nerve is the prospect of seeing Denny Winslow again. The first time
they met, Denny taught Rafi to fly across the water, rowing hard in a
knife-like boat. Now, two years later, on the wings of a rowing scholarship,
Rafi is attending Denny’s elite college.
Even before the excitement wears off,
Rafi is struggling with classes and fending off rumors that Denny’s family, not
Rafi’s talent, won him his spot. To quash the gossip, Rafi tries to steer clear
of the man he wants. A plan that evaporates in the fire of renewed attraction.
But Carlisle’s academic pressure
cooker has Rafi barely treading water. And when a family crisis hits, both Rafi
and Denny must pull hard to keep their relationship from capsizing in rough
waters.
Impressions: I was so
excited to see this addition to a series that I love. While all of these
books have dealt with flexibility, or the importance of bending, none fit the
title as well as this one did. Rafi is a great character, and he holds
himself together so tightly. In Chicago, he was the gay kid trying to
better himself while he lends support to his sisters. At Carlisle, he is
a brown, gay kid who is determined to prove to others that he has earned his
place there, even if in his heart he is afraid that he hasn't. He is
almost brittle in the way that he holds himself so tightly together, and it is
that guard that really shows his inner frailty. He is so afraid of
loosening that hold that it almost costs him Denny, a man he isn't sure he can
let himself need. Eventually, Rafi realizes that if he does not bend, he
will break- quite literally. It is only when he lets his own guard down a
little, enough to ask for help, that he is able to really find his strength.
Denny has loved Rafi since he was 17, and he is
patient and loving, and so aware of Rafi's battles with himself. He tries
to stand up when he is needed, and step back when Rafi's battle with himself
gets to be too brutal to allow him in. What made me love Denny is that he
knows that he has to be careful of bending too much, and he is clear with Rafi
when the bending is getting to hard. This made me really respect and care
for Denny, because he wasn't a two dimensional hero for Rafi.
I loved the complexity of Rafi. He faces
microagressions and comments from the kids around him, and sometimes it is
clear that all he can rely on is his own pride. At a quick glance Rafi
might seem overly paranoid or caught up in how others see him, but Rafi is like
hundreds of kids that I know and teach on a daily basis. These comments
hit Rafi in a place that defies logic, and his self consciousness about his
class, his race and his sexuality make total sense. Does he over generalize
about all white, preppy kids? Sometimes. Does he feel overly
sensitive about how others see him? Yea. But that is all really how
Rafi sees the world, and part of that is a defense mechanism that he needs.
Rafi's issues are all about perception, not logic. I found him to
be a great and relatable character, and I applaud Cousins for creating someone
who is so strong and yet so paralyzed by his own fears.
This can be read as a standalone, but why would
you do that? Books 1-3 are amazing, and I have it on good authority that
there is more of this great series to come.
I'll admit, before the series started I was wary
of reading an MF novel (which 3 primarily is) but TRUST ME, you will fall in
love with ALL of these guys, and no matter the pairing, all of these books are queer and amazing!
Highly recommended!
