Self Preservation, Ethan Day

Sometimes you can't go back....

- Review by Cindi

Davis Andrews always knew that he and Jack would someday get back together.  They may have broken up six years earlier but no way would they not come together again and spend the rest of their lives together.  There has never been any doubt.  Sure, they only see each other every year or so but that doesn't matter.  They are meant to be together and they will be.  Davis knows this in his heart.  He has loved Davis for much too long to think otherwise.

Until he receives the dreaded phone call.

Davis in the process of opening his restoration shop, Aesthetic Artifacts, for the day when he is surprised by a visit from his longtime best friend, Deseree.  Deseree and Davis have been friends since college and have remained close ever since.  They haven't seen each other in a year.

"Davie," she said, cocking her head to one side.  "Davie Unwavie.  How's my favorite root-bound homo?"

As the two begin to catch up Davis receives a phone call that turns his life upside down.  Jack is calling to invite Davis and Deseree to his wedding that will take place in a few days, a wedding to a man who Jack has only known for two weeks.  Stunned and heartbroken, Davis and Deseree make plans to go to Chicago for the wedding but to arrive two days earlier without Jack knowing. Davis wants to transform into a man who will knock Jack's socks off.  Deseree, a famous fashion designer, will be doing the transforming.  After new clothes, new hair... a whole new look... Davis is ready to see Jack and to do whatever it takes to force him to call off the wedding and realize that he and Davis are meant to be together.  Tadd, Jack's husband-to-be, won't stand a chance once Jack realizes that he has never stopped loving Davis.  The plan is in the works and it seems to be going well from the moment Jack sees Davis again.  That is, until Davis meets Tadd.  Tadd is not the toad-like man that Davis had pictured in his head.  He is a good guy and damn near perfect.  

With a little help from Deseree and Tadd's oldest friend Alex, Davis embarks on a journey to win his man back even if it means being deceptive and sneaky.  Unfortunately not all goes as planned. Tadd is not this horrible person who has swept Jack off his feet.  He's a wealthy and popular businessman as well as a philanthropist who does good work for charity.  He also appears to worship the ground that Jack walks on.  How can Davis compete with that?

This is a funny story but yet I found myself feeling a little sad quite a bit for Davis.  He tries so hard to win back what was lost years earlier that he misses what (who) is directly in front of him.  He is so centered on stopping the wedding that he does not stop to think that perhaps he and Jack are not the same people they were even just a short year ago.  It takes a major step back for him to see that what he's been searching for may not be in the past.  It may be in the form of a man he has only just met.  Taking that step back is difficult but once Davis does everything falls into place and he is still able to keep Jack in his life.

There is an amazing cast of secondary characters.  Deseree is the ultimate female best friend. Then there is Candace, Jack's mother, who is the perfect parent for anyone.. .gay or straight. There are others but none who compare to these two.  Normally I get annoyed (quickly) by overbearing female characters but these two?  Priceless.  I adored them both.

And then there is Alex Parker, Tadd's oldest friend.  Alex is a wealthy playboy.  He makes himself known to Davis pretty quickly and latches on, to Davis' dismay.  Had Davis taken the time to look at Alex instead of being clouded by Jack, he would have seen someone who was genuinely trying to get to know him.  But Jack is always there.  He won't go away until Davis lets his feelings known.  Things don't go quite as planned but everything works out for everyone in the end.  I love the way it ended.

Overall, an excellent book.  Ethan Day's classic humor shines through but yet the serious stuff is there as well.  I couldn't decide until long into the book who I was rooting for for Davis.. Jack or Alex.  In the end he makes the right choice.  A very entertaining read.

My rating:  4 out of 5 stars

This book was provided by Wilde City Press in exchange for a fair and honest review.