Kelly Phillips has been out of the closet since he was a young teenager, and thanks to the gay youth group he frequents, he has never been short on friends or lovers. But when you have almost everything, it’s hard not to focus on what’s just out of reach: A best friend, who would be Mr. Right if he wasn’t already Mr. Straight. Or that handsome guy at school, who would be easier to wrangle if not for his angel wings. And then there’s the one who might be a perfect fit, maybe even a soulmate… if only he wasn’t convinced he didn’t need anyone at all. Kelly has always been good at running. Now he must learn to chase, which will not only test his endurance, but the durability of his heart as well.
Something Like Lighting is a new beginning in the Something Like… saga, shifting the focus to a fresh set of characters while also revisiting a familiar face or two.
Once again, I am amazed at Kevin R. Free's ability to bring this series to life. With a book that's already so emotional, it was almost hard to listen to because the narration was so raw and real.
Since this was my second time with Kelly's story, I wasn't worried like I was the first time through. I knew, regardless of his actions in the previous book, that I adored Kelly. If you're going into this worried that you won't like Kelly because of Jason... don't be. This is Jay Bell, after all. He doesn't give his readers a choice but to love his characters.
That being said, Kelly is a fighter. He can be irritating and insufferable and I wanted to smack him upside the head on more than one occasion. But he's young and life has thrown him some curve balls that nobody can prepare for, especially not a teenager. He's going through life, the best he can, and Kelly's not going to let anyone bring him down. What I love about this series is the journey we take with each character. Kelly's was particularly heartbreaking since one of the most important things in his life was taken from him in an instant. Reading it was hard. Listening to Kevin R. Free's narration? Devastating! There was way too much realness going on and I had to press pause a few times.
While I felt for Kelly and empathized with him, he still managed to be annoyingly snotty and selfish. And, oddly enough, I LOVED that about him. It took some time, but he continued to fight. His circumstances changed, but he didn't let them change him.
The love story... perfect. I wish there was more couple time, since they didn't meet until very late in the book. But who needs 300 pages to make a love story? Not Kelly and Nathanial! They were it for each other and it was obvious from the start. But their story is far from over at the end of Something Like Lightning and things were left on shaky ground.
I am a romance reader and live for a good HEA. I didn't quite get that here. Regardless, I loved every second of Kelly's journey. Because that's life. Sometimes it sucks and sometimes it's beautiful. This was Kelly's story, from angsty teenager fighting his feelings for his best friend, to a young adult fighting for love while dealing with overwhelming hardships, to a man fighting for the future he knows he and Nathanial can have together.
I'll be moving right along to Something Like Thunder for Nathanial's story and the HEA these guys deserve.
A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
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