Leo: All That You Are by Jamie Craig

Leo: All That You Are by Jamie Craig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this story out of order in the BOTZ series because it was the continuation of the "All That You Do" story, and I wanted to see where those two characters were going to go.

One problem I have with stories that continue a completed romance (as this story does) is the progression of the plot is usually some stupid fight/breakup that the couple goes through...this book doesn't really go there. The problem is with Gage's family, and dealing with the aftermath of his coming out. Really, "aftermath" is probably mostly a misnomer...only his parents truly know about Gage's homosexuality, and Gage must now reveal it to his many (SIX!) brothers.

I know nothing of Mormon life or culture, but the little I do know seems to fit with what is portrayed...rather rigid, unaccepting of "sinners" or those outside of the box allowed by their religion, and a strong emphasis on service/mission. The story and Gage's supporters may have been a little harsh at times toward Mormons, but that could be my ignorance hoping the reality isn't quite that bad. I was frustrated at his mother's inability to accept, and staunch refusal to even bend in her beliefs, although it was hard to see Gage's father with the same tenacity...maybe because he was in recovery or preparing for surgery the times we do see him. All accounts of his rejection of Gage are secondhand, except for one statement when Gage appears at the hospital, so it's hard for me to see his rigidity on homosexuality.

I really like the image of Gage's family, and how it divided them; he found a lot of support, which surprised him (and me), but also some heartache and harsh words.

My main problem with the book was the scene of infidelity. I always have a problem with infidelity in a couple that is supposedly committed and monogamous, but the act portrayed here was probably one of the easiest to accept/recover from. Part of that is the sex act itself; it involved only a drunk handjob from an old friend, and Gage didn't even reciprocate. Once he realized what had happened, he escaped and told Christopher as soon as they were together again in person. Brownie points for Gage.

Also, how Christopher works through the betrayal, both out loud to Gage and in his thoughts, made me accept how he handled it. It hurt him, but he does bring up the good point that they had never talked about exclusivity (although it may have been implied), and they talked about the incident, why it happened, that it would never happen again, and how to move past it. It gives us an idea how mature Christopher is by example, rather than inferring it from his friends' comments and teasing.

Related to this issue, it felt like the marriage proposal happened too quickly after the infidelity incident and discussion...it made it feel fake or cheaper, since they hadn't taken much time to resolve that issue and put it behind them. Plus, at that point they had only really been dating a little over month...though it doesn't really say how long it is until the wedding (that I recall, anyway).

Really good conclusion to this storyline, despite the niggles. Wouldn't mind a short showing them in wedded bliss...but then, I always like to see happy ever afters shown rather than implied. :D

View all my reviews