Focus on Me (In Focus #2), Megan Erickson

Rating: 5 Stars

Publisher: InterMix

Genre: New Adult Gay Romance

Tags: Contemporary, Eating Disorder, New Adult, Romance, Series

Length: 204 Pages

Reviewer: Trisha

Purchase At: amazon.com

Blurb –

Colin Hartman can now add college to his list of failures. On the coast-to-coast trek home from California, Colin stops at a gas station in the Nevada desert, and can’t help noticing the guy in tight jeans looking like he just stepped off a catwalk. When he realizes Catwalk is stranded, Colin offers a ride.

Riley only intended to take a short ride in Colin’s Jeep to the Grand Canyon. But one detour leads to another until they finally find themselves tumbling into bed together. However there are shadows in Riley’s eyes that hide a troubled past. And when those shadows threaten to bury the man whom Colin has fallen in love with, he vows to get Riley the help he needs. For once in his life, quitting isn’t an option…

Review –

5 stars!

I loved Trust the Focus. It is easily one of my favorite books ever and it also introduced me to the amazingly talented Megan Erickson. So I knew after reading that book that I would read the sequel, Focus on Me.

The wait for this book killed me. But it was so worth the wait. It was everything I wanted it to be and more, much more.

Focus on Me is not like Trust the Focus. I thought Trust the Focus was angsty and difficult to read in places, but Focus on Me was even worse, but in a good way. This book was brutal at times and it was difficult to read but beautiful at the same time.

Colin is a southern boy who’s just dropped out of college and feels like a failure, a quitter. He walks into a gas station expecting to pay for his gas and leave. What he doesn’t expect is Catwalk, aka. Riley, the gorgeous man who looking to go somewhere. He offers Riley a ride the Grand Canyon.

My cock twitched, and I jerked my head away. No, no way. He was Catwalk and probably straight and I was Colin the fuck-up and no way was anything going to happen.

Riley is a former model who happens to be Landry’s pretend ex-boyfriend from the book. The prologue of this book is Landry writing to him to apologize. Riley is battling his demons and struggling in life. He agrees to let Colin drive him to the Grand Canyon and thinks he can move on then.

But these two guys can’t move on. There’s an attraction between them. There are also secrets. Lots of secrets.

I loved both these guys. Colin, who quit everything but refused to quit Riley. And Riley who broke my heart and made me worry for him. It was hard to watch him struggling the way he did and to see it through Colin’s eyes, it was extremely difficult to read.

Riley sat on the floor of the tub, huddled into a ball. The water pelted him on the head, rivers running down his face. He slowly raised his head, eyelashes dripping, and stared right through me.

Megan Erickson covered something rarely seen in books, eating disorders in men. And she did an amazing job. This was only the second time I’ve read about this topic, but I loved the way she covered it.

As a couple, Colin and Riley were amazing. They had their ups and downs throughout the book. The downs were downright painful.

I hated myself. I hated myself for giving in to Riley. And I hated him for making me do this.

But the good times were so amazingly good. They left me smiling and hopeful and just ready for the two of them to catch the break they definitely earned.

I nuzzled the hair above his ear and gently removed his shirt, so my skin met his. I ran my fingernails down his neck and over his shoulders. I nipped his earlobe and I whispered “Baby,” and “I missed you,” and “I love you” in his ear over and over again. He opened his lips on the skin where my neck met my shoulder and sucked until I was sure there would be a lasting mark.

I kissed him. I kissed him so hard that our teeth clacked together. I separated on a smack, staring into his wide eyes. “Of course it’s okay. It’s perfect, you beautiful bastard. It’s fucking perfect.”

His smile was brilliant. Pure, happy, brilliant Riley. It was the best sight I’d ever seen.

He smiled.

Not just a I’m happy to see you smile. Not a I missed you smile.

This was a I can breathe again now that you’re in front of me smile.