Driving Into the Sun Review

Driving Into the Sun    

Author: Dev Bentham

Publisher: Loose ID

American release date: September 22, 2014

Format/Genre/Length: E-book/M/M Contemporary/175 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

When you hit bottom, you’ve no way to go but up…

Dusty Walker is about to hit bottom. Bad enough he was duped by his boss/lover, along with a lot of other trusting souls who blindly placed their money in Charles’ hands. Now Charles is in prison, Dusty’s license has been revoked, and a spiral begun which can only end one way—with him crawling back to his homophobic family in Idaho. To the father and brother who despise him, and the mother he still loves, even after twelve years of never going home. But Dusty has no choice. He sells most of his belongings at a flea market and finds a ride on a ride board, heading west from Chicago.

The guy’s voice on the phone is so sexy, it gives Dusty pause. But he isn’t prepared to meet an actual Indian named Joe Black. In person, Joe seems rather stiff, and Dusty’s fantasies dissipate in the face of reality. The third member of the group arrives, a very sexy cowboy. Luckily, he’s straight, so Dusty won’t have to worry about that. Dusty isn’t interested in hooking up, just getting to Idaho in time for his parents’ 35^th anniversary party—and to tell them the truth he’s evaded for the past year, about himself and his living situation.

Dusty’s journey home has just begun, one he hopes will never end. But nothing is as it seems. Why can’t he seem to quit making stupid life choices?

At first, I thought this would be a typical strangers-meet-and-fall-in-love romance during a road trip, but I discovered there was more to it than that as I grew addicted to the characters. Dusty is endearingly flawed and insecure, the kind of guy you just want to hug. Going home is a last resort for him. He’s lost his faith in himself and his ability to control his life, thanks to his relationship with Charles. Even when he finds himself attracted to Joe, he’s afraid it’s his dick doing the thinking, with its propensity for falling in love at first fuck.

This journey is not without peril, but what journey isn’t? I found myself thinking about Dusty and Joe, even when I wasn’t reading, and I would turn on the Kindle during commercial breaks just to keep reading about them.

The characters are well-written, and the story has a great deal of emotional impact. It’s easy to connect with Dusty and Joe, and to care about what happens to them. This was a journey I’m glad I took, a real feel-good read I heartily recommend.