Any type of competitive sport is tough, and some are dangerous to boot. Car racing is one of them, and the people trying to win any kind of motor sport have my respect. As tough as their profession is, they have to be tougher, it seems, and for them to show vulnerability seems almost impossible. Especially when there is rivalry, even within the same team. Alan, the narrator of this story, finds out the hard way that things about Nathan, the new guy on the block, not all may be as it seems.

Nathan is new to the team, comes from a prestigious racing background (he was a test driver in the F1), and Alan has not treated him to well, believing the man has a chip on his shoulder. But as Alan thinks about what's been going on while Nathan is in the hospital, he discovers a few truths. Not least of which is the fact he likes Nathan way more than he is willing to admit - especially in an environment as homophobic as race car driving.

Nathan has a few secrets in his pat, and as Alan continues to take care of him, he figures out why Nathan has no next of kin, what else has been happening in Nathans life, and, most interestingly, he discovers feelings he'd never have suspected exist - on both sides. I was relieved to see that Alan was honest with himself and able to learn how to open up just enough to figure out where he stood.

If you like stories about tough men who face tougher decisions, if you like reading about race car driving and the men who make it happen, and if you're looking for a read about deep emotions that isn't emotional, then you will probably like this short story.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.


( )