I haven't read anything by Rob Rosen before, but let me tell you, I won't hesitate in the future. First of all, a warning to those of you who might be looking for a "typical" M/M romance book - this is not that book. However, this is a great erotic no el, filled with humor, authentic characterizations, and a mystery. It's a very loosely based kind of retelling of Tess of the D'urbervilles.

Twenty-three-year-old Ted is living on the streets when he receives an email )on a stolen iPad) letting him know that there is a will-reading in New York he needs to attend. Getting to New York seems like an overwhelming task until Ted meets Benny.

Benny is a drug addict who lives on the streets. At first, Ted wants nothing to do with him, but desperation and they're shared knowledge of the tips and tricks for living on the street resulted in them becoming reluctant traveling partners. When Benny goes into withdrawal soon after they hook up, Ted stays with him rather than heading onto the train that will take him to New York.

As the two young men get to know each other, they forget one of the most unusual and intriguing relationships I've read in a book in a long time. Ted is gay, Benny is straight but they become intimate with one another... normally that kind of "gay for you" relationship would leave me with a feeling that it was fun, yeah, but not so realistic. Rosen makes the relationship between Ted and Benny work. Not only does their relationship work but it's intimate, sweet, endearing, scary and flawed.

They continue to travel towards New York and a future that Ted doesn't even understand. Sure, he could be someone's long lost relative, but he could also be inheriting the family cat. He doesn't know what the future holds, but then he never really has. There's a little in this novel about just stepping out of yourself and doing something... anything. Moving forward is as important to Ted and Benny as appreciating what they have in the moment (if that makes any sense.)

The connection between Benny and Ted is already well established by the time they arrive at the D'urbervilles. This is when the novel gets even more interesting. The family lawyer still has no confirmation that Ted is a member of the family...there's a month for him to continue his research. There's something else going on in the family though. Ted can't put his finger on it, but there are secrets that could be important when it comes to his connection to the family.

I'm not going to spoil the plot because I would love for people to read this book. There is a lot of sex in this book - which isn't a bad thing at all - but there's also a lot of plot. These two characters are intimate with one another long before they are doing more than holding one another. Rosen has created such a beautiful friendship with his writing, it's the kind of friendship that will linger in my mind for a long time to come.

This is a great novel that just happens to be erotica as well. If that works for you...then you'll love this book! ( )