Martin's Reviews > Faith & Fidelity

I am finally - after re-reading it almost a year later - up to writing a review to my favorite book in the m/m romance genre. I am glad this wasn't the first book I've read in the genre, because I'm afraid I would have found many other novels lacking the depth and emotions that Faith & Fidelity conveyed. I seriously think that this story and these characters have raised a new level of expectations for me.

I would hardly even call this book fiction. It's so crystal-clear-realistic that I was wondering where the Matts and Evans are in real life, because I'm sure they exist. They might not be gorgeous, hot cops like these guys are (thanks for that, Ms Michaels, I'm not complaining, LOL), but the circumstances of their lives, their fears and obstacles are certainly found in many real-life rainbow families all over the world.

I remember the first time I read it, I had some mixed feelings about both guys being formerly straight men. Interestingly, I am acquainted with a gay man who used to be married with children and has 'gone gay' in his mid-30s, so the realism is certainly there. I am not too fond of pure Gay-For-You stories and I remember I feared that this was what Faith & Fidelity is about.

It's not, though. These guys are indeed attracted to men, even if they were straight before. A confusing concept to a gay man who was never straight, LOL (me).
But thanks to Jim for making that statement clear ;-)

I am talking in riddles, sorry. I've been having this story on my mind for almost a year, remembering it with fond feelings. It's actually THE book of choice that I give to friends and family as a gift, just to make sure that if I they only read one gay romance in their life, it should be this one.

But this was supposed to be a review, so let's review a bit:
Evan Cerelli, who recently lost his beloved wife in a freak car accident, is totally overstrained trying to cope with his demanding job as a cop and raising his 4 children. He would do anything for his family and they are actually the only reason for him to go on with his life.

Matt Haight is a former cop and now advisor in a small security company, living an unhappy life as a middle aged man who was forced to leave the NYPD after he gave testimony against a fellow cop and lost the respect of his colleagues. Not to mention that his love life is a serious mess after two decades of one night stands and failed attempts at (straight) relationships.

They meet each other at a mutual colleague's retirement party and start a friendship that consists mostly of drowning their sorrows in alcohol and bitching about their miserable lives - until Matt notices things about Evan that he never noticed about another man before.

Determined to help his friend Evan with his difficulties and mental issues - and getting along great with Evan's kids (who grow fond of dad's 'best friend' rather quickly, unaware of what's going on beneath the surface), Matt suddenly realizes that just being a friend might not be enough for him. And to his surprise, Evan doesn't reject him.

However, despite Evan's feelings for his friend - and lover, he fears that this new relationship may endanger his family. Losing his children is Evan's greatest fear. So when the decision between outing himself to his family (and colleagues, in-laws, neighbors,...) or ending the only 'thing' that brought Evan happiness since his wife's death comes due, it seems that love does indeed make blind. And not always in a good way...

Every single character in this story is just brilliant. Evan's cop partner Helena is actually THE most life-like female character I ever came across in this genre. No matter how great a romance might be, the female side characters are sometimes a little off the mark for me. Either they're hardcore feminists (which is especially funny in historical romances, LOL) or weak damsels without much background. Helena is a breathing person, just like Matt and Evan are.
In the first book, the children are not really in the centre of the story, but this is remedied in the subsequent books when the four Cerelli kids will play bigger roles and turn their dad's (dads'? ;-) world upside down.

And even though it might seem superficial, I really want to point out that the exploration of the sexual side of their relationship is extremely tastefully done. No lube in bed side drawers waiting for action (like in most romance novels). These guys have no clue about any of the stuff that men do in bed. They're discovering things as they go along. That's another first in my books, and it's the reason why I adore this story so much. It's truly about love. Well, surprise ;-)

So 5 stars doesn't even come close to doing this book justice.