Six Degrees of Lust

sigh I decided to reread this as rumor has it that Bk.3 may be coming out soon and I'm so glad I did. I grew up on a steady staple of Mexican & Venezuelan telenovelas and I loved them but I vividly remember when I finally laid eyes & ears on the Brazilian soaps. They were just ten steps ahead in terms of acting, tackling RL issues, and story telling. You got more than ‘Cinderella and Prince Charming meet, face obstacles from the meanies, and live HEA. This story by [a:Taylor V. Donovan 4959678 Taylor V. Donovan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1480953309p2/4959678.jpg] reminded me of those Sonia Braga days in the best of ways, and that's my convoluted way of saying I loved this even when wanting to repeatedly smack some sense into Sam.If you don't know this is a big, sprawling ensemble piece about a group of queer men, their friends, and acquaintances, how we're all interconnected, hence the Six Degrees angle. The main couple are Sam & Mac who superficially couldn't be more different but who in reality are not. They both share a deep sense of loyalty and devotion to their loved ones, they're looking for connection, though Sam is in the ‘lying-to-himself' phase because of reasons, and they're apparently sex monkeys. I'm not complaining. I also love, love, love that the L word hasn't yet uttered. I'm ornery like that. Sam is a busy, busy, busy bee as head of an FBI Task Force dedicated to crimes against the LGBT community and dealing with complicated personal & family issues. When the book opens he's in the midst of tracking a serial killer. It's the most inconvenient time to fall in lust but one look in a crowded airport at the smile of the tall drink of Texan water that is Mac O'Bannon and Sam is toast. He denies this. sets up rules and boundaries, often in a terse bordering on rude fashion, and Mac abides by them, but it's hopeless. One encounter leads to another, intimacies seep into a ONLY SEX relationship, and even when Sam lobs hurtful comments to try and stave off the crumbling of his walls it's a moot cause. He undermines himself because he can't help but want to be Mac's guide as an out and proud gay man. Mac's known forever that he's gay but to please his family and holding on to a scummy lover who treated lower than dirt Mac has remained a bit of a sexual novice and socially even worse. That's all about to end and Sam wants, nay needs to be the one to open doors for Mac. I love how naive these two are (mostly Sam) about keeping their relationship as friends with bennies, not even friends going by Sam's original plans. You know what they say about plans? I also love how giving they are to each other without turning to mush. Mac particularly knows how to coax Sam without seeming like he's doing anything which is the best approach for the prickly bear that is Sam. While Mac & Sam are the main draw in this book the whole cast shines and I'm eagerly awaiting to see their stories develop as they are all charming and interesting in their very own way. Yes, I am talking about Logan, but after reading [b:Southern Winterland 13082148 Southern Winterland (By Degrees, #0.5) Taylor V. Donovan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1321733857l/13082148.SY75.jpg 18251682] I'm super curios about Chris & Remy too. As for the mystery I'm fairly confident that I know the who and the why, though I'm ready to be surprised, but I'm mostly eager to see the how the team trails him and how his actions affect everyone. Keeping all limbs crossed for future installments.