Title: Vespertine
Series: N/A
Author: Leta Blake and Indra Vaughn
Genre: Contemporary / Religion / Rock-Stars
Length: Novel (420 pages)
Publisher: Lendra (September 10th 2015)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
Blurb: Can a priest and a rock star obey love’s call?

Seventeen years ago, Jasper Hendricks and Nicholas Blumfeld’s childhood friendship turned into a secret, blissful love affair. They spent several idyllic months together until Jasper’s calling to the Catholic priesthood became impossible to ignore. Left floundering, Nicky followed his own trajectory into rock stardom, but he never stopped looking back.

Today, Jasper pushes boundaries as an out, gay priest, working hard to help vulnerable LGBTQ youth. He’s determined to bring change to the church and the world. Respected, admired, and settled in his skin, Jasper has long ignored his loneliness.

As Nico Blue, guitarist and songwriter for the band Vespertine, Nicky owns the hearts of millions. He and his bandmates have toured the world, lighting their fans on fire with their music. Numbed by drugs and fueled by simmering anger, Nicky feels completely alone. When Vespertine is forced to get sober, Nicky returns home to where it all started.

Jasper and Nicky’s careers have ruled their lives since they parted as teens. When they come face to face again, they must choose between the past’s lingering ghosts or the promise of a new future.

ISBN: 9781626227385

Product Link: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Reviewer: Aerin

Review: I promised myself I would stay away from books where the main character is a priest, because the last one I read was a major disappointment. But when I realized Indra was one of the authors, my promise went to hell in 3 seconds flat. I’ve read all of Indra’s books and I loved every single one of them, so I went ahead and requested this one for review.

I’m now emotionally exhausted, I have a major book hangover, but I’m smiling like a lunatic because I simply LOVED this book! I’m a big fan of books where the MCs are childhood friends, I love books in which a couple gets their second chance to get it right, I adore rock star books; this book had it all, and it’s now one of my favorite books ever.

Leta Blake is a new author to me even though I’ve heard about her… I know, how outrageous! The only explanation I have is that I was never drawn to her books, but I think maybe that’s about to change. Leta and Indra together are simply brilliant!

The writing in this book is done in such a beautiful way. I could picture every detail, every landscape, without being bored to death by overly descriptive scenes. The characters are complex, riveting, fascinating, easy to relate to, and written is such a way, that I found myself emotionally invested with them from the very first page.

I’m not gonna lie, this was a very long book, but the story flows beautifully, and there was never a moment I thought this book should have been shorter.

Make sure to be mentally prepared for a ton of angst, because there’s so much emotional angst in this book, I drowned in it at times; and yet I didn’t think it was too much. It was touching and it evoked many emotions, I was smiling and crying, I got goose bumps and in the last half I was certain I was going to catch fire.

Nico Blue aka Nicky (to friends and family) broke my heart but he was my favorite character. Abandoned as a baby by his birth mother and left to die alone in a dumpster, Nico now suffers from attachment disorder and keeps the whole world on the outside, unable to make emotional connections with his adoptive parents or anyone else…..except Jasper (aka Jazz).

Jazz and Nicky were best friends since childhood, became lovers as teenagers, and separated and both went their own way when they were 17. Nicky became Nico Blue, a guitarist and song writer idolized by fans, a drug addict who couldn’t live a day without the drugs that helped him cope with a life without Jazz in it.

Jazz felt his spiritual calling from a very young age, and even though he loved Nicky with all his heart, there could never be a choice between God and Nicky. He’s very passionate about his job, but nothing is more important than the homeless LGBT teen shelter he runs. Those kids are his life, and he would do absolutely anything to keep them safe.

When Nicky returns to their hometown and they reconnect for the first time, all the contentment Father Jazz in his current life was blown away by the powerful connection and attraction he still has for Nicky. I loved their interactions, from the innocent, vulnerable friendship they rekindled, to the passion and love that refused to be ignored.

And holy crap, who would’ve thought the proper innocent Father Jazz, could turn into a sexy, filthy, dirty-talker??? The sex doesn’t happen until the last third of the book, but when it does, you’ll see it’s worth the wait. It was so hot and passionate. I thought I was going to go up in flames.

The secondary characters are complex and beautifully written; Nicky’s parents were incredibly supportive and loved him unconditionally, their relationship with Nicky was very touching. The band, the congregation, Father Andrew, the LGBT kids, they all came together in a flawless way that brought depth and complexity to the story.

This was one of the best books I’ve read this year, and I couldn’t recommend it enough.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *