Sunset Park (Dalia’s Review)

Title: Sunset Park (Five Boroughs #2)
Author: Santino Hassell
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 11, 2015
Genre(s): Contemporary
Page Count: 230
Reviewed by: Dalia
Heat Level: 4 flames out of 5
Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5
Blurb:

Raymond Rodriguez’s days of shoving responsibility to the wayside are over. His older brother wants to live with his boyfriend so Raymond has to get his act together and find a place of his own. But when out-and-proud David Butler offers to be his roommate, Raymond agrees for reasons other than needing a place to crash.

David is Raymond’s opposite in almost every way—he’s Connecticut prim and proper while Raymond is a sarcastic longshoreman from Queens—but their friendship is solid. Their closeness surprises everyone as does their not-so-playful flirtation since Raymond has always kept his bicurious side a secret.

Once they’re under the same roof, flirting turns physical, and soon their easy camaraderie is in danger of being lost to frustrating sexual tension and the stark cultural differences that set them apart. Now Raymond not only has to commit to his new independence—he has to commit to his feelings for David or risk losing him for good.

Raymond Rodriguez’s older brother, Michael, wants to move in together with his boyfriend, Nunzio, and rent the house he and Raymond currently live in. No matter how much Raymond doesn’t like the sound of that, he can’t hold Michael back. He has to behave like a real adult and quit depending on his brother to handle everything. When his out-and-proud friend, David, offers him to rent a new apartment together, he thinks it’s as a good place to start being responsible.

David Butler isn’t anything like Raymond’s ususal crowd of friends, but they recently became close to each other. David assumes his roommate is straight until he admits he’s bi-curious.

Their growing attraction, mixed emotions and sexual tension lead to fighting and frustration. They figure things out slowly, sometimes with the help of the others, sometimes on their own, but when they do it, they make sure they do it for good.

I didn’t just want him – I needed him. He wasn’t just one of a few options. He was a fucking necessity.

I really enjoyed the dual POV. It was great to see Raymond and David’s relationship from different perspectives and to know what’s going on inside their heads. David didn’t make the best first appearence in Sutphin Boulevard and I wasn’t a fan of him back then. However, this book made me like him.

The way Raymond and David act so natural around one another is heartwarming and the chemistry between the two of them is palpable. The ending they got made very happy.