Book Reviews

Book Blurb

I’m not attracted to men.
But I’ll break all my own rules for my best friend.

One thing is true about Ori Adams: he hates small town Tennessee. We were always opposites: I played football, he was in art class. I was straight, he was gay. I was popular in school, he never fit in. He fled to the city the moment we graduated.

It ain’t perfect here, but I love our country home. I missed Ori like hell, but now he’s back, living in my guest room after years apart.

Best friends reunited, right? …Like hell.

He says I’m too Tennessee for him now. So what if I love the local saloon, volunteer with horses, and wear a Stetson hat? I want a white-picket-fence life, and he wants all things casual. When I try to show him how good it can be here, he tells me to back off.

But I’ll check his cocky attitude when he calls me stubborn. He pushes? I push back.

I’ve got him up against the wall within 24 hours.

It’s a full-on fight, but it turns into… something else. A craving. Some twisted need to be close to him.

Being physical with him was what I missed most, but we were never physical like this before.

…He sure doesn’t mind how country I am when he’s in my bed.

Now I can’t get enough. But if he won’t commit to anyone, why would he with me? And how can I show him exactly how deep I’m willing to go?

 

Book Review

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ~ C.S. Lewis

 

Ori, of 'Best Friends, Tennessee' by Raleigh Ruebens, left his small town for life in the big city as soon as possible. Besten, Tennessee was full of hatred and discrimination and was not a good place for Ori. Ori swore he'd never come back, but circumstances forced him to. Needing a place to stay, he swallows his pride and asks his friend Finn for a favor, giving him a place to stay.

 

Finn is surprised that Ori is back to Besten. They were best friends when they were younger but have grown apart. Despite their distance, when Ori needs help, Finn offers it. Reluctantly, Finn agrees to have Ori stay with him for a while. Even after all this time, Finn still yearns for their closeness before things got so complicated, but he doesn't know how to make that happen.

 

Ori is relieved to have a place to stay but detests having to ask for one, especially from Finn, for whom he harbors deeply conflicted feelings. Ori feels he is in the way and is cramping Finn's style. He is determined to find his own place as soon as possible.

 

Ori learned long ago that the best way to deal with ridicule is to act as aloof as possible as if nothing matters. Unfortunately for Finn, Ori treats Finn with the same indifference that drove a wedge between them. Ori doesn't know how to act around Finn other than pretend he doesn't care, even though he secretly does.

 

Ori and Finn continue their dance of deception; neither truly is happy with the situation. After days of avoiding the elephant in the room, they finally get to the root of the problem. Finn always thought he was straight, but his feelings for Ori go beyond traditional definitions of orientation; Ori has forced himself never to entertain sexual thoughts of Finn. If they can't find a way to communicate their feelings and desires, they will remain in miscommunication purgatory, never knowing what might have been.

 

'Best Friends Tennessee' is a story about two men who needed to be together but were too thick-headed to admit it. I loved Finn and sympathized with him much more than Ori. Even though he wore his aloofness like a coat of armor, Ori carried it too far, especially when it came to Finn. I enjoyed meeting Ori’s family and friends, and, of course, the ghost cat. Thanks, Raleigh, for bringing them together.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book was purchased by the reviewer.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 234 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	20-February-2025
Price	$5.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Best-Friends-Tennessee-Hard-Saloon-ebook/dp/B0DWCQV66C