When it comes to one-night stands, Malachi Bishop has “rules”. No pillow talk. No sleeping over. No planning a future hook-up. First names only. It’s just sex, not a prelude to love. But when Cole Malcolm, a smooth-talking management consultant, woos Malachi into bed, the rulebook is tossed out the window.
The one-time fling leaves Cole reeling: Malachi is his first real shot at happiness, his “forever” man, and he’s determined to show Malachi just how good they could be together. But Malachi doesn’t believe in happily-ever-after, and dodges Cole’s play for his heart. After all, Malachi is still mourning the loss of Taylor Blanchard, whom he hoped to love forever. Then there’s Zach Brennan, a handsome twenty-five-year-old and student at the college where Malachi teaches. Falling for Zach could destroy everything he’s worked for, but Malachi can’t help himself.
Caught by love and in its betrayal, it’s a later affair with a beautiful stranger that changes Malachi’s life most dramatically. Now Malachi must confront his present and his past that bring into question the larger fantasies of home and his place in the world.
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The path to true love is never easy as the characters in Marcus Lopes' Freestyle Love demonstrate. The past always affects the present and it takes every ounce of strength to move on to achieve happiness.
For Malachi, the death of his lover years ago has kept him from forming commitments. He sticks to one-night stands even though he considers them immoral. Until Cole enters the picture and their one-night connection throws him into a tailspin. As he's wrestling with his feelings for Cole another death of another lover makes him question our very existence and everything careens out of control. Malachi has to do alot of soul searching, going back to the beginning and reconnecting with what's left of his family, to allow himself happiness.
This is a very emotional read with alot of soul searching for each character. We see into each character's thoughts through the head hopping that gives extra insight and adds an interesting layer to the story. Knowing all these thoughts though sometimes makes the characters unlikable, particularly Malachi. He seems to flit from one guy to another even while saying he's in love with another. With these actions it's hard to be sympathetic to him. He ends up looking more like a player than someone full of uncertainty. His friend Shane also is a player but has some useful words of wisdom later in the story that made him more likable. Cole is ultimately the most likable character in the whole story. He's not afraid to admit his feelings and desires honesty in his relationships. He's the most faithful of them all.
There are a few different couplings in this story and the foreplay is what's focused on. These scenes are intense and add a nice bit of spice to the story. Nothing is overly erotic though, the intensity derives from the emotions stirring at the moment.
This story was emotionally exhausting to read. Some of the characters are clinically depressed and it shows in their speeches. There's alot of existential thoughts and wallowing in unhappiness. Just when you think Malachi has found happiness he does something to sabotage it. Reading Freestyle Love was like being on a rollercoaster with all its emotional highs and lows. Marcus Lopes has created a thought provoking story that frustrated me while intriguing me at the same time and I look forward to experiencing his works again.
My rating for this is a C.
*I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.
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