Mark is an ICU nurse at a hospital in Atlanta. He has a bad track record with boyfriends who cheat on him. One day, Mark is doing an orientation program for new hospital staff, and he meets Trevor, a new fellow in the heart surgery unit. Trevor appears to be totally hot and totally dreamy and wants to get to know Mark better. Mark and Trevor start seeing each other, but Mark wants to keep it very light because he doesn't want to get hurt again. But, it is clear that Trevor has fallen hard for Mark. (And truth be told, Mark has also fallen for Trevor, but he won't admit to it himself.). There is an odd "third wheel" in this relationship -- Trevor's roommate named Derrick. Trevor and Derrick had previously dated and the author tells us that these two men had sex three times. It looks like this subplot in the story will play an important part in he story because here is so much foreshadowing, but it just dies on the vine. There is one really dopey plot element in the book concerning a mugging and gun shot incident. There was no foreshadowing that the area where the incident occurred was a crime prone area. It was as though the author decided that there needs to be some more angst to force these two men to come together -- and it came across as a badly conceived and forced plot mechanism. The story is simply about the everyday decisions that are made in life -- how serious is the main character's relationship? Where are they going to live? How can Mark let go of all of his insecurities when it comes down to trusting a partner? These are not monumental, earth shattering questions, but these are the questions we all face in everyday life, and sometimes reading a book about everyday life is enjoyable. In this novel, we get to see how these two main characters resolve these questions in their own lives.It's a nice, sweet story. I liked the main characters, and most of the secondary characters (although is still think there is something fishy about the relationship with Derrick.). I would like to read more about these main characters, and their lives together. Four stars from me. I don't love it and I don't hate it. The preview was fun and engaging, just like the first couple of chapters. After that, it quickly becomes hum-drum and I've found myself nodding off a couple times. One thing stood out to me at the beginning: Mark has some very valid concerns about dating someone he works with, but his friends keep telling him he's imagining things and creating mountains out of molehills and I just don't get that at all. Then, if Mark believes that "happiness is just a myth," why does he fall into love with Trevor so quickly? Where's the drama? Where's the tension? Where's the emotions that make me want to empathize with any of the characters? There's a huge distance between the very annoying POV-shifting narrator and the reader that's hard to overcome. I felt no danger of these two not staying together. And as for Mark choosing "between guarding his heart and giving it completely, the risk he swore never to take again" ? Yeah, right. When did that happen?..
