Just Be You by M. E. Parker

Right. I hadn’t meant to write this review. Or rather, I hadn’t really planned on reading Just Be You by M.E. Parker, not just yet anyway. I have a lot of other books way higher up on my to-read list. However, I had such a craving for some Parker writing I couldn’t stop myself. In truth I was holding out for her next release in the Gilcrest Guys series, Resisting Rein, but that release appears to have been postponed.

Just Be You is a lovely romance. It’s about Scott Cohen, musical genius, Grammy nominee and gay. And about his brother’s best – and also straight – friend, Marshall, who Scott’s had a crush on since forever. When finding out that his boyfriend and manager’s been cheating on him, Scott goes off to the Cohen family cabin. What he hadn’t planned on was Marshall turning up as well. After not seeing each other for eight years, they discover that when coming together as adults, there’s some serious sizzle.

This is a very sweet and easy read. Scott is the most endearing character, the kind that’s so easy to fall in love with. The storyline is very straight forward though. No surprises, no tangents or side-stories. But that’s absolutely fine. Just Be You is what I call a comfort-read. It’s an altogether charming story, without many surprises. The kind of book you choose when you want a guaranteed happily ever after and when you just want a moderate, or manageable, amount of angst and confusion in the middle. Predictable and comforting. The novel equivalent of a comfy pair of pajama pants to change into when you come home after work on Friday and just want to veg out in front of the tv. It might not be the coolest activity in the world, but it feels damn good.

So, if you want simple, sweet romance with lovable characters, this is a good choice.