Feuds and Reckless Fury

Webster (Wicked Lies Boys Tell) delivers a juicy, over-the-top queer new adult romance. Eighteen-year-old Canyon Voss is out for revenge against his father, Ryan, for leaving his wife, Canyon’s mother, for his best friend, Quinn Sommers. Canyon’s retaliation involves creating a chain of pain by making Quinn’s gay adopted son, Alister, suffer. But Canyon’s plans—which involve hounding Alister at school and quitting football to beat Alister in track—backfire when he finds himself attracted Alister. Their relationship is sweet—and scorchingly explicit—as they go from enemies to lovers, but it needs to be kept secret from their fathers as traumatized Alister worries that Quinn will disown him if he finds out. There’s already plenty of drama in the stepbrother-lovers story line, and Webster goes overboard adding melodramatic subplots about a stalker, two murder attempts, addiction, overdose, and teen pregnancy. When the drama comes to a head and Alister extricates himself from a sticky situation, the story goes in yet another unnecessary direction. Canyon and Alister’s romance is the strength here, with amusing flirtation and chemistry-laden competition keeping the pages turning. When the novel keeps this in focus, it sings. Fans of salacious love stories will find plenty to enjoy. (Self-published)