Crossing the Line by Stephanie Vaughan is a homoerotic contemporary novel about two men looking for and finding a love to last a lifetime.

The story starts out with Jamie MacPherson calling his ex-lover, Ben, to tell him that he has gotten over him. The simple fact is, though, Jamie can’t seem to forget him. He has had a string of relationships that just never seem to work out. Jamie is looking for someone to spend his life with, just like the kind of relationship that the rest of his friends have. Jamie is about to give up when, in the most unusual place, he sees Ryan Van Alstyn, a waiter at a restaurant. Jamie and Ryan are immediately attracted to one another, but Ryan is very reluctant to start a new relationship. Jamie has to overcome all of Ryan’s fears before they can begin to get to know each other. Before they can even begin, Ryan’s past intrudes and Jamie steps up and stands by him in a way that Ryan could never imagine.

When Ryan and Jamie finally come together, the scene is so hot it smokes. Every need and desire that Ryan and Jamie have ever had is fullfilled. The interaction between them is is very erotic, but sweet at the same time. Jamie is a very big and manly type of guy that you would find working as a manual laborer, which is exactly what he does. On the other hand, Ryan has your typical blond-haired beach boy look. Ryan and Jamie complement each other in the way that opposites always seem to. Ryan finds out that Jamie fulfills every dream that he has ever had just being himself. Jamie just wants someone to love him for himself, but he has a hard time believing that Ryan really wants what he has to give. Jamie’s belief that no one could ever think that he has worth just being himself makes his character very endearing to the reader. The way that Ryan overcomes Jamie’s feelings of inadequacy were truly remarkable. Ryan may be quiet, but he can pack a punch when he wants to. One of the funniest parts of the book was when Ryan found out that he was scammed by a car repair shop after they told him that he put the wrong oil in his car. Poor Jamie had to tell him that the only way he could have messed up was to not have put the oil in! Ryan’s reaction was, to say the least, hysterical!!

Stephanie Vaughan has taken very distinct characters and placed them in unique situations. These situations tested them in ways that not only challenged how they looked at things, but also gave the reader a unique experience to of going along with them on their road to enlightenment. This reader enjoyed this book and will read it many times. I hope that Ms. Vaughan continues to write more stories of this genre.

Reviewed by: Teresa