Title: Faith & Fidelity
Author: Tere Michaels
Publisher: http://loose-id.com
Genre: Contemporary M/M
Length: novel plus
Rating: 5+ stars out of 5, DIK
THE BLURB
New York City Vice Detective Evan Cerelli has lost his wife, the only person he ever loved and slept with. He’s trying to get on with his life, build a life for his children. Former Homicide Detective Matt Haight is a ladies’ man, all sex/no commitment. He’s depressed, having a midlife crisis, and not sure where his life is headed.
The two find friendship in the bottom of a shared bottle. When the friendship turns to love, it shakes two straight men to the core and flips their lives inside out. Kids, families, careers that are not gay-friendly — can all the love in the world overcome the obstacles to faith and fidelity?
THE REVIEW
Evan Cerelli never expected that a year after his wife’s accidental death he would meet and fall in love with someone else. Most of all he never would have dreamed that the new person in his life would be a man.
The first few pages of this book were very sombre and depressing and I almost didn’t continue reading. Evan was burying his wife of 20 years who had been killed in an automobile accident; he had been in love with Sherri since high school, had never been with anyone else and it was heartbreaking to witness the grief, not only Evan’s but also that of his four children.
Fast forward one year later. Evan is at a retirement party for another cop and he meets Matt Haight, a former detective. Matt had left the department under a cloud because he had broken ranks with his Brothers in Blue by reporting another cop who was dirty; after that his career was basically over as he was reduced in rank from a New York Police Detective to a Staten Island beat cop. He and Evan hit it off at the party and spend the evening talking to each other, finding out that they had a lot in common. Subsequently, they met regularly for weeks in a bar just to talk and have a few drinks, while underneath their new friendship a sexual attraction was growing and other, softer feelings were beginning to emerge. Neither man knew what to do about this new development and phase of their friendship and each one avoided the elephant in the room until they could do so no longer. Matt starts having dreams about Evan that he can’t explain and everything seems to be going wrong as they both grapple with these unfamiliar feelings towards each other. Eventually they can’t resist the pull of their attraction.
The difficulties in rationalizing their friendship and love for each other were highlighted very early on in the story when Evan couldn’t explain his new love interest to his partner Helena, and didn’t correct her when she assumed he was dating a woman, because he doesn’t know how a male love interest will go over with her. His boss is also another hurdle to overcome and he just can’t go there. Ultimately matters are taken out of their hands when Evan suffers an injury on the job while on a takedown, and Matt has to step forward and assume responsibility for the kids for a short time. Friends, inlaws and everyone else muddy the waters until eventually Evan has to make a terrible choice.
Faith and Fidelity is about love, life, death, family and the impact each has on the other. This is also a powerful story about love and loss and loving again which is moving, emotional and poignant. The book is rich in content and the characters are all well drawn and three dimensional, even Evan’s kids who are so wonderful to both their father and Matt, with whom they fell in love, and the feeling was mutual. Both men are past their first youth since they are around 40 and Matt in particular has experienced many of life’s knocks. Clearly Matt wanted to be a member of Evan’s family partly because his own childhood had been so miserable and, at times, watching him with the kids showed how vulnerable he was and how much he needed this to be real. Evan had his own major hurdles to overcome, one of which was to move Sherri from being front and centre in his life to a much loved memory and the past.
What amazed me was Tere Michaels’ sensitivity in making these characters’ love for each other believable since they are both straight men who had made love to and had had relationships with women all their lives, so it was no easy task to have them transition into this new role. The author did an excellent job on this aspect of the book and also by not minimizing the difficulties Evan would have to face on the job and with family and friends, and she showed how loving another person transcended formerly held views about gender. The story held my interest throughout as it moved from Evan’s and Matt’s first meeting to their difficulties in coming to terms with what their attraction to each other could mean by changing their lives and those of Evan’s children, as well as other people’s perceptions. Faith and Fidelity is complex, touching and emotional as Matt and Evan battle to stay with each other despite all the difficulties, and at times it seemed as if Matt was the only one fighting for their love because Evan had so much more to lose – his family for starters and maybe even his job. Above all, this is a romance that’s incredibly life changing, but mostly it is about two lonely people who are trying to start their lives over with someone they love.
The portrayals were intelligent and did not veer off into fantasyland and while there were many opportunities for the story to become a real tearjerker, the author avoided that trap. It’s rare to find a book with so many terrific characters where all of them are so well drawn and work together fluidly. There were a couple of issues that I had with the book and one was the editing and typos; the second was that throughout the book, Matt and Evan seemed to only have oral sex with each other which I don’t believe is the norm for men in any kind of relationship. However, maybe it takes time for the guys to fully experience the joys of their new sexuality:) and hopefully they will explore a full range of sexual options in the author’s new book Love and Loyalty, due to be released by Loose Id on September 8th, where I believe there might be a little more of Evan and Matt, even though it will be Jim’s story. You have to read Faith and Fidelity to find out who is Jim. The sequel to Matt’s and Evan’s story is planned to be submitted by the author to the publisher by the end of the summer so there’s a possibility of a fall/winter release.
I really enjoyed this book and would rate it as excellent for both the content and the characters.
What a great review. I read this book a while ago and really enjoyed it. I’m definately going back to re-read it before the sequel comes out because I can’t seem to remember who Jim is 🙁
This is a GFY story and I totally believed it.
Hi Lisa
Would you believe I had this book in my TBR pile for just under a year and only now decided to read this gem. It’s a truly wonderful story that just happens to be GFY. I have said repeatedly that I’m not fond of GFY but books like this make me eat my words time and again.
Re Jim, f you can’t figure out who he is when you re-read the book email me.:)
Great Review, Wave.
This was my favourite contemporary last year. A beautifully written GFY which dealt with serious issues but still allowed time for a believable romance to blossom between the two heroes. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
Nice review, Wave. I did read on the author’s blog that she is currently working on another book for Evan and Matt which she called a “direct sequel to Faith & Fidelity.”
Sloan
Very interesting review! This sounds unusual and worth reading. I like realistic cop stories, and I’m always pleased to see 40 year-old characters. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!
That’s gone straight onto my To Read list. And it’s available in print in the UK. W00t! It will be in my next Book Depository order for sure.
Jen
I can;’t believe it took me so long to read this wonderful book. Maybe it was too serious a topic for me when I bought it and it stayed in my TBR pile until now.
Hi Sloan
She calls Love and Loyalty “a semi sequel to F & F” and the actual follow-up to F & F “a direct sequel to F and F.” I guess you can’t have too many sequels to such a wonderful book.:)
Val
I really think you will like this book. It’s quite unusual, if only for the depth of the characters, but the plot is no slouch either. Let me know how you like it. I’m really interesteded.
I will do that! 🙂
JFM
I read that Faith and Fidelity had been recently released as a print book. This is one of those books that you would read again and again, so print is a good investment.
This sounds good. You’ve provided a great review, Wave.
I love the concept of GFY; it’s one of my favourite kinks.
I’ve ordered a print version from The Bookdepository and I’m really looking forward to reading it.
Gaye
I hope you like it. I know I loved Faith and Fidelity. Please send me an email to let me know how you liked it.
ooo great review Wave. I’ve read this book 3x since I’ve gotten it and love, love, love it. It’s definitely one of my rare 5 star reviews and couldn’t have said it better. I’m EAGERLY awaiting the next book the author offers.
IE ate my reply so I’m going to try again.
I’m really happy that you like this book as much as I do. I can’t believe it took me so long to read it and I, too, am eagerly awaiting Iim’s story, whether or not there’s any “walk-ons” by Matt and Evan.:) The third story which is really the sequel to F & F is probably not due until the fall/winter so we have a long wait.
I loved this book too. It is easily one of my favourite books on the GFY theme and is just a damned fine romance all round. I’m really looking forward to the next book by this author.
Hi Kris
I can’t find anyone who hated this book. I agree with you — after a while I forgot that this was GFY and just thought of it as a romance. September 8 for the next book in the series, Jim’s story, can’t come fast enough.
Fab review, Wave. I read this book when it first released and LOVED it. Seriously. It’s one of my favorite reads. The opening was so heartbreaking. Tere Michaels really made me feel Evan’s pain. And I loved the way she made Evan and Matt’s relationship feel so real. Though I will admit I had a ‘hey!’ moment when I reached the end and they hadn’t boinked. lol. But even though the smut lover in me would have loved that scene in the book, I don’t think it would have fit where the characters were at the end of the book. I believe it was a great example of not pushing characters beyond their limits.
Love and Loyalty isn’t a direct sequel? Bummer! I assumed it was since the cover has the same feel as Faith and Fidelty. Oh well. I’ll definitely still read it since I adore the author’s writing, and I’m very happy to hear that she had a direct sequel in the works.
Depending on how realistic the book is trying to be, having the characters engage mostly in oral sex may ring true. I’ve had gay male friends tell me they don’t have anal sex regularly because even when it is done gently it can hurt a lot and leave them sore. My guess is that frequent vigorous anal sex is probably more fun to read about then do… but then again we read m/m to escape reality a bit 😉
I can only add my agreements. I loved this book, kept me awake for a long time.
Only thing I am not happy with is new release date. I am on holiday but one can´t have it all I suppose *g*
Ingrid
Gee, I could say I’m sorry that you’ll be away when Love and Loyalty is released next month, however I’m really jealous that you’re going to be on holiday. Sorry? Hmmmm :)The book will still be here when you return so don’t feel too bad. Poor Ingrid.*g*
Hi Ava
I already re-read it and loved it even more the second time around.:)
I can understand why the author didn’t include a scene of the guys moving further into a more sexual relationship since they both started out straight, but I admit I did expect it, because of the scene with “you know who” (can’t say any more because of spoilers).
According to Tere Michaels’ website she expects to submit the sequel to F & F by the end of the summer, so I’m assuming that’s a winter release. The reason the cover for the new book Love & Loyalty has the same feel is because it’s by the same cover artist, Croco Designs who do great work. They did all of Josh Lanyon’s Adrien English covers which I think are really great.
Hi Diane
Some of my younger gay male friends tell me that they don’t engage in anal sex on a regular basis because they prefer other forms of sexual pleasure, like oral, toys, etc. Apparently it’s only a staple mostly for the “older” guys (35 and over) – I can’t believe that 30s is considered “older,” – 40s must be ancient.:)
As someone who reads about one M/M book almost every day I’m so accustomed to reading about penetration that if I get to the end of a book and it doesn’t happen, I think WTF:) This was my expectation here after an incident in the book involving another character; there’s nothing wrong with the way the author ended the story because it’s more realistic, given where the guys were in the relationship.
I bought this in January (and read it shortly thereafter) and still remember how much I enjoyed it, so I’m delighted to seen a sequel/follow-up is in the works.
Thank you, Wave!
Hi Mistry89
Thank you for commenting. It’s becoming clear to me that many readers think this is a great book. I love it and can’t wait for all the new books in the series to be released.
Yes, I feel real sorry for myself. You will have all read it by the time I get back.
Thanks for reminding me of this great book! I read it when it first came out – maybe it’s time for a re-read. 🙂
Megan
I definitely think it’s time for a re-read. This book is what we fondly call a “comfort read” – one of those books that you re-read whenever you’re down.
Ingrid
I’m really sorry that you’re going to be on vacation when Love and Loyalty is released. Look at it this way, I think we would all love to change places with you, take your vacation, and read the book when we return.:)
I totally agree with the review and consider this book one of the best from last year. I suppose I should re-read it in preparation for the next book…
Hi Suzi
Thanks for coming by. So far, 100% of the readers seem to agree with my assessment of how wonderful this book is.:) I guess September 8 can’t come too soon for any of us.
Sorry to be late to the party. I need this book. I also need to look at backlists for some of the pubs, it seems. Great review Wave.
Lynn
There are so many books, so little time. I can’t believe it took me almost a year to read and review F & F. I have other books which I haven’t touched in 2 years but I’m getting there.:)
I am glad to learn that Jim is getting his own book. He was a great character that in some ways should have been hard to love but wasn’t. It sounds like they must stay in touch. I am curious to see how the author handles this.
Being the last birthday I’ll have before turning 40, I am glad there will be something new & hopefully exciting to distract me on this one. 😉
Hi Cathleen
Like you, I thought that Jim was a terrific character and I’m really looking forward to reading his book. 39 is a great age – it’s better than 49.:)