Crossing Swords by Mixie Edwards
Christopher Rush is not gay.
But after a breakup with his longtime girlfriend, he finds himself crossing swords with his best friend Jeremy Pratt. Who’s also not … gay.
It was a one-time thing.
It didn’t mean anything.
They like girls.
At least, that’s what these boys of summer tell themselves as they pretend it wasn’t more than experimentation. With only four weeks left before they leave town for college, Christopher and Jeremy awkwardly navigate their way through a series of unfortunate (or very fortunate) events. Often leaving them breathless, conflicted, and dressed in nothing but a pair of socks.
Because socks are less gay.
As their time together comes to an end, will Christopher and Jeremy accept that love doesn’t discriminate, or will they put their swords up for good?
ellie's $0.02:
What a kickass debut from a debut author. This novel is about two best friends that are totally not-gay but maybe gay. Yes. No. Maybe. So you could say it was a debut for this duo of non-gay friends that just cross swords. On a regular basis. But not gay. Don't worry. The book makes way more sense than I just did.
Mixie handles the book and the topic and the story telling like a champ. It's hilarious and while we may all try to deny it, it's real. THIS is teenagers experimenting and wondering if they are gay or not. They don't know how to communicate. They know how to fuck and feel good and beat the shit outta of each other when they don't know how to talk Yes, terms like fag, faggot, and queer are thrown around like any 18-year-old boy would and does - gay or not.
The writing style is simple, clean, fun, and funny. It's told from the hip. Or heart. Or sword. It's hot. It's entertaining. It's emotional. It's funny. Twitch.
The story even hits the technicalities of well... first time sex for M/M. Even that was done with style and humor with their arguing on who gets to top, doing it wrong (ow... always remember stretching), lube flavor, and of course - declaring they still aren't gay in the middle of the act.
While you may want to think too much about this and analyze the fuck out of it. It is just a fun, coming of age - but not coming out - M/M story. Don't overthink. Enjoy it for what it is. A humorous, dirty talking, epic amounts of sex, entertaining book on what could be a sensitive topic. Don't make it sensitive and just enjoy it. Much like Christopher and Jeremy did.
Mom steps a little closer to Jeremy and me. She looks around to make sure no one is looking and asks, “So, who gives and who takes?”
“Mom!” I’m back to yelling.
“What? I’m just curious. Don’t be such a drag, Christopher. I mean, you could be worse things. You could be in a gang,” she says, and I have to just walk away.
This is a book I was super bummed when it ended. It was one of those books. That book. Twitch. Jeremy and Christopher are still in my heart and mind and I can't get rid of them.
I vote for a sequel.
Twitch.
