Of Being Yours

'Of Being Yours' is the sequel to 'Another Way' and the continuing story of Jesse and Will. It picks up three years after Jesse left his girlfriend and moved in permanently with Will, his boyfriend and his Dom. It was really nice that the story picked up so far into the future because so many things had changed, but many had stayed the same. Jesse had become comfortable with his sexuality and his gay relationship, while Will had grown as a Dom and Jesse's Master. It was tragic that it took a horrific accident for them to examine themselves, each other, and to truly give their love a test for all time.
Jesse and Will have settled into a really nice life together. Jesse has finished his MA in History and got a good job in his field. Will left his father's company and started his own. Together they weathered some of the rough times that come with working too many hours and not spending enough time with each other. Will's parents love Jesse, and they travel to Jesse's family to visit routinely. All around their life is good, they love one another, and nothing can impact that. Right?
While heading home from a ski weekend up north, they skid on black ice and head into the guardrail. Jesse suffers several cracked ribs, one of which causes internal bleeding, and Will breaks his leg and gets pretty bashed up. Now, normally, people would need to recover from these types of injuries and perhaps there would be some lingering fear of driving or not wanting to be a passenger, etc. What happens with Will and Jesse begins as something different. Because Will's mobility is seriously hampered, work is brought to the house for him and he throws himself into it, and somehow he and Jesse end up living in the same house, but not together.
Will pulls farther and farther away from Jesse and poor Jesse doesn't know how to fix this. When Jesse finally reaches his breaking point, Will admits he can't be Jesse's Dom right now. He can't hurt him because he's been hurt too much, regardless that Will knows it's two totally different types of pain. So, instead, Jesse is forced to return to Laura, the Domme he had before Will, and a good friend. But, it isn't submission Jesse needs, it's submission with Will, and it takes Laura showing him that and referring both Jesse and Will to a psychiatrist in the lifestyle before they begin to work on their issues. Of course, they are both still men, and, let's face it, guys stink at trying to work things out, no matter how well-meaning they are. So, Will and Jesse struggle, a lot, and discover things about themselves and their relationship that come as a bit of a surprise.
This was a good story, but I'll admit that I didn't care for it as much as Will and Jesse's first tale. I had some difficulty with some of the drama, mainly because it didn't ring true for me. The story was still very well written, fast-paced, with strong characters, but for some reason I couldn't connect with this one as I did the prior. I still liked it and will probably re-read it down the way so I can reevaluate my feelings. Oftentimes my reactions are influenced by somewhere my brain has been stuck and not really a true reflection of the story. I guess I'm not perfect after all. *sigh*
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews