In Too Deep

\"He wondered if he should pull out his laptop and show Aiden his pathways—daily, weekly, monthly plans for the year and for the decade. If there was a word for a unit of time, Cade had made a plan for that period. He knew exactly where he was going, and every step he was going to take in order to get there.\"
It is way too simple an explanation to say that Aiden and Cade come from different worlds. These two young men don't just come from different worlds, they come from different ways of thinking and doing. It's more complex than the wealthy kid who has gotten everything handed to him, and the kid from the other side of the tracks. It isn't that black- and-white, or that cut-and-dried. Aiden comes from acceptance, from love, from wanting him to have the best, and yes, from wealth. Cade comes from ignorance, from abuse, from disregard, from apathy, and yes, from less than poor.
With all of that said, I loved Aiden, and Cade more and more as I kept reading. I probably leaned a little more, toward Cade, because, hey, underdog, but I completely fell for both of them. Aiden wanted to get to know Cade, so badly, and the stuff that came pouring out of his mouth in an attempt to get Cade to talk to him was both, funny and sweet beyond imagining. Cade, with his strong will and desire to get beyond his beginnings, to make something worthwhile of himself, at the same time he's denying himself any distractions, made my heart hurt several times. Watching these two become friends and then more, very, very slowly, like molasses slowly, was excruciating at times. I felt for Aiden, who just wanted to spend time with Cade and get to know him. But I also felt for Cade, because it's hard to keep your focus if someone is distracting you, and Cade needs that focus to succeed.
\"The houses were well-shielded from the road, but he could see enough of them through the openings in the trees to know he was out of his league. Like, so far out of his league he wasn’t even playing the same sport as these people. And Aiden was one of them.\"
It's very obvious to Cade, when he meets Aiden's parents, which, by the way, is very traumatic for him, that Aiden takes after his dad, as they are both warm, caring people. The mother? Well, she leaves a lot to be desired, and is fairly cold to Cade, and verbally snubs him a lot. Much like Cade assumed most wealthy people would behave. To a certain degree I could understand that in the mother's eyes Cade isn't good enough, and he wouldn't fit in. Which, not unsurprisingly, Cade feels the same way, and still doesn't understand why Aiden loves him. But Aiden does. He loves Cade so much. And Cade loves Aiden with a depth he never thought he'd ever have. So when an ugly part of Cade's past returns, he has to hope that Aiden will still love him when everything is said and done.
'In Too Deep' isn't my first read by Kate Sherwood, and it sure won't be my last. This is an intense and truly magnificent novel. The author did a beautiful job writing the characters, and she made me feel so much for the both of them. This is a story that touched my heart, and it's definitely being added to my favorites. Thank you, Kate. I really am becoming addicted to your writing.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.