Learning to Love: Josh & Chris

Chris Andrews and Josh Saunders got very close during the trial against the people who attacked Michael.
Josh has been attracted to Chris and Chris to him , but fear has not let them be honest with each other.
Josh and Chris have to learn to trust each other and once again be there for each other.
When things turn out to be really difficult they finally opened their eyes and get to know their feelings.
They are soul mates and love becomes what saves them.

This is the third installment in the 'Learning to Love' series and although Michael, Sean, Evan, and Daniel are featured and integral, this is the story of Josh and Chris. Two young men who manage to take miscommunication to a whole new level in their pursuit of love and happiness. Their story follows the same heartwarming sweetness that the other couples had with a little bit of drama thrown in to stir things up.
Josh moved into the house the end of book two as he got accepted to medical school, and wants to become a pediatric physician. He's been single for over a year since things ended with his ex and being around the two madly in love couples in the house reminds him that he wants what they have and he isn't willing to settle for less. He is very attracted to Chris, but since being the shoulder the younger man needed during the trial, Josh doesn't want Chris to feel obligated to go out with him, so he's not saying a word about his feelings.
Chris has had a pretty tough year. In testifying against the others in the trial for assault against Michael, Chris inadvertently outed himself and life has gotten a whole lot harder. Luckily, Michael and the gang invited him to move in, because he would have been the victim of a hate crime himself if he'd stayed in the dorm. But now he's dealing with his parents threatening to disown him and an unknown someone sending him threatening letters. Life is never dull around that house!
I really liked Chris and Josh. Theirs was a more simplistic coming together that made it more powerful in my eyes. Not to mention, I think I liked these two characters the best out of the six young men, which made seeing them get their happy ever after even better. I have no idea whether this is the end for this series as I think there could be more to tell. I will be grateful for these three and be happy if another couple is introduced.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews

Josh & Chris' story is the third in the Learning to Love series and is pretty much similar to the earlier books - lovely characters, sweet romance, lots of sex and some drama.
Sharing a house are the couple from the first two books - Michael & Sean and Evan & Daniel - plus Josh and Chris. They all make an appearance in this book as they gather to support Josh and Chris but also have their own story lines.
Chris is still doing community service for his part in an attack on Michael. But because of the forgiving nature of all these boys/men and because he testified against the others and outed himself at the trial, he has been welcomed into the home. He is still struggling with his sexuality as his parents have threatened to cut him off. He is still a virgin but has strong feelings for Josh. Believing these feelings could surely not be returned, he starts dating another man.
Josh has put his nursing career on hold to study medicine. He has strong feelings for Chris and has yearned for him for a long time. Everyone, including his father, are aware of it, expect Chris.
What I enjoy in this series is the open love and affection shown by these men. They are truly a family, offering love and support to each other. They are very physically demonstrative about their love and also quite vocal. They are not afraid to let each other know how much they care and share feelings (of course, accept for Josh and Chris with each other because that would be too easy!). I like the blend of friendship, romance, sex and drama.
The sex is interesting because in some ways it greatly contrasts with the characters of the men - just because the men are so sweet and lovely, it doesn't always mean the sex is gentle and romantic. Daniel and Evan in the epilogue are a prime example. They also don't seem to require much privacy and with their high sex drives, there always seems to be someone having sex while the others can hear.
What I don't like so much is the total overuse of endearments - sweetie, honey, love (here is Australia \"Love\" is an endearment my grandmother would use, it isn't romantic) and some of the dialogue has a slightly unnatural feel to it. I just can't imagine men speaking to each other like that in real life. Here is where I suspend worrying about reality and just think what nice guys they are! I also think the marriage thing is a bit overdone with ALL these really young men making this commitment so early.
This book does contain some violent acts so we get a real contrast between the sweet loving and the violent abuse. It is handled well and it is good to see that the character undergo appropriate therapy and have support to recover.
The ending leaves a few things open so hopefully another book won't be too far away. I would like to find out what is going on with Sean (I have my suspicions) and it would also be nice to see the character of James re-introduced. James is the guy who was dating Chris and seems so lovely. When Chris breaks up with him he is so nice about it and encourages Chris to talk to Josh. I would like him to have a happy ending too.
Overall I think I enjoyed this book slightly more than the others in the series, perhaps because I knew what to expect in terms of the writing style.
This review has been posted to Because Two Men Are Better Than One.
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