Have I mentioned how selfless this man is? Despite not wanting to take care of his family (and having the option not to do so), Michael brushed it off and did the best he could to keep everyone above water while also dealing with his addiction.

He cared deeply for his students and friends, and perhaps too much for his family (clearly evident when he jumped ship on Nunzio a week before their trip). Michael’s not-so-tragic flaw was that he cared, sometimes too much. If someone had told me adulthood was equal parts being broke, depressed, and taking care of my family financially, I would have opted out and tried to find a one-way ticket to Neverland. People are complicated, and Santino gets that. Santino confessed that Michael was an introvert, but was simultaneously “not shy about asserting himself.” Conflicting characteristics like this exist in real people, but far too often authors stress a particular character trait and end up making their MC’s appear to be flat. I’d put myself into this situation-surrounded by people, looking like hell, and so obviously unhappy that I was practically waving a pity me banner, but still not willing to talk to anyone. More often than not, I found myself wondering how it was that Michael (via Santino) was able to put things into words in a way that resonated with me. I was completely floored by how many times I had to pause after reading a paragraph to really digest it all. Over the two days I spent reading Sutphin Boulevard, I would say I formed a very strong connection to Michael.

Santino confessed in his cover release blog post that Forgia was “very close to how imagine Michael Rodriguez.” This book was everything that I hoped it would be, and more, but before I get into it, can we just take a second to appreciate that cover? I mean yessssss, c’mon Santino, keep these subtly sexy book covers coming please!Īnd because the cover is clearly not enough, here’s some more of the “baddass (and gorgeous)” Juan Forgia (Santino’s words). I stumbled upon Sutphin Boulevard, my very first M/M Romance read (EVER) shortly after my Kindle Voyage impulse buy, and this book quickly justified my entire purchase. Sometimes I catch myself wanting to ask my co-worker a theoretical question about Nunzio and Michael and then I remember that not everybody has read this book.

Interborough by Santino Hassell