Rites of Passage

With Ms. Gayle there is no halfway. Her stories are absorbing journeys that impart wisdom, demand attention and leave readers craving more. Kleenex is always close at hand in my case. Raw emotion is hard to contain. Rites of Passage deals with a hot button topic that still is misunderstood years after it's first appearance. HIV. Three letters that have changed many lives over the years are still the catalyst for debate. Rites of Passage humanized this disease and gives a voice to those unknown faces living in fear. I applaud this courageous story, it's hard not be affected by the struggle of anyone in pain whether it be emotional or physical. If I had to describe Rites of Passage in two words, I would use hauntingly beautiful.

I received this book as an ARC for an honest review. When I read the epilogue of Ghost's story, I knew Drew's story was going to be epic. Once again, Catherine delivered another powerful love story with important sub plots and characters unlike any others. I love that she isn't afraid to write stories that knock you on your butt and make you think about life differently. Her characters aren't "perfect" people living "perfect" lives. They are as real as it gets and sometimes you find yourself sad that you can't turn the page and magically make everything end up differently. It's a beautiful story that taught me a thing or two about a couple different subjects that I thought I knew so much about, but really knew hardly anything. I loved how she wrote these complicated characters and continues to blend in the ones we've come to love from the previous books in the series. Each of them dealt with their own challenges and it's fun to get glimpses into their happily ever afters in subsequent books. I know I say it time and time again, but Catherine Gayle gets better and better with each book she writes. Each one is my new favorite and I can't wait to get my hands on Huggy Bear's book. If you haven't experienced any of the books in either the Tulsa Thunderbirds or the Portland Storm series, I recommend you take a chance on these amazing books. Start with Portland Storm as that is where it all begins. Thank you again for writing a heart wrenching yet enjoyable book. Definitely going on my favorites list. Happy Reading....enjoy!

Catherine Gayle’s Rites of Passage is an intense, moving, funny, sexy story about two seemingly lost people who find each other, and in so doing, find a way to keep going. Drew Nash is captain-in-waiting of the Tulsa Thunderbirds Hockey team, and Ravyn Penn (?) is a tattoo artist in Tulsa. Both of them are HIV positive, and both are struggling with their diagnosis and what it means for them. Drew is not sure whether or not he should continue to play professional hockey after his HIV status was made public when he was injured on the ice. Ravyn is trying to find a way to continue living after a series of difficult events, including but not limited to her HIV diagnosis. They meet one another in an HIV support group and initially connect only for sex—but they discover that they have a connection that goes beyond the physical and beyond their shared HIV status . Rites of Passage is both complicated and beautiful; in typical Catherine Gayle fashion, Big Issues are addressed as part of real people’s lives, not as easily resolved or forgotten plot points. HIV is not the only Big Issue here, but everything here is presented naturally and sensitively, and resolved in a way that is satisfying without being too simple or too trite. Drew and Ravyn are wonderful characters, as are the other members of Drew’s team, some of whom were featured in previous series, and some of whom are new. Catherine Gayle does a phenomenal job of creating a community of people who care for one another and also make their ways into readers’ hearts. If you are already a Tulsa Thunderbirds reader, you will be thrilled to catch glimpses of Hunter, Tallie, Razor, and Tori, as well as slightly more in-depth appearances from Dima and London. If you’re not yet a fan, there is a whole group of characters waiting within the pages of this book, and you will come to feel like treasured friends. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.