The Rainbow Clause by Beth Bolden

4 stars

Nick is an out and proud sports journalist tasked with shadowing star NFL player Colin O'Connor for a life changing article. Colin is about to come out as bi, but his team and manager want his announcement to be accompanied by a true account of character and lifestyle, so Nick comes to Miami and moves into Colin's secluded mansion to get a real flavour of the footballer. It helps immensely that the two of them have instant chemistry, but Nick is acutely aware that his long time infatuation with Colin cannot get in the way of his work. Easier said than done.
Colin fell in love with his best friend Jemma but the attraction wasn't reciprocated and it left Colin feeling sad and lonely for a long time. Nick and Jemma work together and knowing how much Nick admired Colin, she pushed for him to do the journalistic work on Colin.
As soon as Nick arrives in Miami it's clear that their mutual attraction can not be ignored and the rest of the book is a study of their developing relationship; the seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the way of their happiness, and Colin's experiences at coming out as a public figure. It's an intense and emotional read but peppered with enough hot sex and humour not to make it a slog. It is a well written and sensitive piece and extremely descriptive making it easy to get caught up in the story.
This is not just a boy fancies another boy story - it's complicated and messy and adorable and raises some interesting points. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience!