The Blueprint (Rules of Possession #1)

The Blueprint (Rules of Possession Book 1)
Title: The Blueprint
Author: S.E. Harmon
Publisher:  Self Published
Release Date: November 17, 2019 (Second Edition)
Genre(s): Contemporary Sports Romance
Page Count: 270 pages
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

Blue and Kelly have been friends since childhood; Blue plays for the NFL while Kelly is a physics professor. Kelly is gay while Blue is ... straight? Kelly has been in love with his best friend for years and lately Blue has been sending signals, definitely mixed signals, but signals nonetheless, that maybe he isn't as straight as he proclaims to be. Blue, for his part, is willing (maybe) to concede that he's bisexual but he doesn't want to mess up his friendship with Kelly nor come out to the NFL and his fans. What follows is a push-and-pull situation with Blue and Kelly having some very steamy sex, then Blue using the friend card, again and again. As Blue thinks:

In this case Oscar Wilde seemed to sum up my situation with Kelly—“There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.” I asked for just friendship, and he gave me exactly what I asked for. No more, no less.

Kelly, on the other hand, wishes for a slightly different outcome:

Why not go all out with the fantasy? We’d probably eat dinner and watch a little TV. Then we’d shower and put on pajamas and get into bed. Our dog would curl up at the foot of the bed, and everything would settle. The house would be quiet and dark and cool, and I’d curl up against Blue… who would then proceed to rip my pajamas off and fuck me into the mattress. Our dog would sniff in annoyance and stalk off to her own bed, and I would proceed to make noises wild enough to make the raccoons at our trashcans pause.

I love the free-flowing abundant snark throughout and S.E. Harmon's writing style is so seamless and smooth that it's easy to get drawn into the story from its first few pages. I also like that we get Blue and Kelly's POV throughout, but Blue seriously needs to make up his mind and stop the endless cycle of jealousy towards Kelly and really delve into his feelings. Despite the simmering sexual tension, the pace of the book feels very slow as there is nothing close to a resolution until the final pages.

And when the final resolution comes, it's rushed along and we don't see the consequences of the life-changing decision Blue worried about for most of the book. I want to get Blue's father's response, his coach and teammates, fans, and Kelly's friends and colleagues and feel an epilogue is really needed. I like the plot but want a bit more ... resolution, I guess. 4 stars for The Blueprint and I definitely want to read more by S.E. Harmon!