When Brian Christie begins to fall in love with his best friend, he isn't quite sure what to do. He owes his life to Varro Dacien and his family, who took him out of the system and brought him into their home when he was younger. Now older, Brian realizes he is gay and the only man who makes him burn hotter than the sun is Varro, but Brian never wants to jeopardize his relationship with him, no matter how much it hurts to deny how much he wants Varro.

The thing about Varro and Brian is that neither one is very good at communicating. While Brian knows what he wants and knows that he can't have it. Varro, on the other hand, has absolutely no clue what he wants at all. He's absolutely clueless and that makes for a difficult situation for Brian. But when he realizes there might be something there, Brian doesn't know how to react.

HEART OF THE RACE is brimming with angst. It's by far the most emotional book from Mary Calmes. Rife with yearning and heartbreak, you can't help but root for these two as they try to hash out their feelings for one another. But when they do, when they realize just how deep their feelings for one another run, it's worth it.

HEART OF THE RACE is a deeply emotional story of two best friends finding love. If you're up for an emotional rollercoaster, then you definitely need to check this book out.

Book Summary

Varro Dacien spends his life riding toward the next adventure. Brian Christie, his best friend and touchstone, the one person who’s always truly seen him, plays sidekick on these madcap adventures and subsequent trips to the hospital until he can’t take it anymore. While Brian can see Varro, Varro has never caught on that he’s breaking his best friend’s heart.

Without Varro, Brian builds himself a life that’s all about just getting by, doing his best to ignore the hole in his heart and his life. Without Brian to balance him, Varro pushes harder and takes more risks to reach that ultimate high. His job racing high-octane bikes on suicide-level courses makes it easy to get that rush… until it’s no longer enough and Varro realizes it’s not the race, but who’s waiting at the finish line that truly matters. Now he just has to convince Brian to be there.