I read Coming Out, A Hawks MC Novella, by Lila Rose as a standalone. Coming Out is a story about standing-up for yourself and being true to who you are. That being said, Coming Out focuses on Matthew “Mattie” and Julian. Matthew is a 21 year old college football player. He has not been able to tell his parents or anyone that he is homosexual. He uses football as a mask to show others how “manly” and “tough” he is. All that goes out the window when Julian shows-up after practice to give the team massages. Julian has his own set of problems. He is in his mid-30’s and unfortunately, his father is holding something over his head to control him. Both Julian’s parents are horribly disappointed and embarrassed that their son is homosexual. He has endured years of their physical and mental abuse and continues to all to protect someone he loves. When Matthew meets Julian for the first time, his world stands still. Matthew decides to tell his parents that he is a homosexual which they give him 100% support. As Matthew comes to terms with his attraction to Julian, they begin a relationship, under Julian’s older, more experienced guidance.
Although this is not a book I would normally read, the writing was solid as was the story line. I loved the fact that one of the themes of Coming Out was to be true to who you are. As Coming Out shows, sometimes this works well in your favor and sometimes it doesn’t. The support Mattie’s family shows not only him but Julian is phenomenal. Julian’s character was written as entertaining and enduring. There were times in the book when I both cried and laughed out load. Julian’s antics and attitude MADE this novella.