“A woman is like a teabag; you never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.”– Eleanor Roosevelt
Fusion is the second book in the North Star trilogy. It follows Kevin Magnus & Hugo Thorson from the end of Spark as they begin to try to live their lives as gay men and build a relationship.
Kevin had never told anyone he was gay. Now he is faced with telling his children that he really did love their mother; he wasn’t lying to her for the years they were married. They knew of Hugo as Kevin’s best friend in high school, not as his boyfriend. And certainly not as his current partner.
Hugo is out and proud. He sometimes performs in drag as Miss Cherry Pop! with a group of friends. He is helping Kevin raise his two children since Kevin’s wife Erin hasn’t been well. Kevin and Hugo just recently reunited after a lengthy separation and before they really have time to establish themselves as a couple, life puts a speed bump in front of them. Kevin had remained in the family home when he and Erin decided to divorce, so the children feel at home there and they quickly bond with Hugo as another parent.
Just days before Kevin and Erin are due to sign their divorce papers, Erin gets bad news about why she hasn’t been feeling well. Kevin feels that his children should spend every minute they can with their mom and asks her to move back into the family home. They forgo the divorce finalization so Erin can stay on Kevin’s health insurance while she is being treated. The two are to stay married in name only. Erin will be sleeping in the guest room.
Up until this point, Hugo had been spending many nights at Kevin’s house. Both of them agree that it wouldn’t be fair to Erin to continue this, so they aren’t able to see each other as frequently. They are both lonely and miserable. Even the kids miss Hugo. Erin provides a surprising solution, she suggests that Hugo live with them as part of the family and help with her care.
Erin and Hugo develop a platonic but loving relationship and when Hugo and Kevin need time alone, she helps make sure they get it. The children have three loving, nurturing parents. The arrangement works really well, to the surprise of all involved, and to me! I thought for sure there would be jealousy or rivalry for affections. Posy Roberts writes mature, responsible characters that put the well-being of the children before themselves. This is as it should be in life, but too frequently isn’t.
I really enjoyed Fusion, not quite as much as Spark, but almost. The difference was that this time the story didn’t seem to advance as quickly as I felt it should have. It seemed to drag at times. It was a great story and was well-written by one of my favorite authors, just that one minor drawback for me. The characters are lovable and likeable. I’d like to sit down to a meal with this family and hear stories about the guys’ high school days, or when the kids were little. I can’t wait to see where Ms. Roberts takes them in the next, and final book in the trilogy. Flare (North Star #3) is due out in January 2014.
Strongly recommended.
You can buy Fusion (North Star #2) here:
