Between Sinners and Saints

Levi Binder is living free and easy in Miami. He works as a bartender, which gives him plenty of time off to surf and plenty of opportunities for sex. Muscle and nerve pain, exacerbated by his surfing, force him to seek out a therapeutic masseur, and he meets Jaime Marshall – pale, strawberry blond, with hands that can do miracles to ease Levi’s pain. But Jaime is oddly detached and clinical in his approach to Levi’s body – something Levi isn’t used to. Jaime – the reader learns long before Levi does – has a back story, and a horrific one. He sees himself as broken so badly that he has resigned himself to his life – alone but for his dog Dolly.The surprise in this rather thoughtful and sometimes troubling book, is Levi’s deeper pain, for it goes unacknowledged at first. Levi’s perfectly balanced life isn’t making him happy. He lives his life in rejection of his big Mormon family, who judged him harshly when he came out to them. When Levi begins to realize that Jaime is more to him than this beautiful mysterious young man who fearfully rejects all of his advances, he begins to look at his own life more closely. He and Jaime start down a long road to discovery together as each of them begins to break patterns in their lives that have kept them from happiness.There is a lot about the faith of the Mormons in this story, and still more about the relative sinfulness of being gay versus rejecting your child for being gay. It is not the typical gay liberation narrative I was taught when I was in my twenties; but neither is it a simple celebration of monogamy. The underlying truth in Levi and Jaime’s story is that finding what makes you truly happy, what completes you as a person, is what matters most, no matter what anybody tells you.Not every sin can be forgiven; and loving someone won’t make them happy if fear and shame are in the way.

4.5 stars...So, this one is hard for me to review because it pushes one of my major buttons, the hypocrisy and homophobia of organized religion. So while I loved the main characters and the storyline and the love and understanding central to it, I spent a lot of time being furious with Levi’s family, with the family confabs (!) And even with the resolution. I did a lot of talking back to the book and not in a good way.Clearly the author's writing was powerful enough to make me really angry but a downside to that was that it interfered with my enjoyment of the book. Normally anything that takes my head out of a book automatically loses a star. I'm compromising here and making it half a star as it wasn't an error or sloppy editing or things that defy the laws of man, nature or physics! But if the religious conflict had been mentioned int he blurb I might have thought twice about the purchase knowing how much it would irritate me. Garden variety reference to homophobic religious people I can glide back but this was more intense than that and it really ticked me off, especially the ending. So I guess the deduction is more for the vague blurb?The characters, Jaime and Levi, are well developed and their baggage is unique, not something you see in a lot of books so that made the storyline interesting. Levi's evolution is a joy to watch unfold as id Jaime's self-discovery.So if rigid, holier than thou religious family members as a central story element won’t set you off as it did me then you will probably enjoy the tender love story between Jaime and Levi.

This book hooked me and I was fascinated from the beginning. I don't usually like to read books with a lot of religion in them because I find them a bit preachy and it doesn't usually flow with the plot all that well. However, in this book the religious aspects were interwoven within the plot perfectly and really brought the emotion and drama of the couple out. It was wonderfully honest and beautifully written!Both Jamie and Levi had things in their lives that weren't working and I loved how they brought out the best in each other. It was a slow burn and really had to be given Jamie's past. I loved the gradually opening of Jamie's heart and trust and how he slowly was able to try new things and become less fearful. I also loved the changes that Levi was willing to make to help Jamie. Levi grew and put Jamie first and through that was able to accept himself. Watching Levi learn to accept himself and balance his religious beliefs with his homosexuality was profound and moving.The secondary characters were well written and I loved that their were no "easy" answers and that it took time and a slow growth for his family. I found it very believable. I loved that Jaime didn't just get past his fears as he fell for Levi and that Levi's family wasn't just suddenly okay with everything. I would have found that unbelievable so the slow evolution was perfect! The scenes between Levi and Jamie were so sweet it made me tear up a time or two. This book really highlights a family forced to face their prejudices and fears and the growth that can happen. I also loved that you never doubted that Levi's family loved him but acknowledged this even though they couldn't seem to accept his homosexuality and even more the lifestyle he was living prior to Jamie. Everyone is this book grew emotionally and it was amazingly well balanced, beautiful and believable. Loved this book and I can definitely see myself re-reading it!

This is a great book that I have read many times but never reviewed. It's about two separate issues - a party boy at odds with his religious family but also how the same man meets a very damaged shy massage therapist and ends up falling in love. I'm surprised one reviewer felt Levi' s family where abusive to him as I didn't get that impression at all. I'm not religious and hate religious stories but here the book is cleverly written. The family do nag Levi and drive him mad but you can see its because they love him and want what's best for him. It's a classic stalemate as he will never be able to do what they want and they love him so feel they cannot give up on trying to get him to live a better life. It's not that I agree with them but you really get to understand how difficult the situation is for both sides. All the characters are likeable and value the family so the story is gripping. How they all get to a HEA is so well written. This book is enjoyable and always leaves me in a good mood when I'm finished.

The title of this novel refers to the fact that we are all in between; we are neither complete sinners or complete saints, as Jaime explains to Levi's Mormon father at the end of this book.Another emotional novel by Marie Sexton.The religious aspect of this story disturbed me somewhat, being an aethiest, and the Mormon religion was definitely foreign to me, but I enjoyed it. One minute we're laughing out loud, especially with Jaime, the next we're weeping with sadness (or happiness) with the two protagonists. Marie Sexton writes true M/M romance. Yes there's some quite graphic sex within her writing, but its not gratuitous and usually relevent to the characters' development. Need an emotional feel-good read? Marie Sexton is your author.

I love marie sexton books. I am a straight girl but i love the romance that she brings to her M/M books. I love this book and I love the two main protagonists, however the whole Mormon thing really left a bad taste in my mouth. I felt unbearbly uncomfortable when they had the family meeting about the straight support groups.Still i loved how the relationship between Jamie and Levi built up.3 stars just because it made me feel really uncomfortable in places.

Loved this book and the two characters. Jamie was sweet, but Levi really made this book great. It’s also makes you aware how some people believe they are holy and close to God, but fail to realise just how badly they treat others.

Marie Sexton, what a woman! This is the 4th book of hers I have read and this was probably the best. It was such a good read, lots of story which I liked, you got to know the characters well, plus I leaned a lot about being Mormon. Basically, damaged young guy meets ex Mormon guy who's off the rails, attraction and courtship ensues, it was fab. You can't beat a good story with your sex, and Marie delivers.