Jesse Winters left for Europe on business, planning to return after a year.  Three years later, he finally returns, still recovering from a horrific accident that nearly killed him.  He’s badly scarred and full of anger, pain and bitterness.  His neighbor, Keith Taylor, refuses to let him hide however.  Keith was only fifteen when Jesse left, but is now eighteen and determined to bring him back into life.  Will Jesse be able to let go of his bitterness and embrace life again?

Warm Rush is an unusual story.  Both lead characters undergo transformations—Keith’s is physical, while Jesse’s is more mental and emotional.  Rowan McBride did an excellent job portraying Jesse’s slow, sometimes painful return to living his life, using Jesse as a narrator.  The character of Keith was hard to get a handle on.  He was alternately gentle, kind, loving, immature, demanding, and jealous.  At times I grew impatient with him, but most of the time his obvious caring for Jesse had me rooting for him.  I had to suspend disbelief with his physical transformation (which I won’t describe here since it’s kind of a spoiler), but once I did, the twist made this story unlike anything else I’ve ever read.  I enjoyed this book, and I would direct anyone looking for a contemporary gay romance with an unusual twist to Warm Rush.