Rand O’Malley is the front man of the band he formed with a few of his friends. After achieving some local success in Baltimore, they decided to take the next step toward becoming stars by moving to New York City, but it’s a long, slow slog to make a name for themselves. They also need a new lead guitarist, but after settling with the best from a less-than-stellar crop of auditions, Rand decides the best way to solve the problem is to take lessons to improve his own guitar skills. His dream of superstardom is worth doing this, worth whatever it takes in fact, including abiding with a decision he isn’t particularly happy about: hiding his bisexuality from the public until after he achieves his goal because everyone has told him being public about it will kill his chances. Will (“My name is William”) Sanders is a music student in his final year at NYU, and he plays guitar and piano better than anyone Rand has ever met. He refuses Rand’s offer to join the band, but he does agree to give Rand lessons. Not long after the lessons start, though, Rand discovers a different side of Will, one completely opposite the reserved and quiet geek persona he knows, when he spots Will in public…in drag. Rand was attracted to Will before this, but his focus was entirely on his goal. The game changes that night, and as time passes, and Rand’s dreams slowly approach reality, their attraction grows, ultimately forcing both of them to reevaluate what they want out of life.

The story is told entirely in the first person, solely from Rand’s point of view. This works particularly well because in spite of the details being different, their character progressions essentially reach the same conclusion: both must decide what is important to them and whether or not each is willing to risk what they originally thought was important in order to get what they want. Seeing it only from Rand’s side, arguably the less complicated of the two, keeps Will’s story a source for surprise not only for Rand as the novel progresses but for the reader as well. Rand’s only conflict in the story centers around keeping his sexuality under wraps so as not to jeopardize his chance at stardom. Will, on the other hand, feels he must return to the closet after he graduates in order to keep his family happy. This is certainly an oversimplified statement of what Will has endured though. As the story develops, Rand learns just how convoluted the situation is with Will’s family. He comes from a family with money and clout, the classic combination where parents think they need to control their child even after they are grown. And their manner for doing so is, shall we say, unusual.

The relationship between Rand and Will develops at a good pace and is fun and sexy, particularly as we watch through Rand’s eyes as he discovers that Will’s quiet and reserved exterior is largely a front he constructed in order to live with his conclusion that he must return to the closet at the end of the school year. The communication between them, both verbal and not, is beautiful and understanding most of the time, revolving a good deal around their shared love of music. Music plots are some of my favorite in romance because it’s so easy to relate to the feeling of being swept away from the everyday and be lost in the thrill of being fully surrounded by the power of music. And here, the author does a wonderful job of evoking all the intoxicating emotion and sensation music offers, a quality that kept me turning pages, wanting to see how they would get past the barriers they imposed on themselves and their relationship.

There’s really only one issue I had with the book, and that’s the fact that the climactic problem between them is predictable even fairly early on in the book, and it’s something that a lesser author could have easily allowed to go off the rails on the dramatic angst spectrum. Fortunately, Ms. Hayes handles it in a completely believable manner that allowed me to empathize with them instead of shaking my head in disbelief. The resolution, in fact, is exactly what I wanted it to be, something romantic and charming that shows that love can overcome the greatest of obstacles.

With no prior knowledge of Lane Hayes’s works, I think A Kind of Truth is a perfect place to start, even though I have nothing to base that statement on. The book contains a realistic portrayal of a relationship between two people who want different things but realize they care enough for each other that they’re willing to take some big risks to make it work between them. The result is nothing short of beautiful. I can’t wait to see what the next novel of hers holds.

The author generously provided me with a complimentary copy of A Kind of Truth in exchange for this fair and honest review.