By Degrees — J.B. McDonald

Orphaned at eleven and bounced around the foster system, Tim learned young that the only thing he could control in life was himself. It was a lesson he took seriously, and it's the only thing that keeps him safe from more heartbreak. He wants to keep his world well-ordered, but he can't seem to keep his friend Conner neatly pigeon-holed. Conner doesn't understand this desire to control things, but he doesn't need to. He loves everything about his control-freak friend, from Tim's black hair and blue eyes to the way he quirks just one eyebrow. Con has loved all these things for years, and now he's learned that it's a short step from loving to falling in love. With Con's arrival, everything starts unraveling in Tim's life. He finds himself questioning his sexual orientation, wrangling with emotions dragged up from his past, and fending off questions from Con's well-meaning family. Drowning in a world out of his control, his one hope is to let go and trust that love will save him. But after so many years of burying his feelings, he's not sure it's possible.