I liked the characters and the dynamic between them. Friends to lovers is always awesome and I liked that they weren't both in proFun, enjoyable read.
I liked the characters and the dynamic between them. Friends to lovers is always awesome and I liked that they weren't both in professional sports.
Chemistry was good, but I felt like the conflict dragged a little long. There was a little to much back and forth of "we can't do this, we don't want the same things" and then they would do it anyway. Lather, rinse, repeat. It wasn't *too* grating, but it did feel a little repetitive.
Definitely enjoyed the book though, and I'm glad the author is planning to continue the series with the same couple. This first book was very much self-contained and satisfying, but there are definitely more things to explore and I'm curious to see where the author takes things!
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Fun, enjoyable read.
I liked the characters and the dynamic between them. Friends to lovers is always awesome and I liked that they weren't both in professional sports.
Chemistry was good, but I felt like the conflict dragged a little long. There was a little to much back and forth of "we can't do this, we don't want the same things" and then they would do it anyway. Lather, rinse, repeat. It wasn't *too* grating, but it did feel a little repetitive.
Definitely enjoyed the book though, and I'm glad the author is planning to continue the series with the same couple. This first book was very much self-contained and satisfying, but there are definitely more things to explore and I'm curious to see where the author takes things!...more
Ugh, I'm so torn on this one and this series in general. It doesn't help that there's been a lot of time (and delays) between each book so I often forUgh, I'm so torn on this one and this series in general. It doesn't help that there's been a lot of time (and delays) between each book so I often forget details from the previous ones--and apparently the next book isn't coming out for another year and a half?? Partially, these are on the short side, and there's so much going on in terms of magical stuff that it doesn't feel like quite enough time to really feel satisfied, and though I really love Cosmo, I am starting to find his relationship with his husband incredibly frustrating. Like... I legitimately don't feel like they are a good match for each other and it seems like they would be much better off if they broke up, which isn't generally the feeling you want when reading a romance. I'm starting to lose interest in this one...
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Ugh, I'm so torn on this one and this series in general. It doesn't help that there's been a lot of time (and delays) between each book so I often forget details from the previous ones--and apparently the next book isn't coming out for another year and a half?? Partially, these are on the short side, and there's so much going on in terms of magical stuff that it doesn't feel like quite enough time to really feel satisfied, and though I really love Cosmo, I am starting to find his relationship with his husband incredibly frustrating. Like... I legitimately don't feel like they are a good match for each other and it seems like they would be much better off if they broke up, which isn't generally the feeling you want when reading a romance. I'm starting to lose interest in this one......more
I tend to enjoy Moore's writing, and this was no exception. The case/mystery aspect felt a little strange to me, but it was fine, and I did enjoy the I tend to enjoy Moore's writing, and this was no exception. The case/mystery aspect felt a little strange to me, but it was fine, and I did enjoy the characters and their relationship. The ending overall felt a little abrupt/rushed, and I wish the author had spent a bit more time giving us a more solid/satisfactory resolution. I don't necessarily mind that it ends on a more tentative/hopeful HFN, but it just felt rushed and sloppy.
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I tend to enjoy Moore's writing, and this was no exception. The case/mystery aspect felt a little strange to me, but it was fine, and I did enjoy the characters and their relationship. The ending overall felt a little abrupt/rushed, and I wish the author had spent a bit more time giving us a more solid/satisfactory resolution. I don't necessarily mind that it ends on a more tentative/hopeful HFN, but it just felt rushed and sloppy....more
This was a lovely read, full of all the wonderful historical details that really give this author's works a sense of time and place. I thought the endThis was a lovely read, full of all the wonderful historical details that really give this author's works a sense of time and place. I thought the ending felt a bit rushed, and the reconciliation lacked the depth I wanted, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed myself. :D
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This was a lovely read, full of all the wonderful historical details that really give this author's works a sense of time and place. I thought the ending felt a bit rushed, and the reconciliation lacked the depth I wanted, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed myself. :D...more
I really gave this one a solid try, but I wasn't enjoying it terrible in the first 50% and then shit managed to go off the rails in the next 6DNF ~56%
I really gave this one a solid try, but I wasn't enjoying it terrible in the first 50% and then shit managed to go off the rails in the next 6%, and I just couldn't. The build between Henry and Michael just felt really weird and sudden--Henry 100% seemed like he was just being nice, and Michael kept saying he was getting ~vibes~ but I don't actually feel like the author wrote that. And then we have the (for me) mildly squicky aspect that Michael was in love with Henry's (now dead) brother, a fact he still hasn't mentioned to Henry because "Henry must already know"... what?? Henry has not indicated that at all, has in fact said he's had a crush on you for ages, and you're not talking about being in love with his brother because he probably already knows? It makes no sense and is so clearly a setup for a future dramatic reveal that I want no part of. And then the incredibly odd reveal right at the 50% mark that I know is gonna make things even squickier for me and frankly felt super unnecessary. Second book by this author in this series and neither of them have worked for me so I think they just might not be my cup of tea.
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DNF ~56%
I really gave this one a solid try, but I wasn't enjoying it terrible in the first 50% and then shit managed to go off the rails in the next 6%, and I just couldn't. The build between Henry and Michael just felt really weird and sudden--Henry 100% seemed like he was just being nice, and Michael kept saying he was getting ~vibes~ but I don't actually feel like the author wrote that. And then we have the (for me) mildly squicky aspect that Michael was in love with Henry's (now dead) brother, a fact he still hasn't mentioned to Henry because "Henry must already know"... what?? Henry has not indicated that at all, has in fact said he's had a crush on you for ages, and you're not talking about being in love with his brother because he probably already knows? It makes no sense and is so clearly a setup for a future dramatic reveal that I want no part of. And then the incredibly odd reveal right at the 50% mark that I know is gonna make things even squickier for me and frankly felt super unnecessary. Second book by this author in this series and neither of them have worked for me so I think they just might not be my cup of tea....more
Thank you so much to Merry Mischief Maker for gifting this to me during the 2021 Secret Santa Exchange! === Pretty much everybody I know who read this tThank you so much to Merry Mischief Maker for gifting this to me during the 2021 Secret Santa Exchange! === Pretty much everybody I know who read this thought it was fine, but not as good as they were hoping, and sure enough, that was my experience as well. There were some interesting things here--despite not being a horse person myself I enjoyed Fenn's obvious love of them, the magic and political intrigue had potential, older MCs was a nice touch, I liked that Fenn was allowed to be both gruff/dominant and also soft/vulnerable--but ultimately I just didn't feel like any of it quite landed. The world-building here was a little lacking, not in a way that made me feel particularly lost/confused, but more like it felt that the author hadn't really built a fully-developed world and the gaps were a little frustrating. The ~big climatic event~ particularly coming right on the heels of another reveal/acceptance felt a little forced, and I'm still not entirely sure about how they managed to push off this inevitable war--there was a kind of fuzziness to a lot of the plot/world-building for me. Which was particularly noticeable because the romance was just sort of okay for me. The smut/sexual dynamics here did absolutely nothing for me and felt a little forced/at odds with the rest of the book. I love reading kink, but it felt really forced here, like the author really wanted to write kink and decided she'd do it in this book regardless of if it meshed well. It just didn't land and it ended up sort of tainting the romance for me, because after they started sleeping together I just didn't totally feel their relationship anymore. Basically, this was a fine read, if a little underwhelming.
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Thank you so much to Merry Mischief Maker for gifting this to me during the 2021 Secret Santa Exchange! === Pretty much everybody I know who read this thought it was fine, but not as good as they were hoping, and sure enough, that was my experience as well. There were some interesting things here--despite not being a horse person myself I enjoyed Fenn's obvious love of them, the magic and political intrigue had potential, older MCs was a nice touch, I liked that Fenn was allowed to be both gruff/dominant and also soft/vulnerable--but ultimately I just didn't feel like any of it quite landed. The world-building here was a little lacking, not in a way that made me feel particularly lost/confused, but more like it felt that the author hadn't really built a fully-developed world and the gaps were a little frustrating. The ~big climatic event~ particularly coming right on the heels of another reveal/acceptance felt a little forced, and I'm still not entirely sure about how they managed to push off this inevitable war--there was a kind of fuzziness to a lot of the plot/world-building for me. Which was particularly noticeable because the romance was just sort of okay for me. The smut/sexual dynamics here did absolutely nothing for me and felt a little forced/at odds with the rest of the book. I love reading kink, but it felt really forced here, like the author really wanted to write kink and decided she'd do it in this book regardless of if it meshed well. It just didn't land and it ended up sort of tainting the romance for me, because after they started sleeping together I just didn't totally feel their relationship anymore. Basically, this was a fine read, if a little underwhelming....more
Enjoyable update to the series and I found the plot overall quite engaging, but despite the fact that this was told entirely from "Dante's" POV, I nevEnjoyable update to the series and I found the plot overall quite engaging, but despite the fact that this was told entirely from "Dante's" POV, I never really connected to him or really liked him much at all. The romance part was entirely a miss for me, and I was frankly more interested in the background potential pairings that I'm hoping she'll focus on in a spin-off.
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Enjoyable update to the series and I found the plot overall quite engaging, but despite the fact that this was told entirely from "Dante's" POV, I never really connected to him or really liked him much at all. The romance part was entirely a miss for me, and I was frankly more interested in the background potential pairings that I'm hoping she'll focus on in a spin-off....more
Well written, charming, and wonderfully fun. I admit, I find the cover a bit hokey, and I might not have purchased the book if it weren'4.5 rounded up
Well written, charming, and wonderfully fun. I admit, I find the cover a bit hokey, and I might not have purchased the book if it weren't for the fact that I adore Roan Parrish's writing. Thankfully, it didn't disappoint.
I loved the connection between the two MCs, and I think this might be the first m/m romance I've read with an FBI MC where the book didn't have a big mystery at the center, which was really interesting.
Knocking off half a star, because I found Will's inability to compromise and see things from alternate POVs a *little* overmuch at times, but just a little.
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4.5 rounded up
Well written, charming, and wonderfully fun. I admit, I find the cover a bit hokey, and I might not have purchased the book if it weren't for the fact that I adore Roan Parrish's writing. Thankfully, it didn't disappoint.
I loved the connection between the two MCs, and I think this might be the first m/m romance I've read with an FBI MC where the book didn't have a big mystery at the center, which was really interesting.
Knocking off half a star, because I found Will's inability to compromise and see things from alternate POVs a *little* overmuch at times, but just a little....more
I loved the first book in the series, but book two didn't grab me much (which I'm beginning to realize is because I don't actu4.5 rounded up
Brilliant!
I loved the first book in the series, but book two didn't grab me much (which I'm beginning to realize is because I don't actually like David's character much at all, and I also think I don't love when he switches between POVs, but I digress) and I didn't have super high hopes for this one, as it seemed even more of a departure from what I adored about the first, and what I saw of Caleb and Oli in earlier books didn't endear either of them to me.
Luckily, I was absolutely wrong, and this book was utterly fabulous. I LOVED Caleb here. I thought the author did a brilliant job showing us another side of him, and getting inside his head was really wonderful. He was so beautifully real, and his connection with Oli was amazing. I liked seeing the exploration of kink and non-traditional relationships, and I also liked that Caleb was able to push himself and explore, and then come back and say that the fantasy wasn't really who he was at heart. That ability to try new things and decide they aren't for you isn't always well portrayed in fiction, and I really appreciated it here.
Also, JFC, the smut was seriously hot. Seriously.
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4.5 rounded up
Brilliant!
I loved the first book in the series, but book two didn't grab me much (which I'm beginning to realize is because I don't actually like David's character much at all, and I also think I don't love when he switches between POVs, but I digress) and I didn't have super high hopes for this one, as it seemed even more of a departure from what I adored about the first, and what I saw of Caleb and Oli in earlier books didn't endear either of them to me.
Luckily, I was absolutely wrong, and this book was utterly fabulous. I LOVED Caleb here. I thought the author did a brilliant job showing us another side of him, and getting inside his head was really wonderful. He was so beautifully real, and his connection with Oli was amazing. I liked seeing the exploration of kink and non-traditional relationships, and I also liked that Caleb was able to push himself and explore, and then come back and say that the fantasy wasn't really who he was at heart. That ability to try new things and decide they aren't for you isn't always well portrayed in fiction, and I really appreciated it here.
Also, JFC, the smut was seriously hot. Seriously....more
I quite enjoyed the first duology in this six-book series, but I think this second duology is even better! For one thing, the characters are no longerI quite enjoyed the first duology in this six-book series, but I think this second duology is even better! For one thing, the characters are no longer teenagers--this taking place five years after the end of book 2, putting the Hellions in their mid-twenties--and I think the author did a great job showing the ways in which they've all matured, while also showing they still have their faults. We also get the POV of both the main characters in these two, and while I think the single POV in the first two books was the right call for the story being told there, it necessarily provided a bit of distance from Javier as a character--necessary, because he's a bit of a mysterious dick--but it was nice not to need that obfuscation here, because both Elezar and Skellen are really compelling characters, and it was wonderful to get in both of their heads. The romance is great, the plot compelling, the world-building continues to be fascinating, and I really enjoyed the strong friendships and that we got to see Javier and Kiran and Atreau in really substantial and satisfying ways that also felt incredibly natural to the plot. I'm incredibly excited to read Atreau & Fedeles' books next as it seems like the final duology will focus on the two of them and their separate love interests... maybe?
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I quite enjoyed the first duology in this six-book series, but I think this second duology is even better! For one thing, the characters are no longer teenagers--this taking place five years after the end of book 2, putting the Hellions in their mid-twenties--and I think the author did a great job showing the ways in which they've all matured, while also showing they still have their faults. We also get the POV of both the main characters in these two, and while I think the single POV in the first two books was the right call for the story being told there, it necessarily provided a bit of distance from Javier as a character--necessary, because he's a bit of a mysterious dick--but it was nice not to need that obfuscation here, because both Elezar and Skellen are really compelling characters, and it was wonderful to get in both of their heads. The romance is great, the plot compelling, the world-building continues to be fascinating, and I really enjoyed the strong friendships and that we got to see Javier and Kiran and Atreau in really substantial and satisfying ways that also felt incredibly natural to the plot. I'm incredibly excited to read Atreau & Fedeles' books next as it seems like the final duology will focus on the two of them and their separate love interests... maybe?...more
Enjoyable sequel and we made some good progress building off of book one. I'm glad that Cosmo finally stood up for himself, and I'm really curious to Enjoyable sequel and we made some good progress building off of book one. I'm glad that Cosmo finally stood up for himself, and I'm really curious to see how things progress in the final book. My fault, but I thought this was the final book, so I was a little annoyed at how many loose ends there still were, but given there's another book, it makes sense.
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Enjoyable sequel and we made some good progress building off of book one. I'm glad that Cosmo finally stood up for himself, and I'm really curious to see how things progress in the final book. My fault, but I thought this was the final book, so I was a little annoyed at how many loose ends there still were, but given there's another book, it makes sense....more
I really enjoyed this one!! I find this author's books really vary wildly in terms of my enjoyment, but this was right up my alley. I 4.5 rounded down
I really enjoyed this one!! I find this author's books really vary wildly in terms of my enjoyment, but this was right up my alley. I really enjoyed the historical aspect, and the characters/their connection was fabulous. The slow burn was maybe a *smidge* slower than ideal, but even that I could understand given the time period. It also got a little bit darker than I'd been anticipating, but again, realistic. This one just worked for me and it looks like this will be a series, which I'm excited about.
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4.5 rounded down
I really enjoyed this one!! I find this author's books really vary wildly in terms of my enjoyment, but this was right up my alley. I really enjoyed the historical aspect, and the characters/their connection was fabulous. The slow burn was maybe a *smidge* slower than ideal, but even that I could understand given the time period. It also got a little bit darker than I'd been anticipating, but again, realistic. This one just worked for me and it looks like this will be a series, which I'm excited about....more
On the one hand, I thought the writing overall was really excellent. I very much enjoyed the representation heReally conflicting thoughts on this one.
On the one hand, I thought the writing overall was really excellent. I very much enjoyed the representation here--Jewish MC with partial deafness and a first-generation Venezuelan-American, all of which felt really realistic and well-researched and authentically incorporated into the story. I enjoyed the characters and really felt their chemistry. BUT, this book had two things I generally dislike, second-chance romance and a heavy reliance on flashbacks/dual timelines, and unfortunately I really struggled with them here.
The past/present timelines were the biggest issue for me. The author really heavily relied on the past scenes to tell their story, to the point where I felt like I was reading two books, and I honestly just didn't care about the past shit, I wanted to know how they were gonna get together *now*. The blurb of the book basically tells us everything we needed to know about how their past relationship went, to the point where I felt like the past stuff was almost *entirely* unnecessary, and I actually would have really preferred maybe a small handful of past scenes, and then a much deeper dive into the present and making their relationship work. I actually felt a lot of the present-day resolution felt a little rushed and surface-level, and I wished the author had made it more of a focus.
There's also a lot of focus on some very specific catcher/baseball stuff, that lost me a bit. I'm familiar enough with baseball that I hadn't expected to be lost, but there was some deep diving into the specifics of catching and pitching that I thought were a bit confusing and honestly not the best choice because I'm guessing most of the audience of this book aren't super geeks about baseball.
Despite the rocking chemistry, the smut actually didn't do much for me--I felt like the dynamic we got in bed didn't actually match up with the dynamic that the author was giving us in the lead-up, like a weird bait & switch. Minor quibble, but it did annoy me.
Overall, I liked this book, but I didn't love it, though I'm very much planning to keep an eye out for this author's future books, as I do think much of what didn't work for me here was a function of this specific story being told.
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Really conflicting thoughts on this one.
On the one hand, I thought the writing overall was really excellent. I very much enjoyed the representation here--Jewish MC with partial deafness and a first-generation Venezuelan-American, all of which felt really realistic and well-researched and authentically incorporated into the story. I enjoyed the characters and really felt their chemistry. BUT, this book had two things I generally dislike, second-chance romance and a heavy reliance on flashbacks/dual timelines, and unfortunately I really struggled with them here.
The past/present timelines were the biggest issue for me. The author really heavily relied on the past scenes to tell their story, to the point where I felt like I was reading two books, and I honestly just didn't care about the past shit, I wanted to know how they were gonna get together *now*. The blurb of the book basically tells us everything we needed to know about how their past relationship went, to the point where I felt like the past stuff was almost *entirely* unnecessary, and I actually would have really preferred maybe a small handful of past scenes, and then a much deeper dive into the present and making their relationship work. I actually felt a lot of the present-day resolution felt a little rushed and surface-level, and I wished the author had made it more of a focus.
There's also a lot of focus on some very specific catcher/baseball stuff, that lost me a bit. I'm familiar enough with baseball that I hadn't expected to be lost, but there was some deep diving into the specifics of catching and pitching that I thought were a bit confusing and honestly not the best choice because I'm guessing most of the audience of this book aren't super geeks about baseball.
Despite the rocking chemistry, the smut actually didn't do much for me--I felt like the dynamic we got in bed didn't actually match up with the dynamic that the author was giving us in the lead-up, like a weird bait & switch. Minor quibble, but it did annoy me.
Overall, I liked this book, but I didn't love it, though I'm very much planning to keep an eye out for this author's future books, as I do think much of what didn't work for me here was a function of this specific story being told....more
I'm not sure what it is about this series, but I've not loved Merrow's contributions as much as I wanted to.
For one thing, they really don't work greI'm not sure what it is about this series, but I've not loved Merrow's contributions as much as I wanted to.
For one thing, they really don't work great as stand-alones. Merrow's got three books spread out across the series and I really think they're best read in order--I DNF'd the first and it definitely led to some missed information, though less in this book than in the previous.
The writing itself is great, as I've come to expect from the author, and feels quite grounded in the Cornish setting. The characters and interesting and layered, but I just don't know if I ever really felt super invested in their relationship. TBH, I felt like Sam is clearly meant to be the character we sympathize the most with, but I found him to be kind of a massive asshole. Bran is as well, to an extent, but a lot of that felt reactionary to people intent on seeing him in the worst possible light. I particularly found Sam's aggression in regards to Bran's being in the closet to be way fucking out of line, and it really soured my opinion of him--the scene at the restaurant, which I guess was supposed to be seen as hot/romantic since they ended up fucking soon after, made me feel really uncomfortable. And then, at the end, when Bran finds out Sam kept a BIG fucking secret for him with potential real-world consequences, and then subsequently reacts very poorly, I felt like the narrative was placing most of the blame on him and not Sam. We do, thankfully, have Sam internally acknowledging it's his fault, but at no point is that really adequately addressed. IDK, I did enjoy it, but I just didn't really feel like the pacing and evolution of the relationship felt great to me, and TBH, upon ending this book I was left with the feeling that they can't, and shouldn't, last much longer as a couple...
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I'm not sure what it is about this series, but I've not loved Merrow's contributions as much as I wanted to.
For one thing, they really don't work great as stand-alones. Merrow's got three books spread out across the series and I really think they're best read in order--I DNF'd the first and it definitely led to some missed information, though less in this book than in the previous.
The writing itself is great, as I've come to expect from the author, and feels quite grounded in the Cornish setting. The characters and interesting and layered, but I just don't know if I ever really felt super invested in their relationship. TBH, I felt like Sam is clearly meant to be the character we sympathize the most with, but I found him to be kind of a massive asshole. Bran is as well, to an extent, but a lot of that felt reactionary to people intent on seeing him in the worst possible light. I particularly found Sam's aggression in regards to Bran's being in the closet to be way fucking out of line, and it really soured my opinion of him--the scene at the restaurant, which I guess was supposed to be seen as hot/romantic since they ended up fucking soon after, made me feel really uncomfortable. And then, at the end, when Bran finds out Sam kept a BIG fucking secret for him with potential real-world consequences, and then subsequently reacts very poorly, I felt like the narrative was placing most of the blame on him and not Sam. We do, thankfully, have Sam internally acknowledging it's his fault, but at no point is that really adequately addressed. IDK, I did enjoy it, but I just didn't really feel like the pacing and evolution of the relationship felt great to me, and TBH, upon ending this book I was left with the feeling that they can't, and shouldn't, last much longer as a couple......more
I continue to really enjoy this universe!! This book and the next focus on one of the Hellions from the first two books, and it was cool4.5 rounded up
I continue to really enjoy this universe!! This book and the next focus on one of the Hellions from the first two books, and it was cool to learn more about him and the world overall. The plot was fascinating, and I really enjoyed the characterizations and relationship build. We get both POVs in this book, which I think worked well. We also get several fun cameos of characters from the earlier books in a way that felt natural and didn't distract. Unlike book one, this book's ending felt fairly self-contained, so I'm very curious to see the direction things go in book 2!
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4.5 rounded up
I continue to really enjoy this universe!! This book and the next focus on one of the Hellions from the first two books, and it was cool to learn more about him and the world overall. The plot was fascinating, and I really enjoyed the characterizations and relationship build. We get both POVs in this book, which I think worked well. We also get several fun cameos of characters from the earlier books in a way that felt natural and didn't distract. Unlike book one, this book's ending felt fairly self-contained, so I'm very curious to see the direction things go in book 2!...more
I thought the characters were well flushed out, and the plot was suitably captivating. Great chemistry and I liked that it was a longer reaGreat read!
I thought the characters were well flushed out, and the plot was suitably captivating. Great chemistry and I liked that it was a longer read. Not entirely believable, but that didn't bother me at all.
I will say, while I really liked getting both characters' POVs, I wasn't a huge fan of the way the author broke it up into huge chunks. I understand why the author did it, but I really missed having Embry's POV for the first chunk of the book. Just a tiny thing though.
Looking forward to more from this author. :)
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Great read!
I thought the characters were well flushed out, and the plot was suitably captivating. Great chemistry and I liked that it was a longer read. Not entirely believable, but that didn't bother me at all.
I will say, while I really liked getting both characters' POVs, I wasn't a huge fan of the way the author broke it up into huge chunks. I understand why the author did it, but I really missed having Embry's POV for the first chunk of the book. Just a tiny thing though.
Looking forward to more from this author. :)...more
I really enjoyed the first book, and the second did a fabulous job wrapping up the loose threads from book one. The relGreat conclusion to the series!
I really enjoyed the first book, and the second did a fabulous job wrapping up the loose threads from book one. The relationship between Blue and Kelly was wonderful, and I thought the struggles they faced with Blue in the closet and reluctant to leave it, worked really well and felt very realistic. I've read a lot of books with a similar premise, and so frequently I feel like author's miss the mark, but I thought Harmon did a great job of showing both sides of the story, demonstrating Blue's valid reasons for hesitating in coming out, and Kelly's struggles with trying to patient and accepting and understanding while still struggling with the reality of being in a relationship and planning a future with somebody in the closet.
Captivating read, hot sex, and a satisfying ending! A bit more football in this one than the last, but nothing *too* in-depth.
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Great conclusion to the series!
I really enjoyed the first book, and the second did a fabulous job wrapping up the loose threads from book one. The relationship between Blue and Kelly was wonderful, and I thought the struggles they faced with Blue in the closet and reluctant to leave it, worked really well and felt very realistic. I've read a lot of books with a similar premise, and so frequently I feel like author's miss the mark, but I thought Harmon did a great job of showing both sides of the story, demonstrating Blue's valid reasons for hesitating in coming out, and Kelly's struggles with trying to patient and accepting and understanding while still struggling with the reality of being in a relationship and planning a future with somebody in the closet.
Captivating read, hot sex, and a satisfying ending! A bit more football in this one than the last, but nothing *too* in-depth....more
It starts off a bit slow and I struggled at first, because Olly is in such a bad headspace mentally and is basically doing nothVery solid hockey read!
It starts off a bit slow and I struggled at first, because Olly is in such a bad headspace mentally and is basically doing nothing to help himself and it was a bit anxiety-inducing to read. But thankfully things start to trend upward, and I really appreciated that the author pretty quickly reveals to the reader what happened in the recent past to kick all of this off instead of drawing it out for ages.
I enjoyed the characters, both separately and together, and I thought they both felt quite distinct in terms of POV. The build between them was really lovely, and I also really enjoyed the background characters and relationships, which all felt really natural and authentic and fleshed out the novel to really feel like a real world. There's definitely a hockey presence, but it's not overload for those that aren't massive fans of the sport itself.
Quite a slow burn, which I didn't mind for the most part and I thought overall worked quite well. Actually, my biggest qualm with the pacing is the very end--after the requisite misunderstanding/separation everything gets resolved quite easily and quickly, and while I appreciated the lack of unnecessary angst, I did find myself wanting a big more. Some kind of conversation where Olly actually tells Benji why this has all been such a big deal for him, and Benji maybe showed some sort of depth in terms of his own sexuality discovery. He was so chill about it, in a way that partially felt believeable for his character, but it didn't quite ring authentic that he'd have absolutely no concerns about it, particularly given his career, and I think the author could have added some substance there without weighing down the narrative.
I've heard people make comments about the bro-y language, but I actually had zero problems with it here--I didn't even notice! And that is definitely a thing that has annoyed me in other books, but I felt it worked fine in this one.
The writing was solid, and overall I quite enjoyed! The sexual dynamics here didn't 100% work for me, which might just be a function of there being such a slow burn that we only get one anal sex scene, and just a couple of other on-screen handies/blow jobs. But the whole "the smaller gay one bottoms and the big bi one tops" is a trope I'm just not super interested in, and while I'd like to thing we'd have seen a different dynamic if we'd got to see further into their relationship, that's not what we saw here. I think most people will love it, and I didn't dislike it, it just wasn't quite the vibe I wanted from these two.
Definitely looking forward to book two and reading more from this author!
Merged review:
Very solid hockey read!
It starts off a bit slow and I struggled at first, because Olly is in such a bad headspace mentally and is basically doing nothing to help himself and it was a bit anxiety-inducing to read. But thankfully things start to trend upward, and I really appreciated that the author pretty quickly reveals to the reader what happened in the recent past to kick all of this off instead of drawing it out for ages.
I enjoyed the characters, both separately and together, and I thought they both felt quite distinct in terms of POV. The build between them was really lovely, and I also really enjoyed the background characters and relationships, which all felt really natural and authentic and fleshed out the novel to really feel like a real world. There's definitely a hockey presence, but it's not overload for those that aren't massive fans of the sport itself.
Quite a slow burn, which I didn't mind for the most part and I thought overall worked quite well. Actually, my biggest qualm with the pacing is the very end--after the requisite misunderstanding/separation everything gets resolved quite easily and quickly, and while I appreciated the lack of unnecessary angst, I did find myself wanting a big more. Some kind of conversation where Olly actually tells Benji why this has all been such a big deal for him, and Benji maybe showed some sort of depth in terms of his own sexuality discovery. He was so chill about it, in a way that partially felt believeable for his character, but it didn't quite ring authentic that he'd have absolutely no concerns about it, particularly given his career, and I think the author could have added some substance there without weighing down the narrative.
I've heard people make comments about the bro-y language, but I actually had zero problems with it here--I didn't even notice! And that is definitely a thing that has annoyed me in other books, but I felt it worked fine in this one.
The writing was solid, and overall I quite enjoyed! The sexual dynamics here didn't 100% work for me, which might just be a function of there being such a slow burn that we only get one anal sex scene, and just a couple of other on-screen handies/blow jobs. But the whole "the smaller gay one bottoms and the big bi one tops" is a trope I'm just not super interested in, and while I'd like to thing we'd have seen a different dynamic if we'd got to see further into their relationship, that's not what we saw here. I think most people will love it, and I didn't dislike it, it just wasn't quite the vibe I wanted from these two.
Definitely looking forward to book two and reading more from this author!...more
This author tends to mostly write action/mystery/suspense type books, which often have plots that go way off the raI actually quite enjoyed this one!!
This author tends to mostly write action/mystery/suspense type books, which often have plots that go way off the rails, so I had no idea what to expect from this very different type of book but I think it really benefitted from not having some overly complex plot that only the author can understand.
The food descriptions and details were lush (don't read when hungry!!) and I enjoyed the characters and the connection. I actually thought the romance aspect was well paced, except towards the end when suddenly they're in love, which didn't totally ring authentic for me, particularly as we don't actually get much of them on screen as a "couple". But even still it didn't feel too insta love for me, and I enjoyed the overall plot and romance.
That being said, I actually wasn't totally wild about the exact details of the general premise, only because it's *so* on the nose for what the chef at Alinea went through and I wish the author had gone a bit further in modifying the concept so it didn't feel like using somebody else's story/pain. It also felt a bit too convenient to have Clancy (and WTF is up with that name??) be a doctor who wants to go work with cancer patients and has experience doing reconstructive surgery on cancer patients--literally the EXACT thing that Miller would need. It just sort of strained credulity a bit much and detracted a bit from the story for me.
Merged review:
I actually quite enjoyed this one!!
This author tends to mostly write action/mystery/suspense type books, which often have plots that go way off the rails, so I had no idea what to expect from this very different type of book but I think it really benefitted from not having some overly complex plot that only the author can understand.
The food descriptions and details were lush (don't read when hungry!!) and I enjoyed the characters and the connection. I actually thought the romance aspect was well paced, except towards the end when suddenly they're in love, which didn't totally ring authentic for me, particularly as we don't actually get much of them on screen as a "couple". But even still it didn't feel too insta love for me, and I enjoyed the overall plot and romance.
That being said, I actually wasn't totally wild about the exact details of the general premise, only because it's *so* on the nose for what the chef at Alinea went through and I wish the author had gone a bit further in modifying the concept so it didn't feel like using somebody else's story/pain. It also felt a bit too convenient to have Clancy (and WTF is up with that name??) be a doctor who wants to go work with cancer patients and has experience doing reconstructive surgery on cancer patients--literally the EXACT thing that Miller would need. It just sort of strained credulity a bit much and detracted a bit from the story for me....more
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