Charlie Novak

You just have to love Eli. He was irreverent, he was brash...but he was simply, wonderful. Tristan was perfect for Eli. He was quiet, mature and just submissive enough to receive all that Eli and his "drag-queen" persona could throw at him. There is the added "wrinkle" of Eli and Richard's strained, on again-off again relationship that added the right amount of angst to the story without going overboard. I hate romance stories of any genera that the couple spends more than half the book show more being apart or "working" out their relationship instead of just getting on with it and actually having one. Th story is well paced, very sweet, hot and steamy, and even capable of producing a laugh at times. If you have read any of the "Roll For Love" series, you will recognize several cameos from that series and see a hint of more books to come for Eli's siblings. Also, Mom, Dad and Paul are back again and sharing their family and wisdom...which we probably don't want to take too much to heart:) show less

Falling for my childhood sweetheart wasn’t part of the plan. Moving back to Heather Bay wasn’t on Oliver’s agenda for the summer, but after inheriting a cottage in dire need of renovation he doesn't have much choice.
Oliver is an editor, who inherits his grandmother's home, and his ex-high school sweetheart, Lane, is hired to fix up the house. If you like second chance romances, this is a good one. I liked the casual "queerness" of it, and how it was both about these two and their love show more story, but also about this group of gay friends that Oliver joins with the help of Lane.

These two reconnect very quickly, but it felt realistic since they had been high school sweethearts. They were just picking up where they had left off and it seemed that they easily fell into that "special something they had always had, again. They were so considerate of one another's feelings and never at the expensive of their own. In spite of the huge life decisions, they each had to make, you could easily tell that they wanted each other to be happy. A really warm sweet story. show less

I enjoyed this because Jay seemed to have normal life problems which jeopardized his relationship with Leo rather than typical romance issues (which I’m all for too, but I appreciated the realness here). This was just a very sweet (and sexy) romance between two great guys, and I love how they made it work. Also loved the bookshop and flower store settings as well as the found family.

4.5*
What a great book. I’ll admit, I had doubts during the worst of the addiction flashbacks, but the dark past made fighting for those future dreams so much better. Many elements of Aaron’s character resonate with me, as people I know, or as situations I’ve been in. Aaron’s anger issues particularly ring true. I was so proud of him for realizing the extent of his toxic, destructive behavior and finding an escape valve, so to speak. What’s more, he has to do this several times, and show more that feels like real life. The connection between Aaron and Josh crackles with electricity, sometimes angry, sometimes tender. Their relationship ultimately is beautiful and hard fought and got me so emotional toward the end. Simple acts of kindness and care between these prickly, cantankerous guys. I’ll read this one again. show less