OMG! When Ms. Hart really feel's like it, she has the ability to break my heart and then stitch it all back together by the end. I fell in love with tOMG! When Ms. Hart really feel's like it, she has the ability to break my heart and then stitch it all back together by the end. I fell in love with their love story as young men, cried my eye's out when they broke each other's hearts and then cheered like crazy when they got their second chance at their happily ever after....more
I love a good friends to lovers read... especially when it's the older brother's best friend... I love a good friends to lovers read... especially when it's the older brother's best friend... ...more
I truly LOVE this series and have loved all the books I've read from Neve WilderI truly LOVE this series and have loved all the books I've read from Neve Wilder...more
I must admit... I am a sucker for an MC that is that quiet, loveable, stammering "nerdy" type, that I feel likJameson... Oh my sweet sweet Jameson...
I must admit... I am a sucker for an MC that is that quiet, loveable, stammering "nerdy" type, that I feel like I don't get nearly enough of in male/male romances. Not NEARLY enough, to many beefcakes... but I can appreciate that too... lol. Anyways, I also love that Riley Hart gives us another story, with an African American MC and a bi-racial romance as well. We don't get nearly enough of that either.
I will also admit that I loved Awkward Love even more then I enjoyed Stupid Love. I had nothing but love and adoration for both Will and Jameson both throughout this whole book (unlike the hang-ups I had with Elijah at the beginning of Stupid Love... though Elijah does grow on me more in this book as well).
While this wasn't a true "slow burn" like some, and we get some love and sexy times from Will and "the Professor", I can also appreciate that we don't get everything from them until everything is fully discovered and the true commitment to each other is made for more then just a "Summer Fling". And while I'm not usually one for a slow build up... in this case it was well worth it. I also love how Jameson's stammering ways start to rub off on the all so smooth Will... SO cute. These two were absolute perfect together and so truly meant to be together.
Will secretly stands up for Jameson with how he feels towards his Father and helps to build up that relationship again and Jameson lays down the law and says how it is with Will's brothers and family one their mistreatment of him. I am soooo grateful that because there was such a build up and early slight "angst" between these two, that at the end when more is revealed about Will's family we don't get anymore unnecessary over dramatization and Will is able to see past it all and not hold anything against either party. He just loves one more and actually gets a better relationship with the other.
Also... Jameson' Father... absolutely hilarious... I cracked up when they were at the beach house... that was absolutely epically perfect.
*side note* I will say, that while I saw it coming.... I'm not a fan of the relationship between Jameson's two best friends... To me it just seemed unnecessary and kind of forced... In a... "oh won't this be cute if they are like a 4some together"... I don't know... I mean like I've said in other reviews I'm all for one discovering their sexuality and that it is ever changing... *sigh* it just didn't fit to me... It really was just kind of like Jameson is getting his happily ever after, so his two friends need it together as well even though there was no hit of this beforehand. *shrug* this is just me though. ...more
Was more of a 4.5 stars... but as I can't give a half star....
This was a sweet read. I do like books where our two MC's start to truly fall for one anWas more of a 4.5 stars... but as I can't give a half star....
This was a sweet read. I do like books where our two MC's start to truly fall for one another over text or email's... through these forums we can a lot of time's put down the masks that we all unconsciously lived underneath and be the people we really want to be but don't always know how to show others. To be fair though Elijah was kind of annoying and *snobbish* in my opinion for a lot of this book, which was kind of off putting for me. He didn't have any real hardcore reasons to dislike Shaw as much as he did at the beginning of the book outside of the fact that he could be "cocky"... But that's not a real reason to dislike him so much.
I was slightly surprised on who on who put the puzzle pieces together first though, was kind of expecting it to be the opposite way. The dance classes were nice and I truly loved how Shaw inspired Elijah to truly be himself and to not give up on any passion he had in life and in return Elijah made it a mission of sorts to help Shaw to find his true passion and not just drift through on different things he's good at but not truly passionate about. I can see why Shaw hated the thought of relationships because of how is parents are within theirs and how he was raised to think what a relationship was. Although, personally I will admit that the previous heartbreak issue that Shaw had felt a little shallow to me (not fully fleshed out), for him to be so closed off... I'm glad that Shaw was able to finally come to turns and took the risk of being the man Elijah knew he was (once he also stopped being such a snob, lol). Shaw's declaration to Elijah was also perfect and done at just the right time. Such a beautiful Stupid Love. ...more
OMFG!!! This book blew my mind... By far the abso-fucking-lutely best friends-to-lovers, discovery of sexuality book I have ever read. I have to say tOMFG!!! This book blew my mind... By far the abso-fucking-lutely best friends-to-lovers, discovery of sexuality book I have ever read. I have to say that going forward this will be the book will be the golden standard that I hold all other "bi-curious", "first time gay", "gay for you" romances too. I have read a lot of romances that revolve around these same tropes and quite honestly they are some of my favorite to read, I enjoy a good read about guys exploring their sexuality and coming to realize that they may be into a lot more then they ever realized. I fully support that our sexuality is a constantly changing flux within us, I don't believe it to be something that is just 100% this way or that... We change throughout the course of our life's as humans, I am not the same person I was 10 years ago to the person I am now, or even the person I was a year ago, 2 months ago... heck yesterday... we are always changing, thus it holds that everything within us would be changing as well.
Anyways... all previous books of friends-to-lovers, first time gay... while I've enjoyed most of them, they all lack something I couldn't quite put my finger on... Maybe it was to much internal dialogue (which can kill a great book faster then anything for me) because I want actual story and character development not just endless monologue... Or it took practically till the end of the book before we got any juicy sexy time.... *Shrugs* I am... this is a romance, while I want that story... I want that sexy time too, this is supposed to be a journey of discovery right, how do you discover if you don't play around with the sex part too? So, as y'all have probably figured out... I don't do very well with slow burns either, which a lot of first time gay books seem to give me as well...
However with Him, Sarina Bowen has delivered a dang masterpiece in my opinion. I truly felt the character development, the love and angst between Canning and Wes (not over done though either). The true curiosity of Canning when he realizes how is feelings for Wes are changing but it not letting him hold himself back. I liked that Ms. Bowen show's Canning experiment with what gets him going outside of Wes (not with other men... don't stress that) and how once he truly gets comfortable with this change he jumps head first 100% in with Wes and never once doubts anything they do. I love that we don't get a lot of the hot and cold... but just a crude ton of hot hot hot between these two. I also liked that Wes truly takes the first step on his own to fix the fuck up between their friendship that he caused at the beginning of the book and never tries to put the blame elsewhere. He knows he's the one that fucked up and he owns up to that. The box presents between them is also absolutely adorable as well and was just a whole other level of their friendship.
Thankfully there was not a lot of heartbreak and stress towards the end when their summer love is "coming to an end". There is some heartbreak with Wes being an ass and doing the same thing to Canning that he did before, but I love how Canning resolves himself, tracks down Wes in the best way possible, whole heartily puts his feelings and desires out there to Wes and lets him know he just wants him. Also that Canning's family is so open and loving to them... I love when families can just be excepting and loving and never question how all of a sudden a family members sexuality seems to be changing. We should all just love and except people for who they are, not who we think they should be.
Overall, this book was amazing and I can't wait to read the second part of their story and heck even re-read this one again. I was in equal parts tears and absolute love throughout this whole book for both Canning and Wes and I'm so happy they are finding their well deserved HEA.
Read this if you haven't already, you won't be disappointed. ...more
Teo and Jack were absolutely adorable together and so obviously meant to be. Way more then Teo and Chris, he was just a manipulative a**hole, who as TTeo and Jack were absolutely adorable together and so obviously meant to be. Way more then Teo and Chris, he was just a manipulative a**hole, who as Teo said "wanted his cake and to eat it too" and only did things for Teo when it was convenient for him *shake my head*.
A lot of time when an infatuation starts off with a random hook-up, especially to pop the cherry, it can be awkward to read and is not nearly all that romantic. But I loved the concept that Lucy Lennox came up with for this book. Because of Teo's stipulations on the hook-up, it actually ended up making the moment really sweet and is actually one of my favorites of the whole book. Jack was perfect there too and his willingness to open himself up like that not realizing the long lasting ramifications that would occur because of that moment.
And then once they finally meet back up and their time in Goose Bay, absolutely magically and truly solidified their connection to one another. I won't lie though... While I find Teo absolutely freaking adorable and the sweetest guy ever, his tendency to let Chris manipulate and use him (even while at first not known) was rather annoying. As well as his seeming need to be with Chris, even though by his own description it never felt like he actually even loved Chris himself but was caught up in the teenage dream and not the actual man and reality. I'm grateful that he finally got over it and was able to see the perfect man for him was the one that had responded to his ad and then continued to truly SEE him in a way no one else (even Chris) ever saw him.
The back and forth, of... "oh, we are just faking it and are only friends" was also kind of annoying and it took longer for them to wake up and smell the roses and admit it to one another, then I would have liked. But that's not something that was able to detract from the story that much for me.
Virgin Flyer was a great book, with a little bit of angst (but not over done). With 2 great guy's who were obviously meant for one another. I would recommend this read and truly enjoyed reading about these 2. Also... I was tickled pink that Jack and I share the same last name... So I had an even bigger bond with these 2. ...more
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