SECOND READ

3.5 stars

Surely, I'm biased due to the rest of the series, because I enjoyed this story so much than the first time.

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FIRST READ

a bit above 2.5 stars

It was very enjoyable until chapter 15. Then it turned on too charged with simplistic Manichaeism, girly situations not consistent with the MCs' features and at tone very cheesy and sweetened for my tastes. But, despite requiring a good dose of suspension of disbelief, I liked it enough to keep on with the series. ( )

I love the premise, but the execution didn't hit right for me. I thought the first 2/3 pacing wise was pretty good, but the last part went too quickly for me. All the resolutions seemed too quick and didn't entirely ring true. I would have like more time and detail of finishing up, and I would have like an epilogue. The last few pages left me wanting.

Also, only 2 sex scenes and so many cheesy euphemisms I just couldn't handle. Considering it takes place over 1 year and it's super slow burn, 210 pages just isn't enough to do it or the characters justice.

I'm honestly not sure if I'll read any more of this author. ( )

Well, I tried. DNF at 40%. Obvious the most editing was done in the initial chapters. It's getting worse and worse.

The "months" of wishy-washy flirting are made worse by neither character being fully fleshed-out. Interactions are repetitive. Matt in particular needed a whole lot more background work - his attitude and motivations feel baseless and stilted because so much just doesn't make sense. Also, he's a "native Floridian" but a storm was a new experience? I just... No. This is a poor excuse for a novel. No stars. No review on amazon. No.

This is one of those books that, for me, combines just the right amounts of very sweet romance with characters who are real, have a backstory, and come together in a situation that challenges them both. I loved that they didn't have it easy, and they were both interesting in their own way: one an ex-convict with a house to renovate to create his second chance, and the other a construction guy desperate for work. Talk about potential for conflict!

Matt is a man with a mission. We only learn about his deeper reasons for renovating the house gradually, and the reason for his imprisonment is a similar mystery. He is determined to make this work and tries to keep it a secret from Matt, fearing the 'handyman' would leave if he found out. That may not have been necessary, but it was realistic. After all, he doesn’t know Julian well enough initially to trust him with that information.

Julian is a man with a temper. Grumpy more often than not, but I can see why; life hasn’t been easy for him. I loved his snarky remarks and thoughts. He is good at his job though, and has a bigger heart than he will admit. He isn’t really one to pry, not appreciating anyone asking him too many questions, either, but he does want to figure out what Matt is up to. No wonder, they are living under the same roof, after all. Intensely loyal, he is soon ready to support Matthew no matter what.

When the romance does take off – hold on to your seats. These two men are very hot, very loving, and very sexy together. This book combines high emotions with a little bit of an edge of danger. I enjoyed reading this second edition as much as the first, and the couple of added scenes really helped fill in some of the missing pieces, making the story slightly smoother and the characters even easier to understand.

If you like stories that take their time developing a relationship rather than have the men jump into bed before they know each other's last name, if you're looking for a sweet romance, and if you enjoy books where the main characters have to work a little for their happy end, then you will probably like this book as much as I did. I certainly look forward to reading the second volume in the series.


NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
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This was not bad really. I honestly loved the premise and these two guys were quite wonderful. But the mother storyline, the time jumps that left you losing a large part of their relationship growth and the "I love you...I love you more" statements docked this down from a 4 to a 3. Eh...fine but held more potential for sure.

Very excited for Cameron's story and I'm hopeful the series will improve over time.

BR with Momo

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