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readinginmagnolia's review
3.0
Honestly, I probably would have given this 4 stars except I had a few too many "why aren't any of you calling a lawyer right now?" screaming moments. Plus there were a few odd phrasings here and there that could have been easily fixed. Still, I was glued to this book and couldn't put it down.
faysmmbooks's review
5.0
🔥 wow the book has a great start but a sad one, Gordon is a closed gay and when he meets Beau the sparks ignite between them. This one definitely gets the emotions going, good and bad. The ending is a beautiful one, I absolutely loved this book. Includes police brutality, homophobia, hot sexy scenes and more.
Gordon 38 yrs had 2 teenage kids to care for, things weren't going well after the suicide of his wife.
Beau 28 yrs was new in town from France and from an abusive Ex.
Gordon 38 yrs had 2 teenage kids to care for, things weren't going well after the suicide of his wife.
Beau 28 yrs was new in town from France and from an abusive Ex.
crex's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lilyantigone's review
1.0
Although I have enjoyed other books by this author, this one didn't do it for me. The writing was bad, and the story wasn't very good either. The twist at the end was also a poor choice.
karentje's review
3.0
*3.5 stars*
On the whole, I liked this story and the MC's quite well, and I'm curious to see what happens next with some of the secondary characters.
The book is a May/December romance with different elements mixed in. On the one hand, the characters face real-life hardships and have to overcome abuse and emotional trauma, so this isn't exactly a light read. On the other hand, there is also an element of crime mixed in, with a super villain hiding in plain sight.
There were some things that bothered me too much, however, to give the book 4 stars. The author sometimes phrased things a bit strangely, the writing not flowing as naturally or idiomatically as I would have liked. There were some mix-ups with the names of the MC's and a couple of editing oversights, but I read an ARC so that's probably been fixed in the final version of the book.
I also felt there was a little bit too much going on. I think some plot twists could have been left out, they added extra drama/pain that wasn't needed, because the characters (not just the MC's) already had plenty to deal with. So much is happening all at once, that some things feel rushed. Gordon and Beau have to overcome a lot, and I would have liked them to have had more time with each other, to actually fall in love.
Ollie, Gordon's son, has issues of his own to deal with and I didn't care for how Gordon handled that. Running off like Gordon did, seemed to me quite a cowardly, self-absorbed reaction. And not at all something I would expect a parent to do.
As the story unfolds we also learn that Gordon has continually tolerated his best friend's homophobic remarks/slurs . Seeing as how he's gay himself, and had a difficult time accepting that and coming out, that friendship was hard for me to comprehend.
From the outside looking in on the US, I don't know how realistic some of the plot twists regarding the police department are. I can't imagine police officers acting in such a fashion, so to me this seemed an implausible way to add tension and drama to the story.
If that attitude does in fact exist, and if things like that do happen...that's a very scary prospect.
I feel for Beau and all teachers in the US who come accross a similar lack of acceptance and have to face that type of threats to their employment in real life.
On the whole, I liked this story and the MC's quite well, and I'm curious to see what happens next with some of the secondary characters.
The book is a May/December romance with different elements mixed in. On the one hand, the characters face real-life hardships and have to overcome abuse and emotional trauma, so this isn't exactly a light read. On the other hand, there is also an element of crime mixed in, with a super villain hiding in plain sight.
There were some things that bothered me too much, however, to give the book 4 stars. The author sometimes phrased things a bit strangely, the writing not flowing as naturally or idiomatically as I would have liked. There were some mix-ups with the names of the MC's and a couple of editing oversights, but I read an ARC so that's probably been fixed in the final version of the book.
I also felt there was a little bit too much going on. I think some plot twists could have been left out, they added extra drama/pain that wasn't needed, because the characters (not just the MC's) already had plenty to deal with. So much is happening all at once, that some things feel rushed. Gordon and Beau have to overcome a lot, and I would have liked them to have had more time with each other, to actually fall in love.
Ollie, Gordon's son, has issues of his own to deal with and I didn't care for how Gordon handled that. Running off like Gordon did, seemed to me quite a cowardly, self-absorbed reaction. And not at all something I would expect a parent to do.
As the story unfolds we also learn that Gordon has continually tolerated his best friend's homophobic remarks/slurs . Seeing as how he's gay himself, and had a difficult time accepting that and coming out, that friendship was hard for me to comprehend.
From the outside looking in on the US, I don't know how realistic some of the plot twists regarding the police department are. I can't imagine police officers acting in such a fashion, so to me this seemed an implausible way to add tension and drama to the story.
If that attitude does in fact exist, and if things like that do happen...that's a very scary prospect.
I feel for Beau and all teachers in the US who come accross a similar lack of acceptance and have to face that type of threats to their employment in real life.
staceybroadbent's review
4.0
This is the first I’ve read by this author, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. There were lots of ups and downs, twists and turns that kept me wanting to read more.
Gordon is a man who has been living a lie. Scared to out himself, he married a woman and had kids, ignoring his true feelings. When he meets Beau, he finds it impossible to resist any longer.
Beau offers to help Gordon embrace his sexuality and, in turn, ends up healing his heart of the pain from his last relationship.
These two are just gorgeous. They’re so adorable together! And the sex... hot!
Aside from their budding romance, there was a lot going on. Not everyone is happy with their relationship, and things start to unravel. They deal with a lot of hate. Lacovia is a small place with small minded people who don’t understand them. It leads to jobs being threatened, bullying, and a lot of hurt.
At times it was quite sad, but I always wanted to cry tears of joy.
Definitely an author I’ll be watching 😊
Gordon is a man who has been living a lie. Scared to out himself, he married a woman and had kids, ignoring his true feelings. When he meets Beau, he finds it impossible to resist any longer.
Beau offers to help Gordon embrace his sexuality and, in turn, ends up healing his heart of the pain from his last relationship.
These two are just gorgeous. They’re so adorable together! And the sex... hot!
Aside from their budding romance, there was a lot going on. Not everyone is happy with their relationship, and things start to unravel. They deal with a lot of hate. Lacovia is a small place with small minded people who don’t understand them. It leads to jobs being threatened, bullying, and a lot of hurt.
At times it was quite sad, but I always wanted to cry tears of joy.
Definitely an author I’ll be watching 😊