peak romance has a new name and that's "you should be so lucky"!!! this gets romance PERFECTLY imo. my issue with a lot of romance-centric books has always been that it feels a bit too physical attraction than seeing two characters falling in love. 

Eddie holding back from "going all the way" bc he wants Mark to understands that he's serious and doesn't want to give him any chance to push him away made it clear to me what's missing from these other books I've read. they're too quick to get the mcs lusting after each other or have sex, which makes me feel like they just wanted to have sex. and to me lust is not really romantic lol.

but with them, I have NEVER had such a visceral reaction to a first intimacy scene, like I was moved to tears lol. the romantic tension leading up to the sexual frustration felt so rewarding!!! also I love when I can understand why characters are attracted to each other, even better when it's not explained to you so you can appreciate how natural it all feels. I'm just obsessed with everything about them, their dynamic and how sweet and giving they're towards each other. thank you cat sebastian, this is everything I ever wanted from a romance book 🛐