lgbt romance

Review of Better Have Heart by Anyta Sunday and Andy Gallo

November 19, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Blurb:

They hate everything about each other, so why do they harmonize so well?

Isaiah Nettles wants a chance. A chance to help his family.

The prestigious Gage Scholarship will secure his future. He needs this. The competition might be hot, but Darren Gage is a golden child. No way will Isaiah let an entitled rich kid be handed the award.

But what if Darren is more than an entitled rich kid?

Darren Gage wants to be seen. Seen as more than just his name.

The Gage Scholarship will let him shine. He needs this. Sure, Isaiah is insanely sexy—and right to stand up for himself—but he is the competition.

No way will Darren let just anyone take his legacy.

But what if Isaiah isn’t just anyone?

Review

This is the second book in the Harrison Campus series by this duo. I’ve already read the third book in this series (which I loved!) but have yet to read the first. The story is a slow-burn opposites attract/enemies to lovers tale that follows two college boys, Darren and Isaiah, who find themselves competing for the same scholarship program.

These two men couldn’t be more different. Darren comes from a wealthy family – a VERY WEALTHY family — and has never had to worry about money. He has also recently come out to his parent, and since then, his father has barely spoken two words to him. Darren is hurt by his father’s reaction and is desperately trying to win his approval. He’s hoping that landing this scholarship will put him back in his father’s good graces.

On the other hand, Isiah is out and proud and has a fantastic relationship with his mother. He grew up with very little money, and his mother works extra hard to support the family. He also works as a yoga instructor to earn extra money to help ease his mother’s burden.

Now it’s worth mentioning that the scholarship program for which they’re competing was initially set up by Darren’s great-grandfather specifically for the Gage men (though that’s not explicitly stated in the rules). Thus, Darren is expected to automatically receive it without having to compete for it. When Isaiah learns of this, he files a complaint with the university. The university decides that the only solution is for the two men to compete for the scholarship, which involves them working on special projects together. The scholarship is extremely important to both of them for different reasons, and each is determined to win.

Initially, it’s pretty rough going for our cut-throat competitors, and most of their early interactions are unfriendly and uncomfortable. What our guys didn’t count on was the intense attraction they felt for their “enemy” and soon begin to form, in spite of themselves, a deep personal relationship. Though it first appears that these two couldn’t be more different, they soon discover they have a lot more in common than they initially thought.

I thought the character development was outstanding, and I really loved both of these guys. They’re both quite complex once we get to know them. Darren is not at all the typical spoiled rich kid that Isaiah had him pegged for and rather is kind, compassionate, principled, and selfless. Isaiah, though he initially came across as super judgmental and a tad hot-tempered, ended up being quite an honorable character: empathetic, also kind and determined. I loved watching them bond over their mutual love of music and, subsequently, fall in love with each other before they even knew it was happening. I loved watching them fight their attraction and, ultimately, losing.

As typical in Ms. Sunday’s book, this was a super slow-burn, so you’ll have to be patient before we get to the steamy parts. What we do have is a lovely, heartfelt college romance between two endearing and admirable characters who both utterly enthralled me and stole my heart. This adorable book brought tears of joy to my eyes a couple of times and also had plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.

I look forward to reading more in this series.

Purchase Better Have Heart from Amazon

Review of Hideaway Inn by Philip William Stover

May 26, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

The Hideaway Inn is a character-driven LGBT romance that follows Vince Amato. We learn that as a child, Vince was bullied quite severely because of his sexuality. The moment he graduated, he blew town, and during his years away, completely reinvented himself from the skinny, frightened kid he used to be to a domineering muscular power alpha.

Now he’s back, but only because he recently purchased an inn called The Hideaway Inn. He plans to renovate the inn, flip it, make a gigantic profit, and then return to his life in the city. But what he didn’t count on was his childhood crush, Tack, a charming farm boy who broke Vince’s heart in high school. We also learn that Tack stood by and did nothing during Vince’s bullying.

But Tack has changed, and he’s determined to win Vince’s heart. But Tack unaware of Vince’s plans to sell the inn. So the question is: can Tack win Vince’s heart and cause him to change his mind?

This was a sweet, tender, and endearing novel about redemption and second chances. I really enjoyed getting to know these two characters and enjoyed how they both grew throughout the pages of the book. Character development was certainly among The Hideaway Inn’s list of shining accomplishments, and the author really brings them to life here, letting all of them thrive in their complexity, both haunted by the ghosts of their past. I loved the tension and chemistry between our two main characters, and they both tried to figure out how they fit into the other’s life.

I really, really cared about these two guys making it to a happy ending and thought the journey that takes them there is an utterly remarkable read. This is the kind of book that makes you laugh, makes you sad, and even makes you pine for lost love and lost opportunities. I thought that this is a beautifully rendered contemporary story of love and friendship, with all of its exhilaration, disappointments, and mistakes, and if you’re in the mood for a sweet and cozy read, then The Hideaway Inn is surely worth checking out.

A huge thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a review copy of this book.

Purchase The Hideaway Inn on Amazon

Purchase The Hideaway In on The Book Depository

Review of Detour by Reesa Herberth and Michelle Moore

May 14, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Detour follows 18-year-old Ethan who embarks on a road trip shortly after his graduation. We learn that this was a trip Ethan had originally planned on taking with his boyfriend and love of his life Scott, who was murdered at school by a shooter. Ethan’s not really sure why he’s taking the trip though we do know that he’s still reeling from the loss of Scott so perhaps he’s hoping the trip will help him to figure out who he is without his boyfriend. It’s also worth mentioning that Ethan is suffering from a severe case of survivor’s guilt.

So it’s dark, the weather is bad, and Ethan almost runs over a hitchhiker. Despite his family’s repeated warnings of never picking up hitchhikers, Ethan offers the hitchhiker a ride. We learn that his name is Nick and that he also has his own demons he’s running away from. He has just left one of those “pray away the gay” type of camps called Camp Cornerstone and is basically homeless and broke. Funny, this is the second book right in a row that I’ve read which revolved around these types of compounds, a trope that I typically avoid.

Not only that, we learn that prior to Nick’s “enrollment” at Camp Cornerstone, he was in an abusive relationship with a controlling, stalkerish, and a rather creepy man named Kyle. That being said, Nick is the much more mistrusting and bitter of the two, given that he’s been betrayed by every important person in his life. It’s additionally worth mentioning that Nick has also experienced the death of someone close to him, which adds to the emotional turmoil he’s experiencing

So after having faith that neither of them is going to kill the other in their sleep (the topic of “stranger danger” comes up several times during the story), they decide to embark on Ethan’s road trip together. So basically, we have two characters who have gone through horrific events and who are basically broken — they’re both confused, hurt and trying to find themselves in a world that up to this point, has not proven to be overly kind.

WHAT I LIKED

I really enjoyed the dynamics between these two vivid and lovable characters. Though they were both hurting and perhaps a bit mistrustful, they both opened up to each other and throughout the trip, treated each other with kindness and respect — though it did take Nick somewhat longer to open up which isn’t surprising given that he’d been let down by everyone in his life up to this point.

But it was lovely to see the healing that took place with the both of them as they each helped the other work through the terrible events of their past and explored their grief together. I also really loved Ethan’s tender kindheartedness towards Nick, which I felt showed a lot of strength as a character.

There was a lot of enjoyable banter between the two of them, and both Ethan and Nick had a wonderful sense of humor which made me chuckle out loud on more than one occasion.

I also loved the slow burn romance aspect of this story, which I have to admit is one of my favorite tropes. I loved how the relationship between these two broken characters slowly developed over the trip, resulting not only in the blossoming of a new love but also in much-needed healing for the both of them. In fact, I felt that the entire story wasn’t at all rushed and unfolded at just the right pace. The author did a nice job at showing the relationship progress between Ethan and Nick.

I’m also a huge fan of road trip stories, and this one was no exception. It was fun experiencing through our characters all the zany and kitschy places they visited (Titanic museum and hotel, anyone?) and the adventures they had along the way.

But what especially worked for me in the story was the healing and growth these two characters experienced as we moved throughout the book. As their backstory unfolded and they confided more and more in each other, they both underwent several realizations and revelations that helped them grow as characters. Thus, they were able to overcome the adversity that had them both nearly paralyzed before they met.

In this way, Detour is about two lost souls finding themselves and not allowing their circumstances to prevent them from evolving into the people they’re meant to be.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

Though I enjoyed the snappy banter between the two characters, there were a few times when I felt that it went on and on a bit too long. I did catch myself thinking on a few occasions that the non-stop snark was getting a bit tiring — maybe even grating on my nerves a bit – and felt that the story could have done with a little less of it.

FINAL VERDICT

I ended up loving this book. In the midst of darkness and turmoil, there is fun and humor, and I found myself laughing out loud several times throughout the story at the witty dialog that Detour throws at the reader. Though it will break your heart in places, it is also sweet and playful in others.

The writing is solid and clear, and the touching backstory helped us to know and understand each character’s motivation. I also felt that the characters themselves are meticulously developed, and as such, the reader truly feels the depth of their hurt and guilt and their past unfolds.

Detour is a powerful and revelatory coming-of-age novel of two boys trying to overcome their pasts, so in this way, it’s heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. The main charm of this book is in it’s plain and simple relatability. Though we may not all have gone through the exact things as Ethan and Nick, the majority of us have at some point experienced heartbreak, grief or difficult circumstances that have kept us stuck.

All in all, Detour is a lovely sweet romance between two boys who, in working through their past demons, come out stronger on the other side and I loved it. I’d give this book 4 1/2 stars.

You can check out the book here on Amazon