It hurts to know that fate has given me the perfect person for me to love, but has failed to make it reciprocal.

Gaaaahhhh this book is a killer and an emotional journey that I was not expecting at all. 

Gabe, I have to say, I loved from the first moment I met him. His hardass work demeanor, snark, no-nonsense personality totally worked for me.  Throw in equally entertaining banter by his assistant, not to mention one that does not let Gabe get away with anything, and I was hooked from the start.

“I think the first person that I’ll put on your team is Tracy from Reprographics.” Hugh immediately spits his water all over the table and Gabe’s suit.

My boss hardly reacts. He just brushes the moisture off, while staring intently at Hugh. It’s the look of a lion toying with its prey. “Yes,” he continues. “I think you really need her and it’s past time that we made her position more formalized. My only query is which position?” He shoots a quick glance at my pen scribbling over the paper taking notes, before continuing. “Should we say missionary, or reverse cow girl?”

Now, that said, this is not what I would call a typical romance and Gabe is not your typical “boyfriend”. He can be quite difficult to love at times.  And while the journey to get through his issues is quite heartbreaking it is done so amazingly well.  My heavens…the writing in this was quite phenomenal and the emotions are high. Every act has multiple meanings and insight and while you want to throw your kindle at times, I appreciated how Dylan mentally dealt with this man.

I hold him tight, aware when his breaths slacken into the deep, even sounds of sleep, and I can kiss his head and inhale his scent without him protesting. I don’t let go. I feel the need to grab a tight hold on him because, like water, he’s going to slip through my fingers and flow away sometime soon. I can sense it.

And with the highs are some beautifully described moments between these two men. Then throw in a set of parents that anyone would love to have and I am a mess.  Rebecca and Tom were gracious, insightful and loving and saw through this beautiful man from the first moment they met him and their advice to their son was painful but real.  I only wish we had gotten more of them at the end of the book.

“If his childhood was deprived of love, it will be hard. He’ll probably need love like no one else, and you can give that, Dylan. You’re one of the most loving people that I’ve met, but it won’t be easy. When you’ve gone years alone you develop a hard shell, and sometimes that shell never cracks.”

While the journey is hard, the HEA is strong.  Perhaps the epilogue was a little over the top but damn, after the journey, it worked for me.  And getting Gabe’s POV even for just a few moments was lovely.

Now I do wish we had perhaps gotten a little more closure or perhaps seen the door slam behind the twat…but I guess I can’t have everything I wish for.

I eagerly await more from Henry and Jude.  Both amazing and caring friends who equally deserve to find love.

*Highly Recommended but don’t expect a lighthearted Romance*

“I didn’t know what to do with this,” she says softly. “And then I met you, and I realised that it was yours.” He jerks and looks at her, and she nods. “I think it’s a bit like you, Gabe, and I’m hoping very much that you get your own break in the clouds.”

“What made you relax so suddenly around my dad? It usually takes a while. Some of my uni mates were scared shitless of him.”

He smiles almost nervously. “He has your smile.”

“Sorry?”

“Ben may look like him, and you look like your mum, but you have your dad’s smile. It’s always made me relax.”

❤️❤️❤️

“Tradition comes from something being so brilliant and such a good memory, that you try to recreate it every time that you can.”

Gabe stares at me, something complicated running across his face, before a very soft expression settles. Smiling at me warmly, he runs his hand down my arm. “Okay, tradition it is. Go and grab the table.”

❤️

Well...the BR discussion on this one is as intriguing as Gabe for me. LOL

The “enemies to lovers” trope is only slightly less delicious to me than the “best friends to lovers” one. There’s so much delightful antagonism and so much infuriation that turns to explosive sexual content.

*fans self*

Dylan is the mouthy best, but for all his snark, he is a big softie with a heart of gold. It was such fun to watch him alternate between wanting to murder Gabe and wanting to screw him senseless. He’s just a good guy who deserves his HEA.

Trouble his, the object of his fantasies is a cold-hearted player – or is he? The more I read about Gabe, the more I adored him. He is a broken man, but with every glimpse, I rooted for him to get over his issues and beyond his past hurts, and embrace the love waiting for him. That sounds so sappy, I know, but seriously, I just wanted these two together so badly.

I’ve read one other Lily Morton book, and I gotta say, so far, you can’t go wrong with any of them. Can’t wait to catch up on the rest!