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evethingiread's review against another edition
3.0
The author has a tendency to use over the top villains in her stories who don’t feel real and like a caricature. Skylar was too annoying for me to enjoy this story in peace.
And the other thing this author does is take the long road to get to the point. Slow burn is hit and miss for me and here it was a miss.
I thought this book started out great. And I really liked both characters, but it dragged on for waaaay to long. Bishop kept the secret for way too long. There’s a fine line!!
And the other thing this author does is take the long road to get to the point. Slow burn is hit and miss for me and here it was a miss.
I thought this book started out great. And I really liked both characters, but it dragged on for waaaay to long. Bishop kept the secret for way too long. There’s a fine line!!
haileeraye's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual harassment and Homophobia
pattyfgd's review against another edition
5.0
Bishop has had it tough and now out of jail, he is ready to start his life. Landscaping is his thing, he is an artist of sorts. When Edison approaches him to do some work at his home, Bishop is immediately attracted to him. But with his past, his secrets and his blue collar life style, he thinks Edison is off limits. Edison is the one though that can see through the gruffness. But can it be more than just a fling? And if not, Bishop won't let it happen. This is my first A. E. Via book, and boy can she write! This slow burn story had me listening, just so I could see what would happen next. It's not overly angsty or steamy, but it has a real truth to it. One that keeps you listening. It invests your heart, and your soul. It keeps you cheering for the underdog and wanting to beat down the bully. It's a true love story that will pass the tests and find your heart.
This type of story needs a narrator with many talents. First, being MM, it needs an alpha voice. Tor Thom brings it. His deep baritone is perfect as Bishop. And he immediately shifts to Edison, the more passive of the two. Next, this book is very emotional, and Thom enhances every aspect of the story with his ability to give the inflections and feelings in his voice to let us feel both sides of this couple. And lastly, it needs heat and passion, and there is none better for this task. Thom is an outstanding storyteller and truly brings the best out in this narration.
This type of story needs a narrator with many talents. First, being MM, it needs an alpha voice. Tor Thom brings it. His deep baritone is perfect as Bishop. And he immediately shifts to Edison, the more passive of the two. Next, this book is very emotional, and Thom enhances every aspect of the story with his ability to give the inflections and feelings in his voice to let us feel both sides of this couple. And lastly, it needs heat and passion, and there is none better for this task. Thom is an outstanding storyteller and truly brings the best out in this narration.
booksafety's review against another edition
4.0
Book safety, content warnings, and tropes & tags down below.
“Hold your head up, Edison,” Bishop said in a hushed rumble that Edison supposed was his version of a whisper. […] “With your head up, I can see you better,” Bishop rumbled, watching Edison as he backed away.
I’ve had this book on my TBR for aaaages, and I finally got to it. I’m glad I did, as I ended up loving it so much. I especially like Edison. He was simply a very lovely and endearing character. He’s also a plus size character, which I honestly often avoid reading, because of a lot of the themes popping up in those books can be triggering and difficult to read. This one had those themes as well. Edison is bullied by his coworkers (one awful one in particular), and he has horrible comments made about his body/looks and his eating habits, which was incredibly hard to read at times. What made it bearable, was how Bishop (the other MC) freaking adored Edison and his body. I never ever doubted his sincerity, and I think the author did a great job in making sure that it came through how attracted they were to each other. It was never ‘in spite of’ or ‘because of’. It just was.
It’s a longer book, and the slow burn with a building friendship and relationship was so right for these boys, who both had major insecurities about different things to work through. They were so good to each other though, and showed patience and kindness when they needed it. Bishop has had a very complicated and rough life up until this point (which I wouldn’t have minded being expanded on), and he’s working incredibly hard to turn things around.
“If my hands weren’t so dirty, I’d touch your handsome face. […]”
As mentioned, there is a lot of focus on food, bodies, and the teasing/bullying that Edison experiences. If you’re comfortable with that though, the love story in this is so sweet, and they both deserved to find someone good to spend their lives with.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Plus size MC
Ex con
Former gang member
Illiterate MC
Size difference
Strangers to friends to lovers
Class difference
⚠️⚠️ Content warning ⚠️⚠️
Fatphobia
Fatshaming
Bullying
Grief
Insecurities
Food-focused talk
Violent altercation
Explicit sexual content
Mentions of life in prison
Manipulative side character
Mentions of the death of a parent (off page, past)
⚠️⚠️⚠️ Book safety ⚠️⚠️⚠️
Cheating: No
OM/OW drama: MC goes on ‘date’ before meeting the other MC (nothing happens between them). An ex tries to create drama later, as well as a coworker creating trouble throughout the book. The MCs only have eyes for each other.
Third-act breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, dual POV
Genre: Contemporary romance, M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
“You look really handsome today, Edison.” Those few simple words eased over Edison’s mind like a comforting caress, then slid down his spine. He wanted to record Bishop saying that statement in that sexy voice and replay it for his psyche all day—anytime someone tried to make him feel less than. Because an amazingly, fine specimen of a man like Bishop thought he was handsome.
“Hold your head up, Edison,” Bishop said in a hushed rumble that Edison supposed was his version of a whisper. […] “With your head up, I can see you better,” Bishop rumbled, watching Edison as he backed away.
I’ve had this book on my TBR for aaaages, and I finally got to it. I’m glad I did, as I ended up loving it so much. I especially like Edison. He was simply a very lovely and endearing character. He’s also a plus size character, which I honestly often avoid reading, because of a lot of the themes popping up in those books can be triggering and difficult to read. This one had those themes as well. Edison is bullied by his coworkers (one awful one in particular), and he has horrible comments made about his body/looks and his eating habits, which was incredibly hard to read at times. What made it bearable, was how Bishop (the other MC) freaking adored Edison and his body. I never ever doubted his sincerity, and I think the author did a great job in making sure that it came through how attracted they were to each other. It was never ‘in spite of’ or ‘because of’. It just was.
It’s a longer book, and the slow burn with a building friendship and relationship was so right for these boys, who both had major insecurities about different things to work through. They were so good to each other though, and showed patience and kindness when they needed it. Bishop has had a very complicated and rough life up until this point (which I wouldn’t have minded being expanded on), and he’s working incredibly hard to turn things around.
“If my hands weren’t so dirty, I’d touch your handsome face. […]”
As mentioned, there is a lot of focus on food, bodies, and the teasing/bullying that Edison experiences. If you’re comfortable with that though, the love story in this is so sweet, and they both deserved to find someone good to spend their lives with.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Plus size MC
Ex con
Former gang member
Illiterate MC
Size difference
Strangers to friends to lovers
Class difference
⚠️⚠️ Content warning ⚠️⚠️
Fatphobia
Fatshaming
Bullying
Grief
Insecurities
Food-focused talk
Violent altercation
Explicit sexual content
Mentions of life in prison
Manipulative side character
Mentions of the death of a parent (off page, past)
⚠️⚠️⚠️ Book safety ⚠️⚠️⚠️
Cheating: No
OM/OW drama: MC goes on ‘date’ before meeting the other MC (nothing happens between them). An ex tries to create drama later, as well as a coworker creating trouble throughout the book. The MCs only have eyes for each other.
Third-act breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, dual POV
Genre: Contemporary romance, M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
“You look really handsome today, Edison.” Those few simple words eased over Edison’s mind like a comforting caress, then slid down his spine. He wanted to record Bishop saying that statement in that sexy voice and replay it for his psyche all day—anytime someone tried to make him feel less than. Because an amazingly, fine specimen of a man like Bishop thought he was handsome.
lezreadalot's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Writing-wise, this wasn't my favourite thing, but I still had a pretty good time with this romance just because it features characters that you don't read about very often. Bishop is a ex-gang member, ex-convict, trying to put this life back together, do the job he loves, and overcome his illiteracy. Edison is shy and introverted, struggling with his self-esteem after years of being made fun of for his weight, and still mourning the loss of his father. They meet when Bishop's landscaping crew get's a job at Edison's place of work. It's a sweet, slow romance, though not exactly slow burn. I really enjoyed the sympathetic treatment of ex-cons, and even more so, Bishop's illiteracy and the struggles he went through in trying to learn. That part felt super true to life. The romance was really cute. They were super sweet together, so supportive of each other. It made me smile so much, especially the way Bishop got smitten so fast, and his little pet names for Edison. An interesting titbit is how they were both best friends with their fathers, but in very different ways.
I didn't always love the way Edison's weight was written about. A lot of the time, his attractiveness seemed to hinge on the fact that he'd lost of lot of weight in the past years, before the book began. The plot involves secret keeping, which I didn't mind at all at first, because it's the kind of secret where you 100% understand why someone wouldn't be comfortable with revealing it until good solid trust is built up. I just wish it hadn't come out at like the 99th hour. It would have been nice to explore the vulnerability it created before the book ended. The most annoying thing was definitely the conflict with the "villain". I am so tired of romance books that create villains without giving me a concrete reason as to why they're antagonistic. And I mean, we did get a reason. It was just flimsy as heck and not believable. You can only stretch irrational jealousy so far.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Tor Thom, which was really enjoyable, save a few hiccoughs here and there. I probably will continue the series at some point, because the relationship in the next book looks like it will be an interesting one. I haven't read many ex-con romances; I'm glad that this was a mostly good one.
Content warnings:.
I didn't always love the way Edison's weight was written about. A lot of the time, his attractiveness seemed to hinge on the fact that he'd lost of lot of weight in the past years, before the book began. The plot involves secret keeping, which I didn't mind at all at first, because it's the kind of secret where you 100% understand why someone wouldn't be comfortable with revealing it until good solid trust is built up. I just wish it hadn't come out at like the 99th hour. It would have been nice to explore the vulnerability it created before the book ended. The most annoying thing was definitely the conflict with the "villain". I am so tired of romance books that create villains without giving me a concrete reason as to why they're antagonistic. And I mean, we did get a reason. It was just flimsy as heck and not believable. You can only stretch irrational jealousy so far.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Tor Thom, which was really enjoyable, save a few hiccoughs here and there. I probably will continue the series at some point, because the relationship in the next book looks like it will be an interesting one. I haven't read many ex-con romances; I'm glad that this was a mostly good one.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
fat shaming, ableismorangeandmilk's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jamie_w's review against another edition
2.0
This just didn’t work for me on any level. The audio did it no favors. I didn’t connect with the characters, I felt the intimacy was severely lacking and the pacing was strange (super drawn out and then the last 8% was wildly chaotic.)
I think listening to this while reading another series that has me completely obsessed was probably a mistake on my part. So maybe this is a me issue and not the book.
I think listening to this while reading another series that has me completely obsessed was probably a mistake on my part. So maybe this is a me issue and not the book.
wheelin_b's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
bronwynheeley's review against another edition
4.0
this is a basic and simple love story about an ex-con who feels like he isn't good enough and a lonely man. it had a bit of angst, strong characters and a slow and sweet romance that was exactly what Eddy, not only wanted but needed
always_anxious's review against another edition
I don’t know how to rate this. There is a lot I didn’t like but I was also smiling like a loon a lot.
I loved Bishop.
I didn’t care for the ending, felt abrupt even tho I understand it’s part of a series but since the next one is focused on a different couple I would’ve preferred a longer ending after the resolution to the big secret.
I loved Bishop.
I didn’t care for the ending, felt abrupt even tho I understand it’s part of a series but since the next one is focused on a different couple I would’ve preferred a longer ending after the resolution to the big secret.