Scan barcode
suukasi's review
DNF at 69% (NICE) so no rating.
The narration is SO BORING. Am I saying Nate is boring? Yes and no. He's so selfless that it's ridiculous. The writing feels like I'm watching (not necessarily reading) the story through gauze and it doesn't pull me in. Only telling the story through Nate's POV doesn't help either. I only wished I had liked it better to finish reading it.
The narration is SO BORING. Am I saying Nate is boring? Yes and no. He's so selfless that it's ridiculous. The writing feels like I'm watching (not necessarily reading) the story through gauze and it doesn't pull me in. Only telling the story through Nate's POV doesn't help either. I only wished I had liked it better to finish reading it.
itspatri's review
1.0
Bad gay smut for bored women.
Is there more to be seen here? Anything of value to glean? Don't judge a book by its cover. The cover is fantastic. A shame it was wasted on this.
Nate isn't a character. He's a blandly perfect, lovable... shape. Like a Ken doll, but less memorable. Nate sure is a funny way of spelling Gary Stu.
Dreo is the more interesting character, and even he was disappointing. I read this some time ago, so I don't recall much other than the swelling sense of disappointment as I progressed through this. It was like jumping off a cliff in the first few pages, landing on a steep decline, and tumbling my way through the rest of the story till I reached the end--eerily reminiscent of Twilight, the way this book ends. A pro-tip to writers: having your main character be unconscious for the climax is not a valid method of ending a story.
In short, avoid.
Is there more to be seen here? Anything of value to glean? Don't judge a book by its cover. The cover is fantastic. A shame it was wasted on this.
Nate isn't a character. He's a blandly perfect, lovable... shape. Like a Ken doll, but less memorable. Nate sure is a funny way of spelling Gary Stu.
Dreo is the more interesting character, and even he was disappointing. I read this some time ago, so I don't recall much other than the swelling sense of disappointment as I progressed through this. It was like jumping off a cliff in the first few pages, landing on a steep decline, and tumbling my way through the rest of the story till I reached the end--eerily reminiscent of Twilight, the way this book ends. A pro-tip to writers: having your main character be unconscious for the climax is not a valid method of ending a story.
In short, avoid.
mindforbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I can't even with how ridiculous this was. Basically if you have read [b:A Matter of Time|7090484|A Matter of Time (A Matter of Time #1)|Mary Calmes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1257198839s/7090484.jpg|7346614] series you have read this book but somehow Nate managed to be even more of a second coming than Jory.
I pretty much spent most of this sending eyeroll emoji to Susan. It's actually all her fault I read it in the first place.
Mary is book crack and good craic. Totally ridiculous but also really addictive and so easy to read.
rjsreadingnook's review
4.0
Quick, fun, sexy read. I prefer her Marshals series (Twisted and Tied), but overall I enjoyed this mafia romance. Dreo speaking in Italian is a new weakness of mine. I could almost overlook the MC Nate being a little too perfect and every minor character being “gorgeous.” But as a Chicagoan, Calmes captured the city and its suburbs really well. The sex scenes were on-fire steamy and I ate up the age gap trope. Can’t go wrong with Calmes.
jkh107's review
4.0
An odd love affair between mob muscle and a too-good-to-be-true English professor. It's a good read--I haven't yet read anything bad by Calmes--but I have to confess I loved "Frog" better.
relly's review
4.0
4 stars
I love this book, it’s a comfort read for me.
Is it perfect, no way. Nate is too perfect. But I just adore the way he is with Michael.
The narrator was ok, but struggled with female voices here, and I hated the voice for Duncan
I love this book, it’s a comfort read for me.
Is it perfect, no way. Nate is too perfect. But I just adore the way he is with Michael.
The narrator was ok, but struggled with female voices here, and I hated the voice for Duncan
terriaminute's review
5.0
Nate is a cinnamon roll with something to learn, our sole point of view character, and this is a deceptively clever novel because of it. Some reviewers missed the point entirely, having never caught on, I guess, to the fact that each of us is an unreliable narrator about ourselves. I suspect it would've been clearer in first person, but that's an author's personal choice.
We all have blind spots, aspects of ourselves we are incapable of seeing without help, and we all too often reject that help as silly.
Nate is in that camp. I have met a person or two like Nate - very likable, intuitively helpful, deeply caring and accepting, refusing to play the verbal/emotional games many people mire themselves in. It's hard to believe they miss things, but they do. We all do. So even though I think the ending could've been a little more concise, I loved this story very much. Writing such a likable character and yet lovingly revealing his biggest flaw takes real talent. His blind spot is huge, shocking to him. But his reactions are all Nate.
This is a very good single POV romance with a cast of characters second to none and a slow burn to smokin' hot sex scenes. Recommended. And thank you to my library for having a digital copy I could borrow!
We all have blind spots, aspects of ourselves we are incapable of seeing without help, and we all too often reject that help as silly.
Nate is in that camp. I have met a person or two like Nate - very likable, intuitively helpful, deeply caring and accepting, refusing to play the verbal/emotional games many people mire themselves in. It's hard to believe they miss things, but they do. We all do. So even though I think the ending could've been a little more concise, I loved this story very much. Writing such a likable character and yet lovingly revealing his biggest flaw takes real talent. His blind spot is huge, shocking to him. But his reactions are all Nate.
This is a very good single POV romance with a cast of characters second to none and a slow burn to smokin' hot sex scenes. Recommended. And thank you to my library for having a digital copy I could borrow!
georgiewhoissarahdrew's review
2.0
The two MCs don't start interacting in any real sense until 54% - too much padding, and not enough relationship.
Gorgeous cover art.
Gorgeous cover art.
lauraadriana78's review
4.0
4.5 Stars
DREO DREO DREO DREO DREO!!!! OMG DREO I FUCKING LOVE YOU!!!
I don't even know where to start about how fine Dreo's character was. I loved the whole book, but Dreo YIKES! Made me BLUSH!! Swoon, shiver, shudder (maybe pant a few times)!
So Nate Quells is a professor of Literature at the University of Chicago. He's 45 and had a 28 year old kid with his best friend.
His life is a good life, he loves his son, his family, his son's mom is his best friend. He loves his job and is very good at it.
Love life is a bit stuck right now, mostly because he wants a bit more than casual and he just has not found anyone that like him wants forever. His last relationship with a deeply closeted man let him feeling like he could not compromise anymore.
One really good thing in his life is his neighbors. Michael and his uncle Dreo. Michael is 16 and four years ago lost his mom, who gave guardianship to Dreo. Dreo does his best to raise him, but it's hard doing it alone. Somehow through the years Nate became the other parent for Michael, he loves the kid and cares for him when Dreo is working.
Dreo's job as a bodyguard for a local mafia boss is a distant thing for Nate. He never thinks about it. Until a night where things go wrong and Dreo comes home in shock and full of blood. Suddenly Nate is caring not just for Michael anymore but for Dreo as well, and very quickly it becomes clear that Dreo this last for years has thought about Nate as a LOT more than just a neighbor and when he turns all of that on Nate...Well Nates falls HARD like flat on his ass in love and it's so awesome!
Dreo is so intense and so passionate, with the possesive, dominating thing and Nate just wants to submit to him and GOOD LAWD the ITALIAN!!! OMG It's so hot. Dreo I love him forever. Nate is such a great guy you want him to be happy...Michael is amazing. All the characters are, but Dreo...He's just so present and willing to be open, he loves Nate and he's going to do all that is right to show him to show the whole frigging world that he's Nate's man. End of Story.
There was a little twisty at the end, that was ummm a bit crazyish, but at that point she could have brougt out aliens and I would have been on board as long as Dreo was around. Nate felt the same way I'm sure.
Mary Calmes has been AMAZING with her last two books, you better believe that whatever she's writing next is getting pre-ordered baby!!
LOVE THIS BOOK!!!
DREO DREO DREO DREO DREO!!!! OMG DREO I FUCKING LOVE YOU!!!
I don't even know where to start about how fine Dreo's character was. I loved the whole book, but Dreo YIKES! Made me BLUSH!! Swoon, shiver, shudder (maybe pant a few times)!
So Nate Quells is a professor of Literature at the University of Chicago. He's 45 and had a 28 year old kid with his best friend.
His life is a good life, he loves his son, his family, his son's mom is his best friend. He loves his job and is very good at it.
Love life is a bit stuck right now, mostly because he wants a bit more than casual and he just has not found anyone that like him wants forever. His last relationship with a deeply closeted man let him feeling like he could not compromise anymore.
One really good thing in his life is his neighbors. Michael and his uncle Dreo. Michael is 16 and four years ago lost his mom, who gave guardianship to Dreo. Dreo does his best to raise him, but it's hard doing it alone. Somehow through the years Nate became the other parent for Michael, he loves the kid and cares for him when Dreo is working.
Dreo's job as a bodyguard for a local mafia boss is a distant thing for Nate. He never thinks about it. Until a night where things go wrong and Dreo comes home in shock and full of blood. Suddenly Nate is caring not just for Michael anymore but for Dreo as well, and very quickly it becomes clear that Dreo this last for years has thought about Nate as a LOT more than just a neighbor and when he turns all of that on Nate...Well Nates falls HARD like flat on his ass in love and it's so awesome!
Dreo is so intense and so passionate, with the possesive, dominating thing and Nate just wants to submit to him and GOOD LAWD the ITALIAN!!! OMG It's so hot. Dreo I love him forever. Nate is such a great guy you want him to be happy...Michael is amazing. All the characters are, but Dreo...He's just so present and willing to be open, he loves Nate and he's going to do all that is right to show him to show the whole frigging world that he's Nate's man. End of Story.
There was a little twisty at the end, that was ummm a bit crazyish, but at that point she could have brougt out aliens and I would have been on board as long as Dreo was around. Nate felt the same way I'm sure.
Mary Calmes has been AMAZING with her last two books, you better believe that whatever she's writing next is getting pre-ordered baby!!
LOVE THIS BOOK!!!