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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
story of Gael and Jordan
This is a best friends to more romance, featuring Jordan and Gael, and is a standalone book but it is linked to other books.
Jordan and Gael have been best friends since kindergarten and have been super close their whole lives. Jordan has been in love with his best friend for a long time, the problem is Gael is engaged to be married.
Jordan organises Gael’s bachelor party in Vegas however the trip doesn’t go according to plan. Things heat up between them and then everything changes.
This is a reread for me and I still cried my eyes out. It’s an emotional read with some angst. You just feel everything Jordan, Gael and Elena go through. Jordan and Gael have such a strong connection and I’m happy they got their HEA but I was sad for Elena when she found out about what happened in Vegas.
I highly recommend reading this if you haven’t and make sure you read the bonus epilogue. Just make sure you have the tissues handy.
Things to expect in this book are:
Standalone
MM romance
Some Angst
Best friends to more
Both have a secret crush
Cheating with each other
Vegas!
Spicy times & dirty talk
Docking
Hurt / Comfort
Amnesia
Pining & longing
Second chance
Swoony Hea
This is a best friends to more romance, featuring Jordan and Gael, and is a standalone book but it is linked to other books.
Jordan and Gael have been best friends since kindergarten and have been super close their whole lives. Jordan has been in love with his best friend for a long time, the problem is Gael is engaged to be married.
Jordan organises Gael’s bachelor party in Vegas however the trip doesn’t go according to plan. Things heat up between them and then everything changes.
This is a reread for me and I still cried my eyes out. It’s an emotional read with some angst. You just feel everything Jordan, Gael and Elena go through. Jordan and Gael have such a strong connection and I’m happy they got their HEA but I was sad for Elena when she found out about what happened in Vegas.
I highly recommend reading this if you haven’t and make sure you read the bonus epilogue. Just make sure you have the tissues handy.
Things to expect in this book are:
Standalone
MM romance
Some Angst
Best friends to more
Both have a secret crush
Cheating with each other
Vegas!
Spicy times & dirty talk
Docking
Hurt / Comfort
Amnesia
Pining & longing
Second chance
Swoony Hea
Jordan got kicked out of his home as a teenager when his parents discovered he was gay. His best friend Gael’s family took him in and they’ve been his family for 10 years. They include him in everything, they love him as family.
I loved that part of the story, the big warm family and how they accepted him. They dynamic between them all was great.
Gael is engaged to a woman, but he seems to have some more than friendly feelings for Jordan.
I was honestly a bit confused throughout the story whether it was Jordan or Gael’s POV. They seemed to not have a distinct voice of their own.
I hate to give this a less than great review because I really wanted to love this story!
The author wrote one of my top favorite MM romances last year.. unfortunately this one didn’t work for me like her previous books.
There were things I liked, but I was distracted by not feeling a difference in the characters “voices “ and I also didn’t “feel “ their love and attraction strongly. I think because they were best friends I intellectually knew it, but the emotions unfortunately weren’t there for me.
This could be a case of it’s me not the book.
I’m sure others will love the characters, the sexy times and the story.
I’ll definitely read this author again, it’s just one book that didn’t do it for me. It happens.
An achingly deep, beautiful book. Ache delves into touchy subjects, but it's written with such personal emotion, that it transports the reader to an entirely different level to deliver all the feels.
Gael and Jordan have been friends since Kindergarten, but at some point those friendship feelings changed, at least for Jordan. However, Jordan kept them under lock and key as his BFF, Gael was straight. It isn't until Gael's bachelor party that all of those pent up feelings come out, but how do you lock back up what has now been released, especially when the man you love is getting married to someone else, a woman at that?
Gael is engaged to Elena and he does love his fiancee. However, if he really looked deep at his feelings, he loves Jordan more. He knows it's messed up and he shouldn't have feelings for his best friend when he's engaged to someone else, but when Jordan takes him away for his bachelor party, to celebrate his pending marriage no less, Gael let's his pent up feelings known. What's the worst that could happen?
This book is so much more than two men lost in a craze of lust and emotion. They discuss the ramifications of what could happen should they pursue anything. They talk about their past, their future, the possibilities, they look at every angle and I love that they consider not just them but the ripple effect of how their actions will affect those they love. This is a book about real world consequences based in a fictional setting. I LOVE THIS!! It pulls on those deep heartstrings while still connecting to the characters. I was completely immersed in Gael and Jordan's story the entire time and loved reading a new author.
I loved discovering a new author and I will not hesitate to jump back into something else she writes, as a matter of fact, I'm already itching to seek out more.
Ache brings the feels, the angst, and the right amount of steam to be an excellent read.
Gael and Jordan have been friends since Kindergarten, but at some point those friendship feelings changed, at least for Jordan. However, Jordan kept them under lock and key as his BFF, Gael was straight. It isn't until Gael's bachelor party that all of those pent up feelings come out, but how do you lock back up what has now been released, especially when the man you love is getting married to someone else, a woman at that?
Gael is engaged to Elena and he does love his fiancee. However, if he really looked deep at his feelings, he loves Jordan more. He knows it's messed up and he shouldn't have feelings for his best friend when he's engaged to someone else, but when Jordan takes him away for his bachelor party, to celebrate his pending marriage no less, Gael let's his pent up feelings known. What's the worst that could happen?
This book is so much more than two men lost in a craze of lust and emotion. They discuss the ramifications of what could happen should they pursue anything. They talk about their past, their future, the possibilities, they look at every angle and I love that they consider not just them but the ripple effect of how their actions will affect those they love. This is a book about real world consequences based in a fictional setting. I LOVE THIS!! It pulls on those deep heartstrings while still connecting to the characters. I was completely immersed in Gael and Jordan's story the entire time and loved reading a new author.
I loved discovering a new author and I will not hesitate to jump back into something else she writes, as a matter of fact, I'm already itching to seek out more.
Ache brings the feels, the angst, and the right amount of steam to be an excellent read.
emotional
hopeful
sad
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:
No
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
Clunky, awkward writing and a story that was impossible to suspend disbelief for. I skimmed the second half of the book so I could finish it. I thought about DNFing it about 100 times.
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
***3.5 rating***
"I’d thought I was happy, but this time with Jordan just proved that whatever I’d felt before this wasn’t happy. I’m well aware of how terrible that sounds and how unfair it is to Elena, but the hard truth is, this isn’t about her. She has done nothing but love me. Unconditionally. And the reality is, I love her, but just not enough. Not as much as she deserves and not in the same way I love Jordan."
Boy, I have mixed feelings about this book.
Brief Summary:
Jordan and Gael have been best friends since they were in kindergarten. When Jordan turns 17 he comes out to his parents but sadly they disown him. However, not all is lost. The Herrera clan (Gael's family) take in Jordan and treat him like he is their own son and Jordan in the process gains a new family that he thought he had lost. Like they say just because you are related to someone by blood doesn't necessarily make them family. The Herrera clan is his family. From then on, Jordan and Gael have been in each other's lives constantly, forever attached at the hip. But the bond these two share is not in any way brotherly. It extends beyond friendship and "familial". There is unsaid longing, desire, and love between the two men. That bond is tested when Gael sadly gets engaged to someone else, a sweet woman named Elena.
When Gael and Jordan, along with Gael's brother-in-laws go to Vegas for Gael's bachelor party, old feelings of longing resurface. It is in Vegas that their lives change forever. In this story, what happens in Vegas definitely does not stay in Vegas, especially when infidelity occurs.
Emotions run high in this book and there is much angst along with betrayal, lust and love. Sometimes we fall in love with the wrong person and hurt others in the process. But is cheating ever justified? This book attempts to explore that and more.
Thoughts about Ache:
I have to say this book in no shape or form holds a candle to Without You, which is Deacon and Julian's story and the first book I read by Marley Valentine. It was such a beautifully written book that evoked many emotions within me. However, I did not feel the same way about this book. Ache, is a beautifully written book, don't get me wrong. There is angst, longing, sadness and happiness. However, cheating is something I don't feel can ever be justified.
In the book, it is hinted that Jordan and Gael shared a romantic moment 10 years prior to when the story takes place, and since then Gael has had unresolved romantic feelings for Jordan. For many reasons, Jordan holds back and does not explore that relationship which is why he sleeps around. But for Gael to be engaged to Elena knowing he has these deep feelings for Jordan that extend beyond friendship is morally wrong.
"it’s an absolute miracle I’ve managed to hide my attraction to him for all these years. "
"How do you tell your fiancée that she shares your heart with a man you can never have? That you love her, but even when you shouldn’t, and even when you’ve been pushed away, you always have, and always will love him. "
While, Gael had these feelings for Jordan he was engaged to Elena. I felt so bad for her. She deserved so much better. If you are in love with someone else, break up with your current partner. That shit hurts. People are not pawns or things to be played with. Toying with someone's emotions is foul and awful.
There were many instances that both Jordan and Gael knew what they were doing in Vegas was not right. Why? because Gael is fucking engaged to someone else. Elena was patient, kind, loving and deserved so much more than a cheating fiancé who was in love with his best friend. The reason why Gael even proposed to Elena was even more sad, it certainly was not out of love.
Marley Valentine wants the reader to empathize with Gael and Jordan's affair, that their love runs so deep that its okay to cheat. I could not sympathize with these two. Sorry. Sure, the author shows that their actions have consequences and that cheating is wrong but it still didn't justify how these two got together.
Elena was always on the outside looking in, an observer and a third-party in her own relationship. Smh.
I also felt that I needed to know more about what happened 10 years ago between these men. How did Gael fall in love with Jordan? I didn't feel that connection. I did think the intimacy and the bond they shared was written beautifully, I don't expect any less from Marley Valentine but still, Gael's actions pissed me off. I felt sad for Jordan because Gael knew of his feelings and still got engaged to another person. Figure out your shit sir. Tsk tsk.
Another person who deserved better was Frankie, whose story we will read about in the anticipated book that has yet to be released; Unwanted. Frankie and Jordan were involved and not exclusive in any way but still Jordan at times treated him like crap.
I am excited to read about Frankie and Arlo, I hope Frankie gets his happily ever after in Unwanted.
Some parts of the book were also predictable, like what happened to Gael after the car racing. I had to roll my eyes. Sorry. I just expected more from Marley Valentine because she is capable of writing such beautiful stories. This book is not much compared to Without You.
After all is revealed to Elena and the hurt is over, I did like Jordan and Gael together. If their connection and deep feelings had been established better, then maybe I would try to understand why they cheated but the lack of the built up didn't do much for their relationship or the cheating.
One thing that I really loved about this book was that Julian and Deacon were in it. Its so satisfying to see them happy and married after the hell they went through in their book. So, thank you Marley Valentine for giving my babies their well deserved HEA!
All in all, cheating is never okay and Elena deserved much more than a cheating fiancé. I did enjoy Jordan and Gael together after they came clean about their mess. Wish we had more scenes from Elena and how she got over their cheating. She was such a sweet character. Justice for fictional Elenas who often get treated like crap in books smh!
I cannot wait for Frankie's book, May 20th needs to hurry up.
Until next time.
"I’d thought I was happy, but this time with Jordan just proved that whatever I’d felt before this wasn’t happy. I’m well aware of how terrible that sounds and how unfair it is to Elena, but the hard truth is, this isn’t about her. She has done nothing but love me. Unconditionally. And the reality is, I love her, but just not enough. Not as much as she deserves and not in the same way I love Jordan."
Boy, I have mixed feelings about this book.
Brief Summary:
Jordan and Gael have been best friends since they were in kindergarten. When Jordan turns 17 he comes out to his parents but sadly they disown him. However, not all is lost. The Herrera clan (Gael's family) take in Jordan and treat him like he is their own son and Jordan in the process gains a new family that he thought he had lost. Like they say just because you are related to someone by blood doesn't necessarily make them family. The Herrera clan is his family. From then on, Jordan and Gael have been in each other's lives constantly, forever attached at the hip. But the bond these two share is not in any way brotherly. It extends beyond friendship and "familial". There is unsaid longing, desire, and love between the two men. That bond is tested when Gael sadly gets engaged to someone else, a sweet woman named Elena.
When Gael and Jordan, along with Gael's brother-in-laws go to Vegas for Gael's bachelor party, old feelings of longing resurface. It is in Vegas that their lives change forever. In this story, what happens in Vegas definitely does not stay in Vegas, especially when infidelity occurs.
Emotions run high in this book and there is much angst along with betrayal, lust and love. Sometimes we fall in love with the wrong person and hurt others in the process. But is cheating ever justified? This book attempts to explore that and more.
Thoughts about Ache:
I have to say this book in no shape or form holds a candle to Without You, which is Deacon and Julian's story and the first book I read by Marley Valentine. It was such a beautifully written book that evoked many emotions within me. However, I did not feel the same way about this book. Ache, is a beautifully written book, don't get me wrong. There is angst, longing, sadness and happiness. However, cheating is something I don't feel can ever be justified.
In the book, it is hinted that Jordan and Gael shared a romantic moment 10 years prior to when the story takes place, and since then Gael has had unresolved romantic feelings for Jordan. For many reasons, Jordan holds back and does not explore that relationship which is why he sleeps around. But for Gael to be engaged to Elena knowing he has these deep feelings for Jordan that extend beyond friendship is morally wrong.
"it’s an absolute miracle I’ve managed to hide my attraction to him for all these years. "
"How do you tell your fiancée that she shares your heart with a man you can never have? That you love her, but even when you shouldn’t, and even when you’ve been pushed away, you always have, and always will love him. "
While, Gael had these feelings for Jordan he was engaged to Elena. I felt so bad for her. She deserved so much better. If you are in love with someone else, break up with your current partner. That shit hurts. People are not pawns or things to be played with. Toying with someone's emotions is foul and awful.
There were many instances that both Jordan and Gael knew what they were doing in Vegas was not right. Why? because Gael is fucking engaged to someone else. Elena was patient, kind, loving and deserved so much more than a cheating fiancé who was in love with his best friend. The reason why Gael even proposed to Elena was even more sad, it certainly was not out of love.
Marley Valentine wants the reader to empathize with Gael and Jordan's affair, that their love runs so deep that its okay to cheat. I could not sympathize with these two. Sorry. Sure, the author shows that their actions have consequences and that cheating is wrong but it still didn't justify how these two got together.
Elena was always on the outside looking in, an observer and a third-party in her own relationship. Smh.
I also felt that I needed to know more about what happened 10 years ago between these men. How did Gael fall in love with Jordan? I didn't feel that connection. I did think the intimacy and the bond they shared was written beautifully, I don't expect any less from Marley Valentine but still, Gael's actions pissed me off. I felt sad for Jordan because Gael knew of his feelings and still got engaged to another person. Figure out your shit sir. Tsk tsk.
Another person who deserved better was Frankie, whose story we will read about in the anticipated book that has yet to be released; Unwanted. Frankie and Jordan were involved and not exclusive in any way but still Jordan at times treated him like crap.
I am excited to read about Frankie and Arlo, I hope Frankie gets his happily ever after in Unwanted.
Some parts of the book were also predictable, like what happened to Gael after the car racing. I had to roll my eyes. Sorry. I just expected more from Marley Valentine because she is capable of writing such beautiful stories. This book is not much compared to Without You.
After all is revealed to Elena and the hurt is over, I did like Jordan and Gael together. If their connection and deep feelings had been established better, then maybe I would try to understand why they cheated but the lack of the built up didn't do much for their relationship or the cheating.
One thing that I really loved about this book was that Julian and Deacon were in it. Its so satisfying to see them happy and married after the hell they went through in their book. So, thank you Marley Valentine for giving my babies their well deserved HEA!
All in all, cheating is never okay and Elena deserved much more than a cheating fiancé. I did enjoy Jordan and Gael together after they came clean about their mess. Wish we had more scenes from Elena and how she got over their cheating. She was such a sweet character. Justice for fictional Elenas who often get treated like crap in books smh!
I cannot wait for Frankie's book, May 20th needs to hurry up.
Until next time.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Soo gooddd, ughhhh the love on the pagessss !!!