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A review by ofbooksandromance
In Step by Jay Hogan
5.0
5 “You are the most important thing I can’t live without, Kane. You.” stars
Do you know I’ve never held hands with a man before?” [...] “I’ve done other things with men, but I’ve never held hands.” [...] “Then I’m honoured to be your first.”
Jesus. Fucking. Christ. That pretty much sums up my thoughts about this book. It hit all of my buttons and was just perfect for me. Even if I spent hours trying to find something that I disliked, I wouldn't be able to, because this was exactly everything I have ever wanted in a book. It was my second most anticipated new release of the entire year and safe to say, it lived up to my every expectations.
While this could be read as a standalone if you wanted to, it’s the redemption of someone who did bad things in book 1 of the series so I feel like it would be beneficial to read it in order, so you have the full picture of what the MC did previously.
When we met Kane in book one, it’s because he was one of the main character’s, Judah, bully in high school and he had kicked him really badly and left him bleeding. Which was all I needed to know to want his story. Someone who did bad things getting their redemption is my favourite book trope of all time and the way this was done gave me all of the feels.
Brief summary
Kane just turned 30 and he's living a life he doesn't really enjoy and he is working at the local muscle farm. He is lonely and all he has is his cat, Bossy. Abe, who is 44, is a choreographer who comes to town for 6 weeks to help with a dancing program there. They start hanging out, dancing and through the time they spend together, they fall in love.
First, this book is as much a journey of Kane falling in love with Abe as it is a journey of Kane falling in love with himself. We got to see Kane grow and be able to achieve the things he has always wanted in life but thought that he couldn’t have before. At the start, Kane was so lost and alone in life, but throughout the book, he found love, friends and what he wants to do with his life. It was a beautiful journey and one I loved witnessing.
”But you’re not that person anymore and you deserve to live your life. You deserve that.”
Second, I want to talk about the redemption part because it's one of the best redemptions I have ever read. I liked how the book put a focus on Kane explaining his previous actions to the people he wronged so that he could finally start moving on with his life. Plus, since the story was focused on him making friends and finding a family in a place he felt he didn't belong in, it melted my heart. I love when redemption books focus on showing what brought the character to act badly in the past and how they became a much better person, that's exactly what I want and what I found here. I must admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of Kane before, as he was shown as an evil side character, but throughout this book, I realized that I had fallen in love with him and that he might be my favourite character that Jay Hogan has ever written.
Third, Kane bullied Judah before and thats all the town could remember of him, and Abe is Judah’s friend so he was told everything that Kane did before. A lot of people in town never forgave him for that and he was so scared that he would never able to move on because of it. Yet Abe never judged Kane for what he did in the past. When Abe learnt what Kane did, he knew that Kane had changed since then and he never judged him for his past actions and allowed Kane to explain his side instead. It was just wonderful.
Abe had seen me. Me. Kane Martin. Free of my fucked-up past, the pretence, the hiding, the shame. Abe had simply seen a guy that he apparently found attractive. And wasn’t that just a fucking mind trip?
Fourth, I adored how all of the dramatic events in this book and the angst that happened during it was related to the characters and their lives and not based on outside of the relationship events. It’s my favourite kind of angst and it worked so well in this book.
Fifth, Kane is not used to sharing his emotions. He bottled up his feelings and never talked about them or about himself in the past. So it was harder for him to open up to Abe, yet he still tried so hard to do it. I appreciated how he didn’t run away because of that and how he was always honest, even if it was painful for him to do. These two communicated so well, and even made it a point to always tell each other how they felt and to listen to what the other had to say. It was a thing of beauty.
Sixth, I loved the relationship between Kane and Abe. Abe was very protective and he made sure to defend Kane and say how good of a man he was to everyone that he ever talked to. I love partners who are supportive of each other and no one is more supportive than Abe. If anyone had anything bad to say about Kane, Abe was there to defend him. They always protected each other and were such a well suited couple. Besides, we got to see all of the small moments that made their relationship what it was and that worked for me lots. I just adored everything about their relationship, it really worked for me.
He trusted me. Not just with his body, but with his secrets, his hurt, his tender places. After everything that had happened in his life to break his faith, Kane trusted me.
Side note, the banter between Kane and Abe was also just the best. Dry humour and good banter are things that I love and this book had both of these things in abundance.
Another side note, I just want to mention the sex scenes because they were perfect and so full of emotions that they made me cry my eyes out. It’s not often that a sex scene makes me cry but damn, in this book they tugged at all of my heart strings.
Seventh, just in case it wasn't clear, I adore Kane. I don't even think I can begin to try and count how many times I cried while reading because I felt for him and what he was going through. He seemed so lost and alone in the world and all he wanted was for someone to see him and care about him. It was a feeling I can really relate to, so every time Kane felt that way, I just wanted to give him the biggest hug in the world.
Side note, I also love Abe. I love how he was super fierce with a heart of gold and how much of a protective streak he had. He was the best fit for Kane I could have ever imagined and I just adored him for it.
Eight, I'm pretty sure I will have to drink water every minutes of every day for a week to make up for how much I cried here. I started crying at page 10 and I’m pretty sure I only stopped at the end. This book wrecked me and then put me back together. It was the perfect ratio of hurt to comfort for me, and not only did I cry at the angst but at the comfort too, since it was so sweet and so pure. Everything about this book made me emotional while I read. I’m pretty sure I didn't go a chapter without shedding at least one tear.
Ninth, I really liked how important dancing was to the relationship. It was how they connected and communicated. They shared a lot of quiet moments just dancing together and it was just the sweetest thing.
Tenth, It's no secret that I love everything Jay Hogan has ever written. I have read all of her books (but one) and she is one of if not my favourite writer. But I still want to comment on how good the writing is. She describes every details in a way that makes me feel like I’m there myself. It makes me want to travel to New Zealand so I can have the same experience as the characters. Plus, I also can always relate to the characters and I would love to be their friend. Honestly, I've enjoyed every second I spent reading her books and same goes for this book.
Eleventh, one of my pet peeve in books is when one of the main character has a parent who ruined their life and then forgives them for everything they ever did. I was so glad that this wasn’t the case in this one. Kane had a really bad childhood and he was scared to be gay because of his homophobic father and the book didn’t make it seem like he had to forgive him for what he did to him. That was incredibly refreshing and I just loved it so much.
Finally, this was one of the best reading experiences I ever had. Everything did it for me, the redemption, the characters, the romance, all of it. I don’t think I will be able to stop thinking about this story any time soon.
I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest opinion
Do you know I’ve never held hands with a man before?” [...] “I’ve done other things with men, but I’ve never held hands.” [...] “Then I’m honoured to be your first.”
Jesus. Fucking. Christ. That pretty much sums up my thoughts about this book. It hit all of my buttons and was just perfect for me. Even if I spent hours trying to find something that I disliked, I wouldn't be able to, because this was exactly everything I have ever wanted in a book. It was my second most anticipated new release of the entire year and safe to say, it lived up to my every expectations.
While this could be read as a standalone if you wanted to, it’s the redemption of someone who did bad things in book 1 of the series so I feel like it would be beneficial to read it in order, so you have the full picture of what the MC did previously.
When we met Kane in book one, it’s because he was one of the main character’s, Judah, bully in high school and he had kicked him really badly and left him bleeding. Which was all I needed to know to want his story. Someone who did bad things getting their redemption is my favourite book trope of all time and the way this was done gave me all of the feels.
Brief summary
Kane just turned 30 and he's living a life he doesn't really enjoy and he is working at the local muscle farm. He is lonely and all he has is his cat, Bossy. Abe, who is 44, is a choreographer who comes to town for 6 weeks to help with a dancing program there. They start hanging out, dancing and through the time they spend together, they fall in love.
First, this book is as much a journey of Kane falling in love with Abe as it is a journey of Kane falling in love with himself. We got to see Kane grow and be able to achieve the things he has always wanted in life but thought that he couldn’t have before. At the start, Kane was so lost and alone in life, but throughout the book, he found love, friends and what he wants to do with his life. It was a beautiful journey and one I loved witnessing.
”But you’re not that person anymore and you deserve to live your life. You deserve that.”
Second, I want to talk about the redemption part because it's one of the best redemptions I have ever read. I liked how the book put a focus on Kane explaining his previous actions to the people he wronged so that he could finally start moving on with his life. Plus, since the story was focused on him making friends and finding a family in a place he felt he didn't belong in, it melted my heart. I love when redemption books focus on showing what brought the character to act badly in the past and how they became a much better person, that's exactly what I want and what I found here. I must admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of Kane before, as he was shown as an evil side character, but throughout this book, I realized that I had fallen in love with him and that he might be my favourite character that Jay Hogan has ever written.
Third, Kane bullied Judah before and thats all the town could remember of him, and Abe is Judah’s friend so he was told everything that Kane did before. A lot of people in town never forgave him for that and he was so scared that he would never able to move on because of it. Yet Abe never judged Kane for what he did in the past. When Abe learnt what Kane did, he knew that Kane had changed since then and he never judged him for his past actions and allowed Kane to explain his side instead. It was just wonderful.
Abe had seen me. Me. Kane Martin. Free of my fucked-up past, the pretence, the hiding, the shame. Abe had simply seen a guy that he apparently found attractive. And wasn’t that just a fucking mind trip?
Fourth, I adored how all of the dramatic events in this book and the angst that happened during it was related to the characters and their lives and not based on outside of the relationship events. It’s my favourite kind of angst and it worked so well in this book.
Fifth, Kane is not used to sharing his emotions. He bottled up his feelings and never talked about them or about himself in the past. So it was harder for him to open up to Abe, yet he still tried so hard to do it. I appreciated how he didn’t run away because of that and how he was always honest, even if it was painful for him to do. These two communicated so well, and even made it a point to always tell each other how they felt and to listen to what the other had to say. It was a thing of beauty.
Sixth, I loved the relationship between Kane and Abe. Abe was very protective and he made sure to defend Kane and say how good of a man he was to everyone that he ever talked to. I love partners who are supportive of each other and no one is more supportive than Abe. If anyone had anything bad to say about Kane, Abe was there to defend him. They always protected each other and were such a well suited couple. Besides, we got to see all of the small moments that made their relationship what it was and that worked for me lots. I just adored everything about their relationship, it really worked for me.
He trusted me. Not just with his body, but with his secrets, his hurt, his tender places. After everything that had happened in his life to break his faith, Kane trusted me.
Side note, the banter between Kane and Abe was also just the best. Dry humour and good banter are things that I love and this book had both of these things in abundance.
Another side note, I just want to mention the sex scenes because they were perfect and so full of emotions that they made me cry my eyes out. It’s not often that a sex scene makes me cry but damn, in this book they tugged at all of my heart strings.
Seventh, just in case it wasn't clear, I adore Kane. I don't even think I can begin to try and count how many times I cried while reading because I felt for him and what he was going through. He seemed so lost and alone in the world and all he wanted was for someone to see him and care about him. It was a feeling I can really relate to, so every time Kane felt that way, I just wanted to give him the biggest hug in the world.
Side note, I also love Abe. I love how he was super fierce with a heart of gold and how much of a protective streak he had. He was the best fit for Kane I could have ever imagined and I just adored him for it.
Eight, I'm pretty sure I will have to drink water every minutes of every day for a week to make up for how much I cried here. I started crying at page 10 and I’m pretty sure I only stopped at the end. This book wrecked me and then put me back together. It was the perfect ratio of hurt to comfort for me, and not only did I cry at the angst but at the comfort too, since it was so sweet and so pure. Everything about this book made me emotional while I read. I’m pretty sure I didn't go a chapter without shedding at least one tear.
Ninth, I really liked how important dancing was to the relationship. It was how they connected and communicated. They shared a lot of quiet moments just dancing together and it was just the sweetest thing.
Tenth, It's no secret that I love everything Jay Hogan has ever written. I have read all of her books (but one) and she is one of if not my favourite writer. But I still want to comment on how good the writing is. She describes every details in a way that makes me feel like I’m there myself. It makes me want to travel to New Zealand so I can have the same experience as the characters. Plus, I also can always relate to the characters and I would love to be their friend. Honestly, I've enjoyed every second I spent reading her books and same goes for this book.
Eleventh, one of my pet peeve in books is when one of the main character has a parent who ruined their life and then forgives them for everything they ever did. I was so glad that this wasn’t the case in this one. Kane had a really bad childhood and he was scared to be gay because of his homophobic father and the book didn’t make it seem like he had to forgive him for what he did to him. That was incredibly refreshing and I just loved it so much.
Finally, this was one of the best reading experiences I ever had. Everything did it for me, the redemption, the characters, the romance, all of it. I don’t think I will be able to stop thinking about this story any time soon.
I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest opinion