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A review by kaitlin_durante
Beautifully Unexpected by Lily Morton
5.0
[I received a digital arc for an honest review]
Beautifully Unexpected in the new standalone contemporary romance by Lily Morton. Magnus Carlsen has reached “middle age” by living his life according to him and him alone. As a successful QA with a solid group of friends he doesn’t mind not having someone to warm his bed, that is his preference actually. When one of his not-overnight guests doesn’t understand Magnus’ no dating rule Laurie Gentry is there to mock him unmercifully and that begins a new friendship. Magnus and Laurie find comfort in each other that they struggle to find in younger men and an intense and important friendship grows between them. Chemistry is hard to ignore though and the men find themselves trying to keep their expectations of each other low but as time passes and feelings become involved will they truly be able to.
Magnus “Mags” Carlsen wears his intelligence and charisma like a shield. It keeps people flocking to him out of interest but he wields his sharp words to keep them from ever getting too close. That is until Laurie. Laurie blows every past experience away because he not only refuses to bow down to Magnus he outright challenges him. Although Magnus doesn’t change he is able to grow through his friendship with Laurie, opening his mind to the idea that there is more to life than working and one-night stands. When Magnus stops ignoring or pushing away his feelings he immediately becomes a character you sympathize with and want to hug. Magnus and Laurie are able to balance their friendship with heated moments that go an extra step by becoming extremely intimate and heartwarming.
“He’s a stunning man. It’s not so much his looks, as the way he carries himself. Like he’s a downed wire full of crackling sparks and electricity. There’s an air of mischief about him and a palpable confidence that says he’s unconcerned by the way people view him.”
Laurie Gentry has many layers. As an artist he can be flighty, not always taking proper care of himself when really deep into a project. As a man he keeps people at a distance knowing that time is fleeting and that emotional bonds can stifle freedom to be who you want. He is immediately drawn to his Mags when he witnesses the one-night stand bedfellow not getting the hint. He uses humor to protect himself from Mags because he knows he can fall deeply for the man slowly becoming a huge part of his world. He also can be prickly and in being prickly hurts Mags either directly through targeted barbs or through misdirection when questions come up he’s not ready to answer. Laurie is able to acknowledge that his struggle to open up puts up hurdles that they have a hard time getting over.
“I like everything about him. He’s clever and funny and doesn’t let me get away with anything. But I also sense that he'd be incredibly loyal to anyone he loves.”
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Mags and Laurie’s friendship develop into more. They allowed themselves to get to know each other first and grow into intimacy even with the chemistry being there from the beginning. Their adventures through London getting each other to look at the world through a different lens had me reading deep into the night and not being able to stop. Morton manages a wonderful balance of sweet and funny moments, heated encounters and tear-worthy fights.
5 stars for Mags and Laurie proving that sometimes you meet the right person and everything shifts unexpectedly.
Beautifully Unexpected in the new standalone contemporary romance by Lily Morton. Magnus Carlsen has reached “middle age” by living his life according to him and him alone. As a successful QA with a solid group of friends he doesn’t mind not having someone to warm his bed, that is his preference actually. When one of his not-overnight guests doesn’t understand Magnus’ no dating rule Laurie Gentry is there to mock him unmercifully and that begins a new friendship. Magnus and Laurie find comfort in each other that they struggle to find in younger men and an intense and important friendship grows between them. Chemistry is hard to ignore though and the men find themselves trying to keep their expectations of each other low but as time passes and feelings become involved will they truly be able to.
Magnus “Mags” Carlsen wears his intelligence and charisma like a shield. It keeps people flocking to him out of interest but he wields his sharp words to keep them from ever getting too close. That is until Laurie. Laurie blows every past experience away because he not only refuses to bow down to Magnus he outright challenges him. Although Magnus doesn’t change he is able to grow through his friendship with Laurie, opening his mind to the idea that there is more to life than working and one-night stands. When Magnus stops ignoring or pushing away his feelings he immediately becomes a character you sympathize with and want to hug. Magnus and Laurie are able to balance their friendship with heated moments that go an extra step by becoming extremely intimate and heartwarming.
“He’s a stunning man. It’s not so much his looks, as the way he carries himself. Like he’s a downed wire full of crackling sparks and electricity. There’s an air of mischief about him and a palpable confidence that says he’s unconcerned by the way people view him.”
Laurie Gentry has many layers. As an artist he can be flighty, not always taking proper care of himself when really deep into a project. As a man he keeps people at a distance knowing that time is fleeting and that emotional bonds can stifle freedom to be who you want. He is immediately drawn to his Mags when he witnesses the one-night stand bedfellow not getting the hint. He uses humor to protect himself from Mags because he knows he can fall deeply for the man slowly becoming a huge part of his world. He also can be prickly and in being prickly hurts Mags either directly through targeted barbs or through misdirection when questions come up he’s not ready to answer. Laurie is able to acknowledge that his struggle to open up puts up hurdles that they have a hard time getting over.
“I like everything about him. He’s clever and funny and doesn’t let me get away with anything. But I also sense that he'd be incredibly loyal to anyone he loves.”
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Mags and Laurie’s friendship develop into more. They allowed themselves to get to know each other first and grow into intimacy even with the chemistry being there from the beginning. Their adventures through London getting each other to look at the world through a different lens had me reading deep into the night and not being able to stop. Morton manages a wonderful balance of sweet and funny moments, heated encounters and tear-worthy fights.
5 stars for Mags and Laurie proving that sometimes you meet the right person and everything shifts unexpectedly.