Kiss Me Again by Garrett Leigh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 Stars

Oh, this tale is so full of angst, but it's balanced with comfort and love in the way that only Garrett Leigh can write. In a word: Powerful.

Aiden and Ludo meet in the hospital. Ludo is there to fight the bipolar demons from his head and Aiden is there after falling from a tree, a van breaking his fall.

Aiden emerges from surgery in pain. So much pain. He's loopy on painkillers and he can't think straight enough to know if the skinny, beautiful man that keeps him company is real. Ludo spends his days longing to sit with Aiden, to simply touch him. And then one day, Ludo is gone.

Months later they find each other again and try to figure out if they care enough about themselves to try to create a life together. With all of its inherent ups and downs.

Okay, can I just say how much I loved Aiden? He was a right git at times, but he was so invested and caring and simply there for Ludo.

And Ludo, with his love for his dog. And basically everything. And his cousin Angelo. I LOVED that Angelo was mentioned as the dancing cousin. But Ludo was such a real character, and his worry over being too much, too hard, too consuming... it was just the right amount of angst. And Garrett Leigh can write angst perfectly. It's never too much. It's just perfectly done, leaving you both worried for and loving the character.

At the end of Kiss Me Again> I just wanted to hug Ludo and Aiden and tell them how proud I was. Such a great book!

Galley copy generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. To be cross posted on http://gaybook.reviews/ upon publication*

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The Doctor's Date by Heidi Cullinan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This series is turning making me mushy!!! I loved this addition.

Erin is the HR director at the Copper Point medical center and is known for being his father's pawn, but also for being the antagonist in Owen's life. In the previous book, Erin let his true honor out when he removed the ban against interoffice dating, but he never got the opportunity to explain HIS reasons.

When the committee sets up a bachelor auction, Erin schemes to finally have a chance at Owen. But his dad has other plans. This leads to a mystery to solve and some deep dives into both Erin and Owen's pasts. Ghosts come out to play and it's both haunting and healing.

As much as I enjoyed The Doctor's Secret, this was more my style. There was more mystery and romance than politics and it had a sweet young love vibe. I'm a sucker for a good enemies to lovers as well as hurt/comfort and this perfectly satisfied both as well as the added bonus of a first time.

Heidi Cullinan's quality of writing holds your attention from the start and the effortless way the characters fit together is inspiring. I loved the glimpse into their lives, their pasts and their healing. This was a really solid story filled with wonderful characters and a perfect nod to Scooby Doo mystery. Very much recommended.

*Galley copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Cross posted to http://gaybook.reviews/ *

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Love is a Walk in the Park by V L Locey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sheer perfection. I laughed so many times at this story and it really made my life a bit better.

Duane has just broken up with his girlfriend, yet again, and this time she's taken everything BUT the dog. Which is fine, except he needs to be walked. A lot. When Duane is catcalled by a fiercely vocal, boisterous twink at the dog park his social awkwardness rears it's ugly head. But it gets him to notice and react.

Sullivan is a charming, loud, flighty, wildly fabulous twink with a flair for fashion and dancing. And one look at Duane and the hot pants are ON! Sully was an entire story on his own. His brilliant adjectives and diva personality had me spitting out my soda and wishing I had a real life Sully as my bff.

The two MC's together were a masterpiece. They balanced each other out perfectly and fully, each part of them working together to create a brilliant tour de force.

Every character involved was witty and fun, adding spice and whimsy to the scene. I loved Duane's roommate Ronan, who cared so much and felt like family. I loved the parents who came through in the end. I loved the dance/theater group who believed in and supported Sully through his horrifying encounter.

There were good times, bad times, fun times and sexy times and they all flowed so well. I was thoroughly impressed at this collaboration between VL Locey and her daughter Stephanie and hope to see more!

I absolutely recommend reading this fantastic story of love and overcoming life's obstacles together, hand in hand. You will fall in love, I promise.

*Galley copy generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Cross posted to http://gaybook.reviews/*

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Redeem by Christina Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This just really hit me hard. These boys were both so broken. Gah. Unbelievable story of love and hope and belonging.

Michael has a solid job, enough money to throw around, and a new-found proclivity for men. His last relationship was...unhealthy. But, he's taken the time to look at himself and realize if he doesn't do something, he's going to turn into his father.

Stewart is a barista. He's happy with where he is professionally, but his personal life is a mess. With repressed anxiety from his upbringing, his nightmares have returned, he's gone through a relationship crisis, but he's seeing a professional now. The meds are working. He's had less panic attacks, but he's not ready for anything serious. So, when a quickie in the bathroom on New Year's Eve won't leave his mind, he's surprised to see Michael show up again at his work.

From the start I was loving the fact that both Michael and Stewart were seen as the bad guys in past relationships. It's so difficult to pull a jerk into a new role as someone you want to see end up happy and Christina Lee pulls this off so well.

Both boys were so broken and working so hard to get better and I just loved how intuitive they both were at finding what the other one needed and just being there. There was so much honesty in this and love.

Christina Lee writes with so much emotion and just has a way at getting under your skin with the raw honesty of her characters and their dialogue and desires. I loved this story. I loved her interpretation and gift for hurt/comfort and couldn't recommend this book more.

*Galley copy generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Cross posted to http://gaybook.reviews/ *

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The Ghosts Between Us by Brigham Vaughn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really love a hurt/comfort/healing and this was a perfect example of that trope.

Chris, having always looked up to his younger brother, Cal, is devastated at his funeral. Soon after, he realizes that his relationship with his brother wasn't at all what he thought and he's reeling from all of the questions and dishonesty surrounding his new found information.

Elliot loved Cal, but after six months of dating, he wanted more than just being his dirty little secret. And then suddenly, there was no time left. He was mad at the funeral. No one knew him there and seeing Chris for the first time brought back so many memories of Cal.

Neither of them could stay away from each other long and their odd friendship morphed into more.

Just reading this story was so interesting to me. The dynamic between Chris and Elliot and Cal was overwhelming at times. Everything they felt and worried about was so real. All of the questions... how much is he thinking of Cal instead of me? Gah. I loved how Brigham Vaughn just layed it all out there and forced the two to pick up the pieces.

Told solely from Chris's POV, I kind of wanted to get in Elliot's head a bit more. He was so much the typical brooding artist, but then he had this whole other side where he was funny and sweet and romantic.

Honestly, they were perfect for each other. There was an ensemble cast of friends and family that really left you raw, as a reader, and added so much to the story. I loved the story, the emotions, the feelings and the ending.

This is a great story and I'm excited to know it's just the start of a series that I can't wait to dive in to!

*Galley copy generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Cross posted to http://gaybook.reviews/ *

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The Beach House by Angelique Jurd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Honestly, I love this story but I couldn't do a full 5 stars because of the writing. It was third person, but somehow it just seemed so very detached at the first half. I am not sure if I just got into it more and didn't notice or if the writing just got better, but I fell in love with Ben and Alex's story.

Alex had awful parents. Like, THE WORST homophobic arses ever. And he bore the scars from growing up with them, sadly. But when he meets Ben at a U2 concert, he feels he's worth fighting for.

Ben was everything good. He was a high powered lawyer, but he was a softy who wore his heart on his sleeve. He gave and gave and gave and when he needed he asked. I loved that about him.

If the writing in the start had been better, I'd have given this 5 stars. Honestly, though, I'd still recommend this book as I absolutely loved their story and it had so many wonderful hurt/comfort feels, which is my bag.

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His Uptown Guy by Felice Stevens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet, sweet story that had me feeling the feels.

Jesse has lived in the famous Dakota building across from Central Park since he was born. Now that he's an adult, he hasn't left the building in 5 years. Well, he hasn't left the apartment in 5 years. When his father was killed in 9/11 he was deeply affected and his life changed in many ways. But when he was mugged and stabbed, he never recovered. And losing his boyfriend at the same time didn't help.

But today he's feeling ok. He's going to make it to the garden and sit. And that's where he meets maintenance worker Dash. He almost passes out and Dash comes to his rescue and gives him the strength to fight off his demons and maybe slay some of Dash's as well.

I love a well written hurt/comfort and this totally gave me my fix. Jesse was such a cool, down to earth character and the agoraphobia was a very interesting issue for him to overcome. I loved how Dash knew exactly how slow to go and how honest he was with Jesse.

Both Jesse and Dash were totally different characters, but fit together so well. I could absolutely feel their connection and loved how family oriented they both were. They were a great match and I was so happy for how this ended.

I would definitely recommend this read. I blew threw it just waiting for the HEA I hoped was coming and it did not disappoint.

*Galley copy generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Cross posted to http://gaybook.reviews/ *

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Typhoon Toby by R.L. Merrill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was definitely a whirlwind, but it was also refreshing and the best kind of hurt/comfort.

Toby is a genius. He started college at 16 and grew up fast. Relying on his advisor, he trusted where he shouldn't have and ended up very emotionally and physically scarred. He just wants to block out the past and move forward, the more nameless the hookup the better. But when he takes a well needed vacation in Bali, he finds that after spending a week with the same man, he feels lost when they part.

Spencer is a therapist and an advocate for LGBT+ youth. He own his own practice with his friend and he's been working himself too hard. When he leaves Toby after a week in Bali, he can't get him out of his head. And when he sees him on TV promoting his new show, he realizes he can't miss an opportunity to see him again.

I'll be honest, I didn't really get into this story until about halfway, but then I was consumed. Toby started out a reckless, lost and frankly annoying character who finally realized that in order to get past his pain, he had to confront it. It was honestly very gratifying to see Toby take the steps to becoming whole. I had to give him credit for his maturity and willingness to 'fix' himself in an effort to have a relationship with Spencer.

At first Spencer annoyed me as well because he acted so victimized and small, but with the promise of love from Toby, he too became more confident and less guarded. Once they found a place where they were grounded the story was so tender and raw.

I really enjoyed all of the friends in this story and their drama as well. It's fun to see the beginnings of other stories building up in the background to keep the series moving.

The last half of this was done so well. There were so many triggers for Toby that he was able to weather with Spencer at his side and I really felt the relationship as it morphed into a tangible feeling of love. This was definitely a book that I'm thrilled to have read and I'm excited to see the next story, hopefully with Javier.

*Galley copy provided in exchange for an honest review. Cross posted to http://gaybook.reviews/ *

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