Reviews

Ornamental by E.M. Lindsey

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4.5 stars

“It wasn’t just in the moment. I do love you. I’m falling so fucking hard in love with you it’s a little scary. But I couldn’t hold it in.”

First things first, please don’t ask me why I decided to read the eight book of a series as a standalone, but somehow it really worked for me and I enjoyed this book, so much. This book just did it for me. It hit all of my buttons and it was the perfect mix of everything I enjoy and want to read in a book.

I’m so into everything about this book. The plot. The setting. The characters. The romance. The rep. The stories. Just all of it, I just enjoyed everything about this book so much.

Brief summary
Raf lost his job and his marriage because he has Tourette’s and seizures and he relapsed and the people in his life didn’t accept him. He’s broke and lost in life, so he asks his brother for help. His brother owns a tattoo shop and a guy called Luke works there. Raf and Luke start hanging out together more and more and they fall in love.

The romance in this book was just phonomenal. It was so sweet and tender and it really worked for me. This book is slow burn and we get to slowly see Luke and Raf start to get to know each other and become friends. The more they spend time to together, the more we get to see them fall for each other. And I just loved that so much. I loved seeing how much time they spend together and how their love for each other slowly developed through all of the moments they spent together. I loved how they wanted to spend all of their time together and how they always wanted to be with each other. The romance in this book was just so sweet and it melted my heart. This book was just so romantic and I really loved every seconds of it.

Side note, I just loved how Raf and Luke comforted each other through everything and how they were always there for each other. It was just the cutest thing to read about.

I’m a fan of age gaps in books. Luke and Raf have over a 20 years age difference and I really loved how the book dealt with it. I loved how it wasn’t really an issue for them because they enjoyed each other and the time that they spent together and thats all that mattered to them. I also loved how they never seemed too different because of their age that they couldn’t make their relationship work. These two just fit together and I loved how the book showed that.

I’m also a fan of sexual discoveries stories. Raf had never been with a guy before and a big part of the book was him figuring out his attraction to guys. I just enjoyed these parts of this book so much. They were just so well done and an absolute joy to read about.

Also, the rep in this book was just so good. I expected it to be because this author always does the best rep, but it just really worked for me. Raf has Tourette’s, seizures and some neurological issues and I really loved how they were such a big part of who he is. And I really loved how Luke handled them, he was just the best and always accepting of Rafe. I loved it so much. This part of the book was just absolutely perfect to me.

This book is all about finding the people who will always be there for you and bounding with them and I loved them so much. It was just so wonderful to read about and it just melted my heart due to how sweet it was.

This book was just so sweet but also so emotional. It truly had my entire heart and I enjoyed it so much. This book was just it for me. This book felt like it was made for me and I enjoyed every seconds of it so much. This book just melted my heart so much and it was a wonderful reading experience.

I received an arc of this book and this is my honest opinion

perskaiciauiraprasiau's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

amandabooks17's review

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4.0

I enjoyed this read. I loved both Luke and Raf’s characters. I enjoyed them finding their happiness together and in their lives. These two were two of my favorites to read.

I do recommend this book for others to read. I’m excited for more in this series

thosemedalingkidsss's review

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4.0

3.5 stars - any time I come back to this small town it's like being wrapped in a warm hug.

I really appreciated how much family time there was in this one, and it was extra special reading all the previous books in the series because everyone was included. I'm torn with this one, I thought that Raf was in desperate need of a family and being cared about, and most of the book focused on him getting back on his feet and learning to accept and demand love. I was full with all of the bonding and time everyone spent with Raf.

However, the romance was very slow burn (75% into the story, and more like into the 80's before romance happened). That's something I do like, when there's been tension and buildup brewing between the leads, and I didn't feel it very much between Luke and Raf. Luke was a bit like a blank slate, and didn't really have much personality or depth going on. This was an age gap, bi leads, friends to friends to friends to lovers, with the older lead being a recently divorced parent trying to get custody back for his daughter and starting over in a new place. There's also a small "dating coach" trope thrown in as well.

I almost think I enjoyed Raf's relationship that formed with his brother, Tony, a bit more than the romantic relationship with Luke. As always, I appreciated the sensitivity and depth Lindsey brought to the characters and the town they've built in this series. My own ableist thoughts were challenged regarding Raf's TS, and I appreciated having a lead with vocal and physical tics, and having things to reflect on.

lilyantigone's review against another edition

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2.0

CW: Messy custody battle

Just didn't like this one.

sharingthebooklove's review against another edition

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4.0

This age-gap, second chance at love read is a perfect addition to this series. Luke and Raf - well on paper they shouldnt work but the way E.M Lindsey has written the chracters, we feel so much why they do work. The support, love and understanding is so heartwarming.

this is a brilliant addition to the irons and works series.