wonderpanda's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
k8books's review against another edition
4.0
I can say with certainty there hasn't been an EM Lindsey book that I didn't like. Their books seem to age like fine wine and get better time after time.
The ending of the first book made me hungry for this second book to see what would happen with West and Jakob. Knowing Jakob's secret while West doesn't feels like a betrayal as a reader but also makes me yell at Jakob. Then there are the sexy times and phew! I needed a cold shower just from reading.
I look forward to devouring the next book just like I will when I reread this one. I recommend you do too!
The ending of the first book made me hungry for this second book to see what would happen with West and Jakob. Knowing Jakob's secret while West doesn't feels like a betrayal as a reader but also makes me yell at Jakob. Then there are the sexy times and phew! I needed a cold shower just from reading.
I look forward to devouring the next book just like I will when I reread this one. I recommend you do too!
hazelrayson's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
showarst's review
4.0
4.5 stars
Man, I loved this book. West and Jakob were so compatible and hot. I loved how West forgave Jakob and it didn’t drag out for most of the book. The conflict was handled like mature adults. And can I just say that Jakob’s is scum? What a POS. I am really excited to read the next installment about Noah and the disgraced actor.
Man, I loved this book. West and Jakob were so compatible and hot. I loved how West forgave Jakob and it didn’t drag out for most of the book. The conflict was handled like mature adults. And can I just say that Jakob’s is scum? What a POS. I am really excited to read the next installment about Noah and the disgraced actor.
itssarahc's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know what it is about books dealing with mistaken identity, but they are pure joy for me. And this one is possibly one of the best that I've read in terms of how its handled. I also love books that are heavy in character development, and this book? Damn this book has character development in spades. So much so that the two characters do not meet right out of the gate, breaking the traditional pattern of MM romance novels. Instead, you get to know each of the characters as individuals before they ever lay eyes on one another.
This helped me bond with both of the MCs right off of the bat and I loved it. It made me root for them even more. It made me scream at Jake to just tell West the truth, especially when it became more and more obvious that things between them were incredibly and increasingly real.
I greatly enjoyed watching the struggles that each of these characters faced outside of their relationship. I enjoyed watching as they gave more and more of themselves to one another, even while Jake was lying (by omission) about who he really was. Honestly, I loved everything about this book. It was cute and it was steamy and while it did have a fair bit of angst, it gave me so much joy and the HEA felt incredibly deserved.
Read this book. You will not regret it.
** ARC PROVIDED BY GRR **
This helped me bond with both of the MCs right off of the bat and I loved it. It made me root for them even more. It made me scream at Jake to just tell West the truth, especially when it became more and more obvious that things between them were incredibly and increasingly real.
I greatly enjoyed watching the struggles that each of these characters faced outside of their relationship. I enjoyed watching as they gave more and more of themselves to one another, even while Jake was lying (by omission) about who he really was. Honestly, I loved everything about this book. It was cute and it was steamy and while it did have a fair bit of angst, it gave me so much joy and the HEA felt incredibly deserved.
Read this book. You will not regret it.
** ARC PROVIDED BY GRR **
vicki_williams's review
4.0
West and Jake sure do have to overcome a fairly significant hurdle before they get their HEA. After what was only meant to be a steamy one night stand, they find themselves back in each other’s orbit. The chemistry is still there sizzling away and circumstances have them spending more time together but there’s a pretty huge secret between them and they both carry significant baggage into the relationship.
This pacing of the engaging plot flows along seamlessly with a great cast of main and secondary characters, a dash of angst and some feels for balance. An overall very enjoyable read.
This pacing of the engaging plot flows along seamlessly with a great cast of main and secondary characters, a dash of angst and some feels for balance. An overall very enjoyable read.
cbonner0711's review
4.0
Although this isn’t a favorite, for some reason I really like this series by EM Lindsey. I find the characters compelling and the setting interesting. Lindsey’s writing is really smooth and I find myself reading really quickly. I kind of wish the books in the series were a little longer but I’m definitely enjoying them and can’t wait to read the next!
feistyredhead82's review
4.0
Jake and West are complicated right from the start. When West is fighting a losing battle against Jake’s family company. Specifically his evil father. West’s struggles are real and you can’t help but want to make everything better for him. He is lucky he has so many friends at his side. Jake wants to be on his side too but his big secret could ruin his forever. He has to figure out how to make everything work. This book is a bit harder to get into but once you get I’ve the hump it’s hard to put down. Another great book from E.M Lindsey.
snakeyghost's review against another edition
5.0
5 “I’m a dumbass who went and fell in love with the one man I had no business falling in love with” stars
“I want you to know that I think this is worth it. No matter what happens at the end, this is…you’ve made me feel,” he stuttered a little as West gave a hard suck on his thumb, then began to stroke him in earnest. “Shit, I feel alive when I’m with you. I didn’t want to find someone when I came back here, but you were so…uh. So much.”
I’m typing this review with tears streaming down my face and I read this book in one sitting when I have been in a reading slump for months, I think thats all you need to know about how much I love it.
First things first, just to get it out of the way, yes I know i'm an hypocrite. I really didn't enjoy the first book in this series when I read it (I gave it 1.5 stars) but I read the blurb for this book and I just had to read it. Deceit is one of my favourite trope in books, I just love it when the relationship is based on a lie and then the characters have to unpack it and learn how to move on and be together without the lie standing between them. I'm happy to report that I absolutely loved this book and that i’m so happy I decided to read it.
Brief summary
West doesn't have much money and he owns a deli that is barely surviving. West lives in a run down building and the owner is not very nice and refuses to fix anything. The owner of the company who owns the buildings is Jakob's dad and he steps down of the company so Jakob takes over the company, he isn’t as ruthless as his father but he isn’t a saint either. Jakob just broke off his engagement with the woman he had been dating for the last 10 years because they weren't suited for each other (Jakob is bisexual). They meet in a club and they have a one night stand in the bar's storage closet without knowing who the other is. They meet again around town and West thinks that Jakob is broke like him and Jakob doesn’t have it in him to tell him the truth. They start building a friendship based on that lie. Then they fall in love and have to admit to each other who they really are.
First, it’s sinister of me but I really like the ambiance in books when things aren't going well and everything seems like a big pile of doom, so I really enjoyed reading about West and how his apartment was falling apartment and he could barely afford his rent and to keep his deli open. I really like these topics where nothing is going well in books, so that part of the book really worked for me.
Second, I really liked West. He just needed a break and a hug and I liked how he tried to get the best out of every situation. He had a really positive outline on life and never gave up, even if his life wasn't the best thing ever.
Third, Jakob had never really been in love and he thought he wasn't a good enough human to be worthy of love and he wasn't sure he knew how to be in love and he had a bad family life (his father is evil) so he wasn't sure he would know how to be in an healthy relationship, I really enjoyed seeing his worry and how he wasn't sure he was made for love, it was really love to read about. I loved seeing how Jakob madly fell in love with West and he wanted to change his life around so he could be with West, it was lovely to see.
Fourth, I really enjoyed how they both had fears about relationships because of their previous relationships and how they didn't want to fall for the other but they just couldn't stop it, it was a very realistic portrayal of falling in love. I really enjoyed how West didn't want to fall in love because his life wasn't going very well and he felt like falling in love would ruin the little sense of balance he had in his life and how Jakod thought love wasn't meant for him, that felt like such realistic reasons to me and I really enjoyed it.
Fifth, the sex scenes were scorching hot and I absolutely adored them. They fit perfectly in the book and with the characters and their dynamic.
Sixth, this is probably because i've read about 19372783 books in the last year where main characters had evil exes but I was so happy that Jakob had an ex fiance and she wasn't evil at all. I was happy that they broke up because they didn't work together and not because his ex was evil and wanted to destroy Jakob's life. And I liked how his ex didn’t try to get him back the entire book. It was such a refreshing take on the subject and I loved to read it. And I loved how West also had an nice who was nice and wasn’t evil or trying to get him back the entire book. This felt revolutionary to me and I really loved it.
Seventh, I enjoyed how the evil force in the book wasn't one person but an entire company who was very hard to take down. Sometimes when it's just an evil person, it doesn't feel like a strong enough treat to be the focus of an entire book. The company in this book was every evil and actually was a treat to most of the characters' life and was a treat to the entire city and not just the main characters. The big company wanted to exile everyone who’s not rich and make place for only the rich people in town and I really enjoyed that, it was a breath of fresh air compared to typical evil plots in books.
Eight, I really enjoyed how the deceit was done here. I liked that the reason why they didn’t know who each other really is for a long time isn’t because one of them was evil and hiding their identity, it was just a big misunderstanding that they didn’t know how to get out of and that really worked for me.
Ninth, I liked how the book was really plot driven. The book made sure to really introduce the characters and the setting and plot to us before introducing the relationship and that really worked for me because I felt like I had all the information needed to understand their relationship and the struggles linked to it.
Tenth, I really liked these two together. I know that Jakob lied for most of the book, but I understood why and it worked for me. I liked how Jakob was always supportive of West, even when it went again Jakob’s own company, he made up for his lies by how good he was to West. They were very well suited and complimented each other so well. And I liked how Jakob was determined to change and to be a better man and to be worthy of West, it was really realistic to how I expect a relationship to be and it worked so well in this setting.
Eleventh, I think what I liked the most about this book was Jakob. He knew he was doing something wrong by lying and he never saw it as anything else than wrong. He knew he was wrong and he did everything in his power to fix it. And he did so much groveling to get West back. He knew his mistakes and he worked on them and fixed them and it was so lovely to read about.
Also the resolution to this book was absolutely perfect and I loved it so much, it was everything I wanted.
I just loved this book so much and i’m the first one to be surprised about it but i’m so glad it happened.
I received an ARC of this book, and this is my honest review.
“I want you to know that I think this is worth it. No matter what happens at the end, this is…you’ve made me feel,” he stuttered a little as West gave a hard suck on his thumb, then began to stroke him in earnest. “Shit, I feel alive when I’m with you. I didn’t want to find someone when I came back here, but you were so…uh. So much.”
I’m typing this review with tears streaming down my face and I read this book in one sitting when I have been in a reading slump for months, I think thats all you need to know about how much I love it.
First things first, just to get it out of the way, yes I know i'm an hypocrite. I really didn't enjoy the first book in this series when I read it (I gave it 1.5 stars) but I read the blurb for this book and I just had to read it. Deceit is one of my favourite trope in books, I just love it when the relationship is based on a lie and then the characters have to unpack it and learn how to move on and be together without the lie standing between them. I'm happy to report that I absolutely loved this book and that i’m so happy I decided to read it.
Brief summary
West doesn't have much money and he owns a deli that is barely surviving. West lives in a run down building and the owner is not very nice and refuses to fix anything. The owner of the company who owns the buildings is Jakob's dad and he steps down of the company so Jakob takes over the company, he isn’t as ruthless as his father but he isn’t a saint either. Jakob just broke off his engagement with the woman he had been dating for the last 10 years because they weren't suited for each other (Jakob is bisexual). They meet in a club and they have a one night stand in the bar's storage closet without knowing who the other is. They meet again around town and West thinks that Jakob is broke like him and Jakob doesn’t have it in him to tell him the truth. They start building a friendship based on that lie. Then they fall in love and have to admit to each other who they really are.
First, it’s sinister of me but I really like the ambiance in books when things aren't going well and everything seems like a big pile of doom, so I really enjoyed reading about West and how his apartment was falling apartment and he could barely afford his rent and to keep his deli open. I really like these topics where nothing is going well in books, so that part of the book really worked for me.
Second, I really liked West. He just needed a break and a hug and I liked how he tried to get the best out of every situation. He had a really positive outline on life and never gave up, even if his life wasn't the best thing ever.
Third, Jakob had never really been in love and he thought he wasn't a good enough human to be worthy of love and he wasn't sure he knew how to be in love and he had a bad family life (his father is evil) so he wasn't sure he would know how to be in an healthy relationship, I really enjoyed seeing his worry and how he wasn't sure he was made for love, it was really love to read about. I loved seeing how Jakob madly fell in love with West and he wanted to change his life around so he could be with West, it was lovely to see.
Fourth, I really enjoyed how they both had fears about relationships because of their previous relationships and how they didn't want to fall for the other but they just couldn't stop it, it was a very realistic portrayal of falling in love. I really enjoyed how West didn't want to fall in love because his life wasn't going very well and he felt like falling in love would ruin the little sense of balance he had in his life and how Jakod thought love wasn't meant for him, that felt like such realistic reasons to me and I really enjoyed it.
Fifth, the sex scenes were scorching hot and I absolutely adored them. They fit perfectly in the book and with the characters and their dynamic.
Sixth, this is probably because i've read about 19372783 books in the last year where main characters had evil exes but I was so happy that Jakob had an ex fiance and she wasn't evil at all. I was happy that they broke up because they didn't work together and not because his ex was evil and wanted to destroy Jakob's life. And I liked how his ex didn’t try to get him back the entire book. It was such a refreshing take on the subject and I loved to read it. And I loved how West also had an nice who was nice and wasn’t evil or trying to get him back the entire book. This felt revolutionary to me and I really loved it.
Seventh, I enjoyed how the evil force in the book wasn't one person but an entire company who was very hard to take down. Sometimes when it's just an evil person, it doesn't feel like a strong enough treat to be the focus of an entire book. The company in this book was every evil and actually was a treat to most of the characters' life and was a treat to the entire city and not just the main characters. The big company wanted to exile everyone who’s not rich and make place for only the rich people in town and I really enjoyed that, it was a breath of fresh air compared to typical evil plots in books.
Eight, I really enjoyed how the deceit was done here. I liked that the reason why they didn’t know who each other really is for a long time isn’t because one of them was evil and hiding their identity, it was just a big misunderstanding that they didn’t know how to get out of and that really worked for me.
Ninth, I liked how the book was really plot driven. The book made sure to really introduce the characters and the setting and plot to us before introducing the relationship and that really worked for me because I felt like I had all the information needed to understand their relationship and the struggles linked to it.
Tenth, I really liked these two together. I know that Jakob lied for most of the book, but I understood why and it worked for me. I liked how Jakob was always supportive of West, even when it went again Jakob’s own company, he made up for his lies by how good he was to West. They were very well suited and complimented each other so well. And I liked how Jakob was determined to change and to be a better man and to be worthy of West, it was really realistic to how I expect a relationship to be and it worked so well in this setting.
Eleventh, I think what I liked the most about this book was Jakob. He knew he was doing something wrong by lying and he never saw it as anything else than wrong. He knew he was wrong and he did everything in his power to fix it. And he did so much groveling to get West back. He knew his mistakes and he worked on them and fixed them and it was so lovely to read about.
Also the resolution to this book was absolutely perfect and I loved it so much, it was everything I wanted.
I just loved this book so much and i’m the first one to be surprised about it but i’m so glad it happened.
I received an ARC of this book, and this is my honest review.