cozyupwithfictionandtea_sarah's reviews
375 reviews

Ooh! They’re officially together &! we got to meet Yanni 💜 definitely wonder what book 3 will bring into the equation but also excited to see Spencer & Andrew’s relationship progress! Listened via Anyplay.

I’ve read reviews via groups on the fb that I’m a part of & I’m very happy I finally got around to reading this duet! First, Alex & Dane & now Bass & Jacob. Really enjoyed the OM drama as I don’t see it utilized as much in gay or MM romance. Also loved that the first book gives an inside look at how an integrated team from all of the best swimmers are pulled together & generally made into a functioning team. We definitely see more of that team family bind together more strongly now that we’re at the Olympics in this one. It’s unfortunate that hazing hasn’t been officially disbanded especially when most of the newbie kids already went through that bc they’re still in college. I digress, first books by the author for myself & I greatly enjoyed both immensely! Listened via Anyplay.

Listened via Anyplay. New to me author & now that book 1 is over, I’m intrigued to read book 2 now that I understand how the author approaches the touchy topics. Now it’s Jacob & Bass’ story! And I’m fully expecting this team to get the relay medley gold medal!!

Oh boy, kinda Hatfield’s & McCoy’s but with competitive flower distributors. Have to say that I am loving how the author seamlessly brings specific things from other books & novellas into the next couple’s story. In the previous novella The Note #2.5, we met Tyler & Gus & learned all about how the flower distributor (Micah) not being able to source the agreed upon celestial pink roses for Tyler’s step-sister’s wedding & how Tyler ended up calling Constantine for help. In this book we learn how Micah & Con get together & how the flower debacle happened & also how the entire town (that was available as it was Feb 13) came together to help make Marissa’s wedding flowers perfect! But I digress, Con & Micah… what a pair & a beautiful one at that. They definitely fit the hiding their relationship because C’s mom & Micah are business enemies. But as their relationship grows even with the 16 year age gap it’s very apparent that they both are exactly who each other needs & wants. I found it funny honestly where the relationship took a quick little break & why even though they both realize how stupid they’re both being. Now, I’m excited to keep reading this series with the next novella!
I officially want these books, novellas & audiobooks in my library stat & including the digital edition too! Listened via Anyplay.

I am loving this trilogy so far! I’m hoping book 3 is about 2 stubborn characters that seriously need each other in the same way Everett needed Silas & Julian (Jules) needed a relationship beyond friendship with Daniel. Ugh just all the feelings… yep these need to be in my library! Fake boyfriends is a sticky trope that not all authors do well & in this case, May Archer did a fantastic job bc she had created the quirky small town of O’Leary & all the idiosyncrasies of each set of main characters, their families (if applicable) & the townsfolk. I think humor is key for a fake relationship story to do well bc there’s the levity that’s needed to compensate for any deeper conversations that are needed & it has been a joy reading so far bc the author does this well! Listened via Anyplay.

First book by this author & it was the best of what a true small town is at its core! Iggy Toma & Alexander Cendese narration was fantastic & the more I hear A’s voice I’m really impressed with the emotion & different voices used in his work. This has loss of a spouse & sibling, I really appreciated how the author chose to address the grief of those left behind & how we irl truly do always have a choice but also that grief is linear. 💜 Silas & Everett, gave me plenty of opportunities for laughter & the reveal of the “killer” was expertly written IMHO; I wasn’t truly surprised once I thought about it but at the time was just as clueless as the townspeople. This is definitely an autumnal read & I may need a physical copy for my library.
I’m excited to read the other books soon! Listened via Anyplay.

First by this author for me & I absolutely loved it. Landon & Casey & their families & friends made this a fantastic read. Loved that the author didn’t overdo the relationship angst & that it was resolved within a a few games. Definitely on a hockey kick again & this was a great one to start off with. Cooper North was yet again a great narrator for this 📖. Listened via Anyplay.

Well, I’m invested but not impressed by Declan at all. Being 25+ through this trilogy does not give me great hopes for his character growth. Very happy to have Solo narrate! I suppose I have to concede that girls mature faster than boys especially after puberty generally speaking but seriously I really had to suspend belief that Declan was really invested in beginning a relationship with Owen & as I continued to read was very unimpressed with Declan & his superiority complex & how his attitude & behavior negatively impacted Owen & his trust in Declan from the start. Declan unfortunately was of the opinion that Owen should just be able to automatically trust him, only for him to run away when his health got super bad & not only that but ran to Ridge. Utter absolute childishness & no apology once he finally got his head out of you know where & honestly bc he’s a child in a man’s body it saddens my heart that authors aren’t railed against such promotion in their writing as if it should all just be swept under the rug or put on the dusty shelf. 😖 Anyway, I do plan to finish the trilogy bc my hope is that Dec finally puts Owen first, before himself & stops disciplining Owen for “his sake” or “because he made daddy mad”??!!! 😳 WTF is this disgusting nonsense. I could go on but I think I have said enough honestly & I guess every new author to me is always going to be a gamble. Listened via Anyplay.

Okay, okay, okay… my review of the past two books were a bit sharp. That said, this one finally held up to expectation! Loved John Solo’s narration throughout, loved the final epilogue with all the updates on everyone & I mean everyone! Oscar, Auggie (August), Summer, Charles, David (butler), Silas (chauffeur), Ridge, James & Harper (cancer survivor). It was fast learning about everyone but more than satisfactory. Overall I still have issues with Declan’s behavior with Owen & there only being one apology actually on page & I have found that a fictional character who has messed up with their significant other or potential relationship must have sufficient groveling & here Owen is too much of a pushover character & is usually waiting to be baited into fury or whatever emotion & sufficiently stand up for himself as he is NOT a little. Okay off my soapbox, my TED talk is done  🤭 listened via Anyplay.

Well, this one really didn’t hit the mark the first book did as we definitely got to see more of the dynamic between Owen & Declan. While I did like that Dec took Owen’s kids (especially the twins) interrogation, I did not appreciate the humiliation Dec treated Owen with regarding Ridge’s presence & tear on their budding relationship let alone no apology even though Owen was definitely owed one for Ridge’s use of ‘daddy’. To make Owen feel unworthy when Declan hadn’t done a thing to actually fix the issue & then punish Owen bc he didn’t have faith in Dec?? 😳 oh hell to the NO! I’m VERY unimpressed & not expecting anything to change in book 3. The power dynamic that Declan has always swung in his own direction is absolutely despicable & I don’t care how young he is. He gets off on pushing Owen & it’s sickening, childish manipulation & how the writer wrote Owen to be such a pushover in these scenes is senseless. For any reader, definitely be aware of this!! Listened via Anyplay.