Title: His Heart Knows
Author: Riley Long
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Amazon/Self
Heat: 3 Flames
Rating: 2.5 Hearts
Synopsis via Goodreads:
People fall in love with their best friends all the time. But for me, the circumstances of this unrequited attraction are even more agonizing.
I am gay.
My best friend, Sawyer, is not.
Since we were fifteen, I’ve harbored this torturous crush. Now, as we both enter our thirties, it seems time to resign myself to the fact that nothing is going to come of it. Ever.
Or so I thought…
One night, a bottle of gin and a little uncharacteristic self-pity were all the inspiration I needed to launch into a ramble about being alone because I’m bad at everything – even kissing. Determined to prove me wrong, Sawyer decided to shut me up with a kiss.
I know he meant for it to be innocent.
Turns out it was anything but.
Sparks flew as we unlocked a side of Sawyer he never knew existed. Now, more than anything, he wants me by his side forever. But this realization comes with its own set of obstacles. Can we learn to lean on each other as we build a future together? Or will the stresses of our day to day lives tear us apart?
Review: This was cute and sweet little story, but I had a hard time connecting to the characters. I really wanted to love this one. Stories about sexual discovery/awakening/exploration are one of my favorites, especially when it’s a friends-to-lovers trope. This one though, it was just kinda meh. It was a quick and easy, low angst read, but kinda forgettable, sadly.
Sawyer is a lawyer from a wealthy family, and Axel is a poor grad student who works at a bookstore. They’ve been best friends for fifteen years. They’re basically a couple without the perks, even their friends think that way, more or less. Then after some liquid courage, things happen and we’re off!
They’re a cute couple. I really enjoyed the origin of the rubber ducky collection. It was my favorite part of the story. Sawyer started Axel’s collection and buys him one whenever he finds a new one.
However, this is the part of the story is where things started to unravel for me. It really needed an editor. The pacing was off for me. I felt that they moved too quickly to be believable, even for best friends, and they acted more like high school friends at times rather than thirty-year-old men. There were typos and a few inconsistencies throughout the story that made me scratch my head. I hated his parents and the contrived drama that went along with them. That said, it does offer some opportunity for Sawyer to grow when he stands up for something that he believes in during the story.
Overall, it’s a cute story that made me smile, even if I didn’t really feel anything for them. *shrugs*
Purchase Link | Amazon
This title is part of the Kindle Unlimited library.
