Their lives didn’t turn out as they’d imagined as boys, but they never forgot each other.
Personal trainer Oliver Knox is strong and graceful, dedicated to his clients, and fiercely loyal to friends and family. But the thing he takes pride in the most, his business, is failing.
Single father and entrepreneur Nico Kastellanos knows success is hard-won and tries to give back to those who, like him, have to fight for their dreams. His one regret is how things ended with his childhood best friend. Their friendship and their secret kisses linger in his mind.
When Oliver unwittingly hires Nico’s PR firm to breathe life into his failing gym, their connection rekindles instantly. The chemistry is potent, the memories heart-wrenching. They’re no longer awkward, troubled kids. They are men who know what—and who—they want.
Will Oliver and Nico finally get their long-overdue forever together, or will the ghosts from their past continue to haunt them?
Note: Forever, Again, is a friends-to-lovers, heartfelt, second-chance romance set in the Shelby Beach world. Forever, Again can be read as a standalone or enjoyed with the series.
Title: Forever Again
Authors: Skylar M. Cates
Length: 70k
Series: Shelby Beach, Book 4 (Books 2-4 available for review)
Genre: Contemporary.
Tropes: best friends/reunited years later, single parent.
Amazon – Kindle Unlimited
Goodreads
“We’ve been seeing each other for weeks, but I’m nervous too. Something has shifted, hasn’t it?”
Oliver’s breath hitched. Something had shifted. Everyone said love was simple, but it wasn’t. It was layered and complicated. And there were different levels of love.
Childhood love. Adult love. Instant love.
Lasting love.
Still shaky, Oliver made his way to Nico. He had loved Nico in secret. Could Oliver love him in the light? Where every flaw would be exposed, Nico’s and his own? He hadn’t realized how heavily those fears had been inside of him until this moment.
Finally accepting the loan had been like turning a glaring spotlight on, and he’d been fearful of what he’d see.
Only he’d seen Nico. Standing with him, whatever path he chose. And something had shifted. The fears oozed away. The darkness stopped pressing on his chest.
And now, his heart could beat, could soar.
Oliver smiled. Slowly, at first, and then wider and wider. By the time he reached Nico on the couch, he was weightless, gliding on air.
Oliver swept him up and wrapped his arms around him.
“What the hell.” Nico laughed.
Oliver spun him in his arms. And, just the way he’d always fantasized about that long-ago hotel room night, he carried Nico to the bed.
Undressing, touching, kissing, Oliver kept some part of them linked. Nico’s braces and their clothes came off, but they never ceased caressing each other. Usually, he used sex to forget himself, to escape for a while, but this was the opposite.
Touching Nico, Oliver was totally himself. His skin flushed. Joy bubbled through him as they kissed. Nico’s lips on his made his pulse pound. Their tongues, tasting and teasing, made him ache. Their torsos pressed, leaving no space between them. It was timeless. Today felt like yesterday and tomorrow converging. Their touches were more than a memory. Without beginning or end. Without distance or boundaries.
No music except the music of their bodies. No light needed, except their hearts.
This book is fourth in the series, although I haven’t read any of the previous. However, the cover for The Christmas Lights Battle (Book 1) is so darn adorable, I think I have to go back and read it anyway. I didn’t feel lost at all by not having read the previous books, although you do get to see all the previous couples make appearances in this second chance romance, friends to lovers book.
This book is super sweet, with an MC with an ongoing disability (yeah for representation!), although sadly that disability led to abuse from his father towards his mother. The other MC is his high school sweetheart (are they sweethearts if they aren’t out?) who was left in pain with no answers, and built a wall that nobody has been able to tear down in all these years.
It took a lot of plucking at those bricks, over and over and over by Nico, to get through that wall. Even when he did, Oliver patched it right back up again, not trusting himself when it came to loving someone. For me, it was a bit too much of back and forth by Oliver. He kept seeing Nico, falling in love with him and his daughter, but then pulled back often. He did finally let go, including swallowing his pride some, but it seemed a bit too prolonged for me.
Nico definitely had his reasons for leaving, and it would be easy to condemn him for making a “promise” to show up that night. However, at that age, how many people are able to make those types of decisions, taking people outside themselves into account? It’s unlikely, especially with the differences in situations. Also, I really didn’t understand the name thing, especially after he was of age. That one was a complete mystery to me. What a fantastic father though!
This one didn’t quite hit the fluffy beach read that I was expecting, and had some unexpected pieces that didn’t work as well for me. Overall, a sweet romance, that brings back characters from previous books, that should make readers of this series happy.
3.5 pieces of eye candy
Skylar M. Cates loves a good romance. She is happy to drink coffee, curl up with a good book, and not move all day. Her novels feature strong and passionate men. Skylar loves to craft stories where realistic characters are challenged with emotional situations. Although lately the laundry room is the farthest place she has visited, Skylar loves to chat with folks from all around the globe.
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