Oliver and Samuel’s relationship is fairy-tale perfect. They share a gorgeous house in Antwerp, go out with their friends every weekend, and count down the days to their dream wedding. But their happy ending is shattered one late night, and just like that, Ollie is left bereft and alone.
The months that follow are long and dark, but slowly Ollie emerges from his grief. He even braves the waters of online dating, though deep down he doesn’t believe he can find that connection again. He doesn’t think to look for love right in front of him: his bisexual friend Thomas, the gentle giant with a kind heart and sad eyes who’s wanted him all along.
When Thomas suddenly discovers he has a son who needs him, he’s ill prepared. Ollie opens up his house—Sam’s house—and lets them in. Ollie doesn’t know what scares him more: the responsibility of caring for a baby, or the way Thomas is steadily winning his heart. It will take all the courage he has to discover whether or not fairy tales can happen for real.
Cover Design: Dar Albert
Length: 205 pages
Amazon – Kindle Unlimited
I have no words….
I’ve been literally staring at this page for a solid five minutes trying to figure out where to begin.
First, we have Ollie, having met the love of his life at ten years old. They’d been together ever since, as friends until they were old enough to be more, and then they were. Even years later, the love they had for each other was so beautiful in a way that it was so obvious, it would never end. They didn’t just love each other, they were in love with each other. Nothing matter to either of them, the world could be falling down around them both, and as long as they had each other, they’d die happy. It felt so real. That’s why….when tragedy struck and Ollie lost Sam, I felt it so deep. It felt like I lost him too. How did you do that??
You can imagine the grief that comes with losing the other piece of you. It’s all-encompassing and folks, I ugly cried my little heart out. Body wracking sobs, I am not in the least bit exaggerating, it hit me HARD…
BUT, having the best friends, Cleo and her boyfriend Inram, and their other best friend, Thomas as well as Ollie’s mom….They rallied, they were there for Ollie and without them all, I don’t know what Ollie would’ve become, but I was so glad he had them.
Eventually, though, Ollie came out of the grief and started living again….Nothing happened quickly, it was real in that aspect too… Some days were hard…really hard, but overtime, they got easier. And with the gentle nudge from Cleo, he decided to date again… It was good to get back out there, but Ollie knew that he wasn’t ready… it was a good experience though and I was impressed with the way in which it was handled. Even if I did feel for Peter, I hope he found someone nice in this fictional world… I wouldn’t mind a story about him! <hint hint>
So, after a little more time to get used to what life would be like without Sam, Cleo let’s Ollie in on a secret… Now, in saying this… I’ll admit that I didn’t feel Thomas’s attraction for Ollie at first… it was subtle and I admired the respect he had for Sam and Ollie. My heart broke for him because I couldn’t imagine the unrequited love he had for Ollie. The way Ollie had felt about Sam, Thomas had been feeling that for Ollie… can you even imagine that? Knowing that your heart was lost to someone who had no hope of feeling the same way…. I couldn’t imagine.
BUT, the little things that Thomas did that showed Ollie how he felt…. man, I fell for him so hard. He was amazing! The best friend and everything that Ollie needed. Ollie realized it a little too late though and Thomas needed to try to get over him. He tried…. he really tried, and I was frustrated when he’d met someone else, but I feel like they both needed that.
With some time apart, both guys realized that they needed each other….Ollie needed to realize he loved Thomas in a way that had nothing to do with losing Sam, and Thomas just couldn’t stop his feelings for Ollie, even when he was somewhat happy with someone else. It just didn’t work, because his heart belonged to Ollie.
Sigh…. Seriously, I wish I could explain how I LIVED this book. I felt as if I was living it, experiencing it and it ripped me apart and then in the most beautiful way, it put me back together again…..
THEN, a bombshell…. Thomas, being bi, had a casual relationship with a friend way back that resulted in a baby. The situation was as such where the babys mom needed treatment so Thomas was in charge of the baby while she was getting better. It was tough and he was way out of his element….. but of course he had Ollie. It was time for Ollie to return the favor. They’d switched roles in a sense, because now it was Ollie who had fallen in love with Thomas, and then his little boy, Milo, but he pushed it aside to be what they needed….just as Thomas had done for him when he’d lost Sam…
I could gush about this for AGES… I really good, it was that amazing. I laughed outloud, I cried (a really ugly cry), I swooned and I fell hopelessly in love with these characters…
The only part I somewhat hated, was Sam’s parents and the awful way they treated Ollie. I understood that it helped reiterate what the house meant to Ollie, but I hate that they were so selfish and they never got the karmic justice that they deserved. But, like everything else with this story, it was real. Ollie was understanding to a point and out of respect for Sam, he kept his mouth shut and just exited their lives….at least he got the house, because not only did Sam want him to have it, but, it was home to him. I was glad about that.
All in all, I wish I could buy this book for everyone and just make them read it. If you choose to skip it, you’re really missin out! It’s one that I know will stick with me for a long time, and one I know I’ll revisit again. One of the best reads I’ve read in a while. And I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful ending…
I give it all the stars!
5 pieces of eye candy
After living in Michigan, USA for seven wonderful years, Indra Vaughn returned back to her Belgian roots. There she will continue to consume herbal tea, do yoga wherever the mat fits, and devour books while single parenting a little boy and working as a nurse.
*** Disclosure of Material: I received a copy of this book from the Author/Publisher with the hope that I would voluntarily leave unbiased and unsolicited feedback. I was not asked, encouraged, or required to leave a review – nor was I compensated in any way. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. ***